The confirmed judges for the final are Jack Ma, Ibukun Awosika, Strive Masiyiwa and Joe Tsai.

HANGZHOU, China – Ten finalists, from eight African countries and comprising 50% women, are preparing for the grand final to be held in November; the confirmed judges for the final are Jack Ma, Ibukun Awosika, Strive Masiyiwa and Joe Tsai; this year's ABH televised gala will be broadcast in November and December.

The Africa's Business Heroes (ABH) 2020 Award, a flagship philanthropic program launched by the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative (ANPI) of the Jack Ma Foundation (www.JackMaFoundation.org.cn), has selected the top 10 finalists, who will show up at the grand finale of the competition next November, for the chance to win their share of a $1.5 million prize pool.

The ten outstanding entrepreneurs – half of whom are represented by women – were selected from more than 22,000 applications in the 54 African countries, after several intensive evaluation rounds. With an average age of 34, the ten finalists represent eight African countries: Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda and Zimbabwe, and their companies cover key sectors such as agriculture, fashion, education, healthcare, renewable energy and financial services.

"The continues to be amazed by the passion, resilience and vision of African entrepreneurs and I would be delighted to meet these ten extraordinary men and women entrepreneurs at the final. I am excited to learn more about how they are making positive change and progress across the continent," said Jack Ma, Founder of the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Group.

The passion, excellence and diversity of the finalists reflect the DNA of the competition. The ABH program will reward 100 African entrepreneurs and allocate US$100 million, over a ten-year period, in the form of grants, training, mentoring and learning initiatives, access to key networks, and for the development of a vibrant community of entrepreneurs to provide support to future African entrepreneurs. This is a testament to the Jack Ma Foundation's long-term commitment to supporting the African entrepreneurial ecosystem.

 "The 2020 edition of Africa's Business Heroes competition was fantastic. The quality of the entrepreneurs and their ideas has been exceptional and this is a testament to the talent that exists across the continent. I'm very excited to follow the rest of the competition and see who the African Business Hero 2020 will be," said Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, ABH Semi-Final Judge and Founder of soleRebels, Garden of Coffee and Tefftastic.

"It was fascinating to be part of this unique initiative. From the beginning, I was struck by the diversity of people and projects involved, and there is an almost equal distribution of the number of talented male and female finalists from all over Africa. This competition has turned the spotlight on our continent and helped to highlight African solutions to African problems. As someone who knows how difficult it is to start a business, I was heartened to see that many participants are fully self-funded and have shown great determination, ingenuity and courage to get here. All the finalists really deserve the opportunity they have been given. Jack Ma represents the best of global entrepreneurship, so I am delighted to have participated in such a fantastic project," commented Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, ABH Semi-Final Judge and Founder and President of the APO Group.

On November 13 and 14, Africa's Business Heroes will host its Grand Finale, and the winners of the 2020 ABH Award will be announced on November 14, 2020.

During the pitch of the Online Grand Final, the top ten heroes will present their companies, as well as their vision and leadership style, to the final jury which will be composed of Jack Ma, Founder of the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Group; Ibukun Awosika, Chairman of the First Bank of Nigeria and CEO/Founder of The Chair Centre Group; Strive Masiyiwa, Founder and Executive Chairman of Econet Group; and Joe Tsai, Executive Vice President of Alibaba Group.

The next few weeks will be crucial for the finalists as they will need to fine-tune their pitch and leverage the in-depth training, learning and knowledge they have gained throughout their ABH journey, to finally reach the final. All of this will be integrated into ABH's brand new entertainment TV show, which will be broadcast in five episodes from November 21 to December 19 across Africa. The show will give the public exclusive access to the real journeys of the entrepreneurs of this edition, accompanying them throughout the final and will reveal the key ideas and tips shared by the judges of the final, as well as the highlights and experiences of the competition. By showcasing the immense talent of the candidates, ABH hopes to join the entrepreneurial spirit of start-ups and small businesses in Africa and around the world, to inspire them to pursue their aspirations and make their ideas and solutions a reality.

Meet the finalists of the Top 10:

Abdulai A Dasana, CEO & Chief Operating Officer, Amaati Company Limited (Ghana) (https://AmaatiGroup.com)

'We feed the world' - Amaati is a social enterprise whose mission is to create sustainable communities through the use of an extinct and neglected culture called Fonio. The company is led by Abdulai A. Dasana, an agricultural technician with a decade of experience in finance, banking and SMEs and with the ambition to revolutionize the agricultural sector for the benefit of the most vulnerable.

