Partner content: Africa’s Business Heroes The Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) Prize Competition, a philanthropic initiative of Alibaba Philanthropy, today revealed the Top 20 entrepreneurs selected to advance to the 2025 Semi-Finals, taking place in Dakar, Senegal on 10-11 September 2025. The selection of the Top 20 reflects a rigorous and highly competitive process. Starting from nearly…
Hadija Jabiri, founder of Tanzanian agribusiness company GBRI Avocados and apples are the focus of two ventures that show the range of farming opportunities in Tanzania. Tanzanian entrepreneur builds avocado export business from $300 start Hadija Jabiri is the founder of GBRI, a Tanzanian agribusiness company that began with vegetables and now exports avocados to…
For many women entrepreneurs, stepping away from the business they’ve built is not just a professional decision, it’s a deeply personal one. Years, sometimes decades, of sacrifice, vision and resilience are tied to the company’s name, culture, and success. So, when it’s time to talk succession or exit strategies, the conversation isn’t just about financials…
With youth unemployment sitting at 44.6%, many young South Africans are no longer waiting for jobs that may never come – they’re creating their own. While necessity is a major driver, locals are also starting businesses to make a difference, build wealth, or continue a family legacy. The result is a growing wave of youth-led startups, side hustles…
At the WCW country forums, 700 participants were celebrated for their growth, resilience, and business transformation. The events also convened a diverse array of stakeholders–policymakers, private-sector partners, financiers, market enablers, coaches, mentors, and ecosystem builders–creating a vibrant platform for dialogue, collaboration, and strategic action. Each forum was tailored to the local context while remaining aligned…
Across Africa, some of the most resilient and effective entrepreneurs are displaced women. With forced displacement at an all-time high and economies under pressure to grow inclusively, the case for investing in displaced women has never been more urgent. There are 44 million forcibly displaced individuals across Africa – a powerful workforce, consumer base, and…
On World Refugee Day, climate solutions charity Ashden has announced grants totalling £270,000 (US$365,000) for refugee entrepreneurs bringing affordable, low carbon technologies to their communities in three countries in Africa. Ashden’s grants and technical assistance will boost the growth of 18 refugee-led social enterprises in Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia – innovators who are already driving…
CNN — When customers at Silicon Valley Bank rushed to withdraw billions of dollars last month, venture capitalist Arlan Hamilton stepped in to help some of the founders of color who panicked about losing access to payroll funds. As a Black woman with nearly 10 years of business experience, Hamilton knew the options for those…
Benjamin Fernandes, founder of Nala, at the 2025 Africa CEO Forum. When Benjamin Fernandes returned to Tanzania in 2017 after completing his MBA in the US, he had a plan: build a digital money transfer company from the ground up. What followed was a turbulent path marked by investor rejections, threats from large competitors and…
Charles Antwi-Boahen Interview with Charles Antwi-BoahenFOUNDER and CEO, KAB-FAM Lives in: Ghana Charles Antwi-Boahen is the founder of Kab-Fam, an electronics and home appliance retailer that has grown from humble beginnings to a 16-store chain across Ghana. But getting there was no easy feat. From power cuts that crippled sales to a volatile economy that…
