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| Photo Caption: Africa’s Business Heroes 2026 Top 20 entrepreneurs, judges and organisers pose for a group photo during the Semi-Final in Nairobi on Thursday, August 20, 2026. |
African entrepreneurs have been challenged to build commercially sustainable businesses that deliver social impact and respond to the continent’s unique challenges as the 2026 Africa’s Business Heroes Semi-Final opened in Nairobi.
Twenty entrepreneurs selected from more than 24,000 applications across all 54 African countries are competing in the two-day event on August 21 and 22, seeking to secure a place among the 10 finalists.
The entrepreneurs, drawn from 12 African countries and 11 sectors, collectively generated about US$85 million in revenue in 2025, with their businesses spanning agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, education, energy, climate technology and other sectors.
Kome Oruade-Etim, Global Programme Manager for Acumen Angels and a judge, said the changing funding environment requires entrepreneurs to demonstrate strong business fundamentals while addressing social and environmental challenges.
“It forces the question that we no longer need just businesses to solve problems, but we need ones that are commercially viable, sound fundamentals,” she said.
Oruade-Etim also urged entrepreneurs to develop solutions that reflect the realities of African communities, particularly when applying technology to solve local problems.
“How do you bring technology to where people are at as opposed to the other way around?” she posed.
Vivo Fashion Group Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Wandia Gichuru, also a judge, challenged the entrepreneurs to demonstrate resilience, scalability and the ability to create opportunities for others.
She said the entrepreneurs had already achieved a major milestone by making it to the Top 20, but their ability to respond to questions and demonstrate how their businesses could grow would be critical during the pitches.
“The real meat is in the questions,” Gichuru said, urging the entrepreneurs to approach the judging process with confidence and honesty.
She said entrepreneurs should also demonstrate how their businesses could grow beyond their existing markets and have a wider impact.
Nigerian entrepreneur Affiong Williams, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Reelfruit, the competition provides an opportunity to strengthen her business while building relationships with entrepreneurs from across Africa.
Williams said her company had spent 14 years developing Nigeria’s dry-fruit market and was now focused on strengthening its value chain by working more closely with farmers.
“I expect to win,” she said, adding that the networking and lessons from other entrepreneurs were equally important.
Williams said any prize money would be invested in expanding the company’s sourcing network, supporting farmers and strengthening its extension team to increase production.
Meanwhile, BluLever Education Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer Jess Roussos said skills development should respond directly to industry needs.
She said employers increasingly require workers with soft skills such as communication, teamwork and problem-solving alongside technical qualifications.
Roussos said BluLever continuously engages industry to update its training programmes and announced plans to expand its apprenticeship model to Nairobi within the next year.
Tanzanian medical doctor and DawaMkononi founder Joseph Paul says his digital platform is helping hospitals and pharmacies access medicines by allowing them to view available drugs, place orders and access financing where they cannot afford immediate payment.
He said the business has so far served about 3,500 health facilities in Tanzania and was inspired by patients who could not access medicines despite receiving the right diagnosis and prescription.
The return of the competition to Nairobi is significant as the city hosted its inaugural Semi-Final. This year’s event is also expected to provide entrepreneurs with opportunities to engage investors and strategic partners from Africa and beyond.
The Africa’s Business Heroes Prize Competition, a philanthropic initiative of Alibaba Philanthropy, uses interviews, due diligence and on-the-ground visits to assess entrepreneurs on leadership, innovation, impact, scalability and commercial strength.
The 20 semi-finalists will pitch before a panel of business and investment leaders, with 10 entrepreneurs advancing to the next stage of the competition.
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