Over two days, 20 innovative entrepreneurs – five of them Egyptian – competed over two days, pitching their businesses’ core mission and describing how they contribute to changing lives in the communities where they work.
Sprints is an end-to-end service with a mission to bridge the tech talent gap.
The company assesses and pairs talent with top-paying jobs, delivers customized learning journeys, and supports its clients' career growth.
“Sprints believes itself to be the only social enterprise in the Middle East and Africa that offers guaranteed hiring programs where graduates only pay upon successful hiring, in zero percent interest payments over three years. In four years, it delivered more than 50,000 learning experiences, graduated more than 15,000 learners and delivered over 1.3 million learning hours in the 13 most-in-demand technology fields. Based on the program’s objectives and duration, the company’s prices range from $50 up to $400," Bazaraa told Ahram Online.
The top 10 list includes entrepreneurs from across the African continent with innovative business models and creative solutions to benefit African communities and entrepreneurship.
One of them is Ismael Belkhayat, CEO and Founder of the Moroccan fintech services provider Chari, which helps traditional local businesses cope with competition from large and medium-sized stores.
Chari digitizes points of sale and allows businesses to source products online, benefit from payment terms, and offer financial services to their end consumers.
The company offers free same-day delivery.
The list also includes Bola Bardet, CEO and Co-Founder of Susu from Benin, and Ikpeme Neto, CEO and Founder of Nigerian Wellahealth Technologies represent African innovation in the healthcare sector.
In agriculture, the list features Christina Gyisun, who heads the Ghanaian firm Sommalife.
In the retail sector, Albert Munyabugingo represents the Rwandan company Vuba Vuba Africa, along with Theo Baloyi, CEO and Founder of South Africa-based sneaker producer Bathu.
The top 10 entrepreneurs will compete in Kigali again in November in the ABH Grand Finale, for shares of $1.5 million in grant money. The winner receives $300,000, the first runner-up $250,000 and the second runner-up $150,000. The other seven finalists each receive $100,000, and the remaining $100,000 is split among all finalists for additional training programs after the competition.
The ABH Prize Competition is a philanthropic initiative sponsored by the Chinese Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Philanthropy.
The prize inspires the next generation of African entrepreneurs across all sectors for a more sustainable and inclusive economy for the continent's future.
“All ABH participants have the opportunity to network with a wide range of business leaders and other like-minded entrepreneurs and to have access to exclusive ABH events tailored to help them refine and grow their businesses," Michael Mang, Project Director at ABH told Ahram Online.
Over 10 years, ABH will recognize 100 African entrepreneurs and allocate grant funding and training programs for the development of an entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group and the Jack Ma Foundation, created the prize after he was inspired by the energy and entrepreneurial potential of the young people he met on his first trip to Africa in 2017.
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