Aboubakar Karim, CEO & Founder, INVESTIV (Ivory Coast) (www.INVESTIVGroup.com)

"Technology and Passion for Agriculture" - INVESTIV is an Ivorian company whose mission is to help build the future of African agriculture by leveraging innovative technologies to support smallholder farmers throughout Côte d'Ivoire and West Africa. The company is run by Aboubakar Karim, a 25-year-old agroeconomist.

Axel Emmanuel Gbaou, CEO & Founder, Le Chocolatier Ivorien (Ivory Coast) (https://Le-chocolatier-ivoirien.myshopify.com)

"The cocoa revolution on the move" - Chocolatier Ivorien manufactures and offers quality chocolate, handcrafted in Africa, promoting sustainable cultivation techniques and a fairer distribution of income in the cocoa chain through a direct partnership with women producers. The Founder, Axel, who began his career as a banker and started the business in his mother's kitchen, holds a degree in public international law and a master's degree in taxation.

Chebet Lesan, Founder & CEO, Bright Green R. Energy (Kenya) (www.BrightGreenKenya.co.ke)

'Revolutionising African cuisines' - BrightGreen Energy produces vital fuel bricks that reduce the cost of cooking for underserved communities across Africa and save forests.  The company is led by Chebet Lesan who holds leadership training from the University of Cambridge, in Product Design from the University of Nairobi, Supply Chain Management from the Rutgers School of Business and a Research Fellowship in Business Design from the D-lab of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cyrille Nkontchou, Founder & President, Enko Education (Cameroon) (https://EnkoEducation.com)

"Your launching pad to the best universities" - Enko Education operates Africa's largest network of private schools that teaches the International Baccalaureate curriculum to democratize young Africans' access to quality international education. The company was founded by Cyrille Nkontchou, an economist by training who has extensive experience as a fund manager, banker and consultant.

Ethel Mupambwa, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Moneymart (Zimbabwe) (www.MoneymartFinance.com)

 "Creating Wealth, Changing Lives" Moneymart is a Zimbabwe-based microfinance institution that offers tailor-made commercial loans to MSMEs and people who live off the power grid to enable them to access quality solar lighting kits. The firm is co-led by Ethel Mupambwa, who has nine years of experience in finance and is a Candidate for the Level 2 Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Dr. Emma Naluyima Mugerwa, Founder, MST Junior School (Uganda) (www.MSTJuniorSchool.ac.ug)

'Little Seeds, Big Dreams' - MST Junior School is an elementary school with a unique approach and learning model, aimed at equipping students with unique skills that they can then use to solve community problems such as food insecurity, waste management and malnutrition. The school was created by Dr. Emma Naluyima, a veterinarian, farmer and educator eager to train young people and change their lives through modern and targeted agriculture.

Joan Rukundo Nalubega, CEO and Founder, Uganics (Uganda) (www.Uganics.org)

 "Buy soap – save lives." Uganics is a social enterprise that makes organic antimalarial soap to fight malaria, kills millions of people every year, and is marketed worldwide with a high profit margin to subsidize sales to poor populations at the same price as soap. ordinary. The company is led by Joan Rukundo Nalubega, a malaria survivor and social entrepreneur whose vision is to fight malaria.

Mame Diarra Bousso Gueye, CEO and Founder, Diarrablu (Senegal) (https://Diarrablu.com)

'Artisans & Algorithms for a Conscious Lifestyle' - Diarrablu is a Senegalese fashion technology company that fuses African craft traditions with technology to empower African artisans and build an ethical and sustainable fashion future centered on ancestral African craftsmanship. The company is led by Diarra Gueye, who has experience in finance, mathematics and design and recently completed her master's degree at Stanford University with a focus on creative mathematics.

Oluwasoga Oni, CEO and Co-Founder, Mdaas Global (Nigeria) (www.Mdaas.io)

 "Providing diagnostics for the next billion people in Africa." MDaaS Global builds and operates modern, technology-equipped diagnostic centers in clinically underserved communities, starting with Nigeria, to provide patients with a world-class experience at highly competitive prices. The company is led by Oluwasoga Oni, a systems engineer trained at MIT.