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JUNE 2023, Umhlanga, Kwa-Zulu Natal – FUTURELIFE®, leading health and wellness brand, is thrilled to announce the grand opening of its very first store at the Oceans Mall in Umhlanga. This ground-breaking retail experience celebrates the essence of health, offering customers unparalleled access to FUTURELIFE® products, branded apparel, and an array of innovative services. Mark …
South Africa’s first National Biodiversity Offset Guideline has been published for implementation.
The Africa's Business Heroes (ABH) (https://www.AfricaBusinessHeroes.org) Prize Competition, a philanthropic initiative sponsored by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Philanthropy to recognize and uplift African entrepreneurs, has announced the top 50 finalists (https://apo-opa.info/3PvMAML) for its 2023 edition. With a remarkable 27,267 applications, ABH this year has seen the highest number of submissions since its inception in 2019, reflecting the growing entrepreneurial spirit in Africa.
ABH continues to garner a remarkable level of reach and engagement across Africa, with applicants hailing from all 54 African countries this year. West Africa emerged as the frontrunner, representing 43% of the total applications received. Francophone countries accounted for 27% of all applications, the highest in ABH's history.
Following an intense round of assessment by 256 judges from more than 40 countries, the top 50 finalists have been selected from 20 countries across 13 different industries, led by agriculture, education and training, and healthcare. The finalists are aged 36 on average, with 38% of them being female and 62% male. Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt and South Africa account for the most top 50 candidates and, for the first time, applicants from Sierra Leone are represented in the top 50, which to date cover 33 out of 54 African countries. A panel of over 50 round-two judges will now embark on interviewing these candidates to select the top 20.
“We would like to express our sincere appreciation to all the entrepreneurs and judges who participated in this edition of the Africa's Business Heroes Prize Competition. We are honored to see the overwhelming response, which is a testament to the rising potential of Africa's entrepreneur ecosystem,” said Jason Pau, Executive Director of International Programs, Jack Ma Foundation. “The top 50 finalists represent the incredible potential and talent that exists in Africa, and we believe there are more surprises underway for this edition. As our judging process moves forward and our fifth anniversary event series unfolds, we invite all our supporters to stay connected and follow ABH closely.”
This year, all the top 50 finalists will be invited to join the Alibaba Netpreneur Masterclass Global Edition 2023 to be conducted online by Alibaba Global Initiatives (AGI) from late July to late August, to acquire insights into how to harness digital technology to drive their business growth.
The top 20 finalists of ABH 2023 will be announced in July and the top 10 finalists in September. The return of a large-scale Grand Finale and Summit, during which the top 10 candidates will pitch live to global business legends to secure their share of the final award, is slated to take place in Kigali, Rwanda on November 23-24, 2023.
Every year, ABH spotlights outstanding participants through traditional media and social media channels, including providing significant exposure to the top 10 finalists via the ABH Show, which features the ABH journey of the previous edition's top 10 finalists and their entrepreneurial stories. The first episode of the 2023 ABH Show was recently released and is available here (https://apo-opa.info/3Mf3nBB).
As part of reaching its five-year milestone this year, ABH will be publishing a fifth-anniversary impact report to showcase the growth and impact of the prize competition on African entrepreneurs over the years, and reflect on the applicants, winners and stakeholders who have been integral to its success.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH).
For more information about the ABH 2023 finalists and to follow their ABH journey, please visit ABH's official website (https://AfricaBusinessHeroes.org) and follow ABH on Twitter (https://apo-opa.info/3KY3OQs), LinkedIn (https://apo-opa.info/3L1Cgda), Instagram (https://apo-opa.info/3KZTXKa), Facebook (https://apo-opa.info/3ylgNE9) and YouTube (https://apo-opa.info/3YDG5bH).
Press Contact:
Africa's Business Heroes Press Room: abh.press@list.alibaba-inc.com
For media inquiries or interview requests, please contact:
English: Tracy Walakira tracy.walakira@apo-opa.com
French/Arabic: Malika Bouayad malika.bouayad@apo-opa.com
About Africa's Business Heroes:
The Africa's Business Heroes Prize Competition is a philanthropic initiative sponsored by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Philanthropy. It aims to support, inspire and enable the next generation of African entrepreneurs across all sectors who are building a brighter future for the continent, by offering grant funding, training programs and support for the development of an entrepreneurial ecosystem. Over a 10-year period, each year the ABH Prize Competition and Show features 10 entrepreneur finalists as they pitch their business to win a share of US$1.5 million in grant money.
The City has hired private security after losing millions of rand annually to cable theft and vandalism
Member of a medical aid scheme to purchase gap cover. Furthermore, it’s vital to know that gap cover doesn’t replace medical aid. While medical aid offers extensive coverage for hospital stays, medication, and sometimes even day-to-day medical expenses, gap cover specifically targets shortfalls in specialist costs during in-hospital procedures and specific out-patient treatments. Medical gap …
The world of print has received its fair share of criticism and predictions about its future in the past two decades, brought on mainly by the digitisation of industries and the disruption this has caused to print as a result. Many have predicted the downfall of print altogether, believing digital content makes print obsolete, being …
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has congratulated two of its young professionals for making it to the list of the 2023 Mail and Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans.
