ABH AI Newsletter: Lessons from ABH’s Immersion Trip to China, Insights from Heroes on the Power of Building a Strong Network, and more!

Africa's Business Heroes

We aim to identify, spotlight and support African entrepreneur heroes creating impact in their communities.

Published Jun 3, 2024

Welcome to African AI - Africa’s Business Heroes newsletter that shares stories and articles on African impact, insight, and innovation. We are excited to bring you news from our community of entrepreneurs, business leaders, and professionals in Africa.

This past April, Africa’s Business Heroes Top 10 from the past 5 years, accompanied by a few judges and ABH partners, headed to Hangzhou, China for an exchange program with various Alibaba Group business units. In this edition, you will hear reflections from one of our partners and judges, Buntu Majaja, on lessons learned from this exchange program. You will also hear from Albert Munyabugingo, our 2023 Top 10 hero and founder of Kigali-based logistics company - VUBA VUBA, as he reflects on the logistics industry in Africa and what he is learning from industry experts.

Be sure to check out our opportunity desk at the end, where you will find opportunities ranging from career opportunities to courses and programs that our community members are offering. We’re glad you are on this journey with us!

Sincerely,

ABH Team

In this edition, Buntu Majaja, CEO of South Africa Innovation Summit and an ABH Round 2 Judge, reflects on his enriching experience during the 2024 ABH immersion and exchange program in Hangzhou, China. He shares profound insights drawn from interactive sessions with business leaders from various Alibaba business units and immersive visits across their campuses. Additionally, he reflects on the transformative opportunity that the ABH community presents and shares his key learnings from his time with a diverse cross-section of inspiring African entrepreneurs.

In the article below, we sat down with Albert Munyabugingo, the Founder & CEO of Vuba Vuba. This Rwandan e-commerce platform provides a convenient solution for residents in Kigali and other parts of the country. Albert Munyabugingo, who previously worked as the Rwanda Country Manager of Jumia, the e-commerce giant in Africa, is building a logistics company that is innovative and meeting the needs of his community. Albert is a 2023 Africa's Business Heroes Top 10 finalist. In a recent immersion and exchange program to China, Albert had a chance to engage with Cainiao, Alibaba Group’s logistics arm and he shares with us what the learnings from that engagement are.

The entrepreneurial ecosystem in Africa is in its infancy. As an entrepreneur navigating the ever-evolving space, it can be difficult to predict which connections might come in handy along the journey, and this is where networking becomes vital. Sunday Silungwe (ABH 2023 Top 20 Hero, and Co-founder and Director of Communications at Good Nature Agro) and Kabwela Malupande (ABH Ecosystem Partner and Manager of Entrepreneurship at BongoHive) sat down with Maximilian Musumali in Lusaka recently to share their insights into how you can up your networking game. We summarized these into five simple strategies you can leverage while building your networks.

We are pleased to announce our Hero Spotlight of the Month: 2023 ABH Top 20 Hero: Dr. Funmi Adewara. Dr. Adewara is the founder of Mobihealth, a company revolutionizing access and delivery of healthcare across Africa and globally through an integrated tele-health platform using Artificial Intelligence and IoT-powered remote point-of-care diagnostic tools.

Mobihealth’s telemedicine app connects users to over 100,000 medical experts from the US, the UK, and other carefully selected countries within minutes. Mobihealth’s telemedicine app connects users to over 100,000 medical experts from the US, the UK and other carefully selected countries of the world within minutes. The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and MobiHealthCare Limited (MobiHealth) have signed a project preparation facility agreement that is expected to bolster the expansion of Mobihealth’s telemedicine services in Nigeria, and also assess the feasibility of establishing similar services in Egypt, Ghana, Kenya and Cote d’ Ivoire.

Under the terms of the agreement, Afreximbank will part-finance project preparatory activities that will leverage MobiHealth’s successfully integrated telemedicine proprietary platform, initially piloted in Nigeria, to the four additional countries. This initiative is expected to rapidly lead to the establishment of a network of telemedicine clinics across Africa, fully equipped with out-patient facilities. The project preparation facility of up to USD 1.5 million is expected to advance the Project to bankability, whereupon this is expected to unlock further investments estimated at USD 65 million. Congratulations to Dr. Adewara and MobiHealth on the remarkable achievement from all of us in the ABH community.

Source: Afreximbank

We are excited to bring you the various opportunities that are emerging out of our broad community.

Take a look and share them with your network as well.

AFRICA’S BUSINESS HEROES CALL FOR APPLICATION CLOSES SOON!

Africa’s Business Heroes Applications close on June 9th! If you have always wanted to become one of Africa’s Business Heroes, you have a chance to apply here today!

If you are a returning applicant, you can log back into your account with your previously used login details and access your previous application. Make edits and re-submit! It’s that simple.

Recommended by LinkedIn

Applications are officially open for the Flagship…

Opportunities for Youth 7 months ago

Navigating New Horizons: European Start-ups' Dilemma -…

Andre Stolz 9 months ago

Dream Big – 5 Reasons Startups Should Think About…

German Accelerator 2 years ago

Apply Now!

YOU ARE INVITED TO OUR CALL FOR APPLICATION FINAL PUSH WEBINAR

Be Inspired and Empowered at the ABH Final Push Event! Join us for our "Ask Me How" masterclass featuring ABH judges, Heroes, and business experts. The session is designed to offer you practical strategies and inspiration to elevate your business and submit a winning application.

Don’t miss this unique chance to connect with top industry minds and gain tips and advice to become the next Africa’s Business Heroes finalist.

Save the date: 5th June 2024 at 2 pm GMT | 4 pm CAT | 5 pm EAT.

OUR HEROES ARE HIRING

Thomas Njeru of PULA, our 2023 2nd Prize Winner, is hiring for many roles in multiple locations. Follow this link for more details.

OPPORTUNITIES FROM OUR JUDGES AND PARTNERS

Transform Your Business in 12 Weeks with Founders Factory Africa! Are you ready to elevate and take your business to the next level? Apply today for the Business Support Accelerator Program and gain access to expert guidance for 12 weeks, plus $5,000 in funding to help grow your business to the next level. Don’t miss this chance to unlock:

Expert coaching to sharpen your strategies
Gain actionable insights to scale your operations
Access to $5000 funding to fuel your business traction

Take advantage of this opportunity to boost your business's market presence and revenue!

Applications will be reviewed and selected based on applicants who submit first before the deadline.

Secure your spot by applying before the deadline.

Apply Now!

Join Biashara Africa’s Online Small Business Bootcamp 2024 This bootcamp would take place on 14th, 21st, and 28th June 2024. The bootcamp is designed to support Female, Youth, and People With Disabilities Small Business Owners who operate primarily through online channels with a goal to provide accessible and convenient support to help these entrepreneurs build successful online businesses.

The bootcamp is sponsored, though cost may apply for product showcases/ exhibitions events which are optional. Learn more on the event page and follow this registration form to sign up.