Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) has announced the 20 entrepreneurs who will advance to the 2026 Semi-Final, scheduled to take place in Nairobi on August 21–22.
The finalists were selected from an expanded Top 100 cohort following a competitive process that attracted more than 24,000 applications from entrepreneurs across all 54 African countries. Candidates were assessed on leadership, innovation, social and economic impact, scalability and commercial potential.
The selection process included interviews with judging panels, on-the-ground visits to companies advancing in the competition and detailed due diligence designed to assess the businesses, teams and communities behind the applications.
Mozambique strengthens health campaigns with $14.4 million in digital payments
The 2026 Top 20 represents 12 African countries and 11 economic sectors, with women entrepreneurs accounting for 40 percent of the cohort. Collectively, the businesses generated approximately $85 million in revenue during 2025 and operate across sectors including agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing, climate technology, financial services, education, energy and technology.
The entrepreneurs will now compete for 10 places in the next stage of the competition, while also gaining opportunities to connect with investors, business leaders and other members of Africa’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The return of the ABH Semi-Final to Nairobi carries particular significance, as the Kenyan capital hosted the competition’s inaugural Semi-Final. Nairobi has developed into one of Africa’s leading centers for technology, entrepreneurship and investment, bringing together startups, investors, universities, innovation hubs and development institutions.
The 2026 Semi-Final is also expected to provide participating entrepreneurs with greater access to investors and strategic partners from Africa and beyond. The event is designed not only as a competition but also as a platform for entrepreneurs to build relationships, attract capital and explore opportunities for business expansion.
The Top 20 entrepreneurs are Farah Emara of FreshSource from Egypt, Nour El-Assal of Tagaddod from Egypt, Salma Tammam of REME-D from Egypt, Ahmed Shaaban of Simplex from Egypt, Affiong Williams of Reelfruit from Nigeria, Kelvin Umechukwu of Bumpa from Nigeria, Ikechukwu Anoke of Zuri Health from Kenya, Naom Monari of Bena Care from Kenya, Joseph Mungai of AceleAfrica from Kenya, Louisa Gathecha of Bottle Logistics East Africa from Kenya, Meriem Benabad of Z.6 or Z.SYS INC from Morocco, Nidal Tafah of MIRRIAH from Morocco, Samson Fentaye of Thur Biotech Manufacturing from Ethiopia, Jess Roussos of BluLever Education from South Africa, David Kamugundu of eFiche from Rwanda, Joseph Paul of Dawa Mkononi from Tanzania, Gildas Zodome of Bio Phyto from Benin, Appessika Adanin Laurent Koffi of Green Agro Valley from Côte d’Ivoire, Hagasata Rakotoson of Solidis from Madagascar, and Rodney Kofi Kyei of Crux Global Limited from Ghana.
Their businesses cover a wide range of industries, including agritech, renewable energy, healthcare, manufacturing, enterprise software, energy, climate technology, retail, education, fintech, media and entertainment.
The program will also extend beyond the Nairobi competition. A second ABH learning and market-access trip to Hangzhou, China, is scheduled for September 14–18, bringing together approximately 40 participants from more than 10 African countries, including alumni, selected entrepreneurs, judges and participants from the Alibaba Digital Lion program.
The initiative is intended to expose African entrepreneurs to China’s technology and business ecosystem while creating opportunities for peer learning, networking and potential market connections.
The Top 20 will present their businesses before a judging panel featuring investors, entrepreneurs and experienced members of the ABH community, including Kome Oruade-Etim, Wandia Gichuru, Thomas Njeru and Jason Pau.
The 2026 competition highlights the growing diversity and scale of African entrepreneurship, with businesses emerging across multiple sectors and markets. Through funding, mentorship, training, investment connections and international exposure, Africa’s Business Heroes aims to support entrepreneurs capable of creating jobs, strengthening communities and building scalable businesses across the continent.
