The 12 finalists were selected from an impressive initial pool of 494 young entrepreneurs
The Anzisha Prize team scoured far and wide in an extensive search for
African entrepreneurial talent between the ages of 15 and 22. The 12
finalists were selected from an impressive initial pool of 494 young
entrepreneurs, up from 339 applications in 2014. The Anzisha Prize is
proud to have attracted applicants from 33 African countries, with
finalists from Zimbabwe and Ethiopia identified for the first time.
Applications were also received from a diversity of sectors, with
agriculture having the most applicants. Now in its fifth year, The
Anzisha Prize will be celebrating these outstanding young people during
Global Entrepreneurship Week joining the worldwide festivities.
Finalists for the Anzisha Prize win a share of US$75,000 and access to
ongoing support to scale their enterprises and expand their impact.
The
12 finalists will be flown to Johannesburg for the 2015 Anzisha Week
taking place from 12 – 18 November 2015 during which they will receive
intensive training from African Leadership Academy’s renowned
Entrepreneurial Leadership faculty and engage with industry leaders as
mentors. A panel of judges from across the entrepreneurial sphere will
deliberate to select the grand prize-winners at a gala function to be
held on the evening of 17 November 2015. The finalists will grow the
pool of Anzisha Fellows to 57 and receive ongoing support in the form of
business consulting, professional development training and access to
broader networking opportunities to accelerate the growth of their
ventures and impact.
For
the first time ever, the Prize is delighted that finalists have been
selected from Zimbabwe and Ethiopia. Farai Munjoma, 18, provides
courseware and career guidance to other youth in Zimbabwe. Hidaya
Ibrahim, 21, co-founded an education venture that organizes capacity
building activities for students to increase their critical thinking,
analytical research and writing skills. Hidaya is among five female
finalists, with four others originating from Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria,
and Rwanda.
This
year’s finalists have started ventures in a diversity of sectors
including agriculture, technology, youth empowerment, education, and
fashion. The large number of applicants in agricultural ventures
reinforces the notion that Africa’s young entrepreneurs are focused on
sectors that drive economic value in the African context.
Says
Grace Kalisha, Manager for the Anzisha Prize, “Entrepreneurship has
significant potential to drive economic growth and improved livelihoods
for African youth. We are proud to be celebrating and supporting these
inspiring young leaders during Global Entrepreneurship Week, making them
part of the global entrepreneurship narrative.”
The 2015 finalists are:
1. Blessing Fortune Kwomo, 19, Nigeria.
Co-founder of De Rehoboths Therapeutic Studio which extends home-based
health care through tailored family action plans for treating illness
and addressing root causes to empower families to live healthier within
the context of their surroundings/ circumstances.
2. Chantal Butare, 21, Rwanda.
Founder of Kinazi Dairy Cooperative (KIDACO) offering market access to
3,250 farmers through 10 milk collectors. Chantal packages and sells the
milk for cattle owners in the community who have received cows in a
government program, but have no market access.
3. Chris Kwekowe, 22, Nigeria.
Founder of Slatecube, an e-learning platform that allows learners to
study ICT-related course work and be certified at their convenience,
with 200 active users on the platform this year.
4. Daniel Mukisa, 21, Uganda.
Co-founder of Transporter Company, provider of delivery services in
Kampala using own branded fleet of 30 motorbikes, carrying out around
150 deliveries daily for corporate clients.
5. Fabrice Alomo, 22, Cameroon.
Founder of MyAconnect, which is a web platform that aims to ease trade
in Africa by digitizing what and how people buy, sell, and pay, through
four user-friendly applications, with 128 companies currently utilizing
the platforms.
6. Farai Munjoma, 18, Zimbabwe.
Co-founder of Shasha Iseminar, providing access to courseware content,
past examination questions and answers, and career guidance to high
school age kids. He also offers school fees contribution to kids from
revenues earned, and carries out projects at orphanages.
7. George Mtemahanji, 22, Tanzania.
Co-founder of SunSweet Solar, which designs, plans, organizes and
brings solar energy to rural Tanzania. One of his projects was the
construction of the largest solar energy system in Kilombero, at
Benignis Girls Secondary School of Ifakara.
8. Hidaya Ibrahim, 21, Ethiopia.
Co-founder of Qine Association for Promoting Education Quality, an
education venture that organizes capacity building activities for
students to increase critical thinking, analytical research and writing
skills, and convenes educational sector players for unique consultation
on the quality of Ethiopian education.
9. Karidas Tshintsholo, 20, South Africa.
Co-founder of Push Ismokol’, a clothing brand that employs six people
in the Ekangala township of Pretoria, with significant pent up demand
due to savvy marketing techniques.
10. Mabel Suglo, 22, Ghana.
Co-founder of Echo Shoes, foot-wear business specializing in designing
and making shoes from recycled waste, producing 30 pairs of shoes a
month, and engaging persons with disabilities in the production process.
11. Sirjeff Dennis, 21, Tanzania.
Founder of Jefren Afgrifriend Solutions (JAS) Poultry farming, raising
1,500 broiler chickens a month, and selling100 150kg bags of organic
fertilizer a month.
12. Vanessa Zommi, 19, Cameroon.
Co-founder of Emerald Moringa Tea aimed at managing diabetes in her
community by providing products which contain key antioxidants,
currently producing 15 kg of output per month.
“Given
the continued success of Anzisha at identifying a diverse pool of
finalists that is representative of the potential and promise of
Africa’s young entrepreneurial talent, The MasterCard Foundation is
pleased to celebrate five years of the Anzisha Prize and continue in its
partnership with African Leadership Academy until 2020. I am excited to
welcome this year’s finalists to the Anzisha community” says Koffi
Assouan, Program Manager for the Youth Livelihoods Program at The
MasterCard Foundation.
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