Association Burkinabè de Fundraising

Do you know an African entrepreneur who is creating positive change through their business? Do they run a business that is at least 3 years old? Could they benefit from up to 300,000 $ in grants, media exposure and access to training? If so, submit your application to Africa's Business Heroes and take the first step towards making a real impact.

Each year, the prize selects ten 'business heroes' from across Africa to compete for their share of $1.5 million in grants. During the competition, entrants also have exclusive access to training, mentoring and learning programmes, as well as a community of like-minded African business leaders.

Africa's Business Heroes (ABH) is the Jack Ma Foundation's flagship philanthropic programme in Africa to support entrepreneurs. The mission is to showcase and develop local talent who are creating a positive impact in their communities and beyond, and to inspire an African entrepreneurship movement. Over a ten-year period, the programme will recognise 100 African entrepreneurs and provide grants, training programmes and wider support to Africa's vast entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Benefits

• Shared subsidy among the TOP 10
  • 1st prize winner: 300,000 $
  • 2nd prize winner: 250,000 $
  • 3rd prize winner: 150,000 $
  • Other Top 10 finalists (7): 100,000 $
  • Training opportunities: 100,000 $
• Key price benefits
  • They are providing up to 300,000 $ in grants to the top 10 finalists. In addition to the grants, ABH offers finalists a number of other benefits to help propel their business forward. These benefits include:
    • Find out more about yourself and your company: The ABH application form has been designed to ask questions that help you think critically about your business as you answer them. By simply taking the time to complete the application, it will help you to look at your business in detail and identify areas where you can already start to improve.
    • Get valuable feedback: At each stage of the application process, you will receive feedback and advice from carefully selected judges. This feedback will be specific to your company.
    • Developing the skills to tell your story: ABH is interested not only in your business, but also in your personal story. Throughout the competition, you will receive advice on how to improve the way you tell your story, which you can apply to introduce investors and grow your business beyond the competition.
    • Join an entrepreneurial ecosystem: ABH attracts inspiring entrepreneurs from 54 African countries. Finalists have the opportunity to connect, learn and partner with other like-minded entrepreneurs and the judging community.
    • Access exclusive mentoring and training : The award offers finalists the opportunity to engage with and receive advice from highly accomplished business leaders and investors through mentoring and access to masterclasses by leading professionals and inspirational peers.
    • Global recognition and increased visibility via the "Africa's Business Heroes" show, which is distributed throughout Africa via the main television network providers and also covered by world-renowned media.
• Advantages of becoming an ABH TOP 50 or TOP 20 finalist
  • Access to the Africa's Business Heroes (ABH) network. Finalists will also have the opportunity to become part of the ABH network where they can tap into valuable entrepreneurial resources such as mentoring, exclusive training resources such as investment readiness coaching and more. They will also have the opportunity to network with a wide range of like-minded business leaders and other entrepreneurs and have access to exclusive ABH events designed to help them refine and grow their businesses.
  • Comments from industry experts. Throughout the interview and assessment process, finalists will have the opportunity to interact with highly qualified judges who will offer advice to the finalists.
  • Advertising : They will provide the Top 50 and Top 20 finalists with a platform to tell their stories via the website and social networks. They are also issuing press releases on the Top 50 and Top 20 finalists to ensure that their stories are shared across Africa and the world. The top 10 heroes are featured in the ABH programme, which highlights their stories and recounts their journey to the final. The programme is broadcast across the continent on the best television channels.

Eligibility criteria

• They are looking for African entrepreneurial heroes who are creating an impact in their communities and building a more inclusive economy for the future. Africans from 54 African countries can apply regardless of age, sector or gender. However, applicants must meet a strict set of criteria:
  • The applicant is of African origin. You must be of African nationality and/or have a parent or grandparent of African nationality.
  • The company is legally registered. The company must be registered with the government in at least 1 African country. It should have a business licence to operate.
  • The company is based in Africa. The company is headquartered in an African country and operates mainly in Africa.
  • The company is at the post-idea stage. The company has been operational for at least 3 years and has 3 years of revenue history to provide.
• Only people of African origin can apply. In other words, you must either be of African nationality OR have a parent/grandparent of African nationality.
• NGOs can apply.

Video requirements

• As part of the application, you will need to upload ONE video of a customer explaining why they are buying your product or solution. They encourage you to start this process early.
• The video must do the following:
  • Briefly introduce yourself and the customer.
  • Introduce a customer who shares their impressions of your product/service and how it has affected them.
  • Be there in 1 minute 30 seconds or less.
  • Be saved in landscape format (horizontal)
  • Be recorded in the language in which you are applying (English or French). If one of the videos contains another language, you must include subtitles in English or French or translate it VERBALLY.
• Please note that videos do not have to be professionally made and can be recorded using a smartphone.

For more information, please visit Africa's Business Heroes .