Runners and walkers taking part in the the Absa RUN YOUR CITY JOBURG 10K on National Heritage Day (Sunday 24 September 2023) can make their entry count by supporting one or all four of the event’s charities when entering online: 1. Reach For A Dream Foundation (RFAD), 2. Cotlands, 3. Johannesburg SPCA and 4. Johannesburg …
Gateway Theatre of Shopping hosted the glittering Hollywoodbets Durban July Preview Fashion Show at the mall on Friday evening as fashion fever grips Durban in the lead-up to the HDJ. Invited guests and dedicated followers of fashion were treated to a show of rampant creativity, meticulous craftsmanship and pulsating entertainment. The HDJ Young Design Award …
The National Air Quality Officer (NAQO) has granted Eskom a postponement to meet the Minimum Emission Standards (MES) at the Kusile Power Station, subject to certain strict conditions.
Breast cancer is a significant health concern for women worldwide. Early detection plays a crucial role in improving survival rates and treatment outcomes. Mammograms, which are X-ray images of the breast, are a widely used screening tool for detecting breast cancer. However, the question of how often women should have mammograms is one that sparks …
With improved funding for South Africa’s Just Energy Transition, the country will be able to invest significantly in bolstering the electricity grid and new renewable energy generation.
“What is the use of being climate conscious because this duff coal is like gold to us”
Government is making strides in the development of a policy for the hemp and cannabis sector, as stakeholders have collectively agreed on regulatory reforms. “These reforms will unlock the potential of cannabis in African traditional medicine; pharmaceutical and complementary medicines; human and animal ingestion, and multiple industrial applications,” the Presidency said on Friday. Given the …
The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Thembi Nkadimeng, has called on residents to play an active role in determining the future of their communities by participating in the District Development Model (DDM) Presidential Imbizo programme.
Government is making strides in the development of a policy for the hemp and cannabis sector, as stakeholders have collectively agreed on regulatory reforms.
The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development has obtained a preservation order for some of the funds stolen from the Guardian's Fund.
Although the demand for electricity is increasing, Eskom is able to maintain a much lower stage of load shedding due to the improvement of the Energy Availability Factor (EAF), says Minister of Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile says the success of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) depends on the investment in infrastructure in the areas of electricity generation, transportation, as well as freight and logistics distribution.
There were good moments and some not so good moments for the Junior Springboks in their 33-23 win over Georgia on Saturday, but for head coach Bafana Nhleko, the victory was always non-negotiable and he was relieved that the team started their World Rugby Under-20 Championship on that positive note. South Africa held a 20-7 …
President Cyril Ramaphosa is deeply saddened by the passing of veteran activist and Esteemed Member of the Order of the Baobab Mam Sally Motlana.
Mrs Motlana passed away on Saturday, 24 June 2023, at the age of 96.
President Ramaphosa offers his deep condolences to the Motlana and Maunye families who share this loss, as well friends and comrades of the late community leader.
Born in Pilgrim's Rest in the then Eastern Transvaal, Mrs Motlana lived in Sophiatown, Johannesburg, from an early age.
She studied at Fort Hare and - in addition to being elected Secretary of the African National Congress Youth League in 1951 - worked as a teacher until 1954, when she resigned from her post as part of the Defiance Campaign's rejection of the newly introduced Bantu Education.
She was instrumental in the South African Council of Churches' adoption of a public stand against apartheid and went on to serve as President of the Black Housewives League for 20 years.
Under Mam Motlana's leadership the League undertook a number of development projects in education and food security in communities around Limpopo and Soweto.
President Ramaphosa said: “We are mourning the loss of a stalwart whose extended lifetime is a canvas of the history of our Struggle.”
“Mam Sally Motlana was a fearless and resolute opponent of oppression, and a deeply spiritual and empathetic builder and organiser of communities who suffered under apartheid.”
“Mam Sally endured arrests and harassment from a system that reserved the greatest disadvantage and dehumanisation for black women but remained steadfast in her belief that apartheid would be overcome.”
“Today, as we continue to confront the legacy of the system she fought against, we should emulate Mam Motlana's dedication to building self-sustaining and caring communities.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency: Republic of South Africa.
Eskom has welcomed the decision by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment’s National Air Quality Officer to grant the organisation a postponement in terms of the Minimum Emission Standards (MES) pertaining to the sulphur dioxide (SO2) emission levels at Kusile power station.
South Africa’s best Under-16 boys will be on show at the SA Rugby Grant Khomo Week, which will be staged at Hoër Landbouskool Boland in the Western Cape over the next four days. The tournament marks the start of SA Rugby’s annual Youth Weeks programme, and will run from 26 to 29 June. Twenty teams …
Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, has called on the Fort Hare University Council to ensure that management upholds the principles of good governance and takes immediate steps to correct and hold accountable any management members and administration for breach of policy.