Two Ugandan entrepreneurs; Dr. Emma Naluyima Mugerwa, and Joan Rukundo Nalubega are among the top 10 selected finalists who will pitch at the Africa Business Heroes competition’s grand finale in November 2020, for a chance to win a share of a USD$1.5 million prize pool.
The top ten half of whom a female, represent eight African countries: Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, and their businesses span key industries such as; agriculture, fashion, education, healthcare, renewable energy, and financial services.
On November 13th and 14th, Africa’s Business Heroes will host its Grand Finals, and winners will be announced on November 14th, 2020.
During the online Grand Finale pitch, Naluyima and Nalubega and the rest of the finalists will present their business ventures, as well as their vision and leadership profile, to the finale judging panel that will include Jack Ma himself.
Dr. Emma Naluyima Mugerwa, Founder, MST Junior School
MST Junior School is a Primary School with a unique approach and learning model. It aims to equip the pupils with unique skills to solve agriculture issues such as food insecurity, waste mismanagement and malnutrition. The school was established by Dr. Emma Naluyima, a vet, farmer and educator with a desire to train young people and change their lives through Modern and Purposeful Farming.
Joan Rukundo Nalubega, CEO & Founder, Uganics
Uganics is a social business that manufactures life-saving organic anti-malaria soap to address malaria, which kills millions of people every year, and sells around the world at a high profit margin to subsidize sales to poor populations at the same price as regular soap. The company is led by Joan Rukundo Nalubega, a Malaria survivor and a social entrepreneur with a vision to fight Malaria.
To recall, prior selecting the final 10, four Ugandans emerged among the top 50 semifinalists selected from over 22,000 applications across all 54 African nations. The two other Ugandans were; Emmauel Emodek, and Geoffrey Okoth.
Emodek, is the founded ChapChap while Okoth is the founder of Green Charcoal.
Africa Business Heroes competition is a flagship philanthropic program/competition established by the Jack Ma Foundation’s Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative.
The program will recognize 100 African entrepreneurs and allocate USD$100 million, over a ten-year period, in grant funding, training, mentoring and learning initiatives, access to key networks, and to develop a vibrant entrepreneur community to support Africa’s future business leaders.
This is a testament to the Jack Ma Foundation’s long-term commitment to support Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
