Africa’s premier entrepreneurial pitch competition, Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH), is set to return to Kigali from December 12 to 13 at the Kigali Convention Center with a $1.5 million grant prize pool, bringing hundreds of entrepreneurs, investors and ecosystem leaders to the Rwandan capital for a two-day summit and grand finale.
The ABH initiative, founded by Jack Ma Foundation in partnership with RDB, focuses on supporting African entrepreneurs who are creating inclusive and sustainable solutions
For the 2025 cycle, ABH received 32,000 applicants from all 54 African countries —the highest number since the competition — where only seven countries; Kenya, Rwanda,Senegal,Tanzania, Egypt,South Africa and Cameroon managed to top.
In its 7th edition, this year’s ABH staged a summit of panels, workshops and networking followed by the Grand Finale in which the Top 10 finalists pitched live for a share of US$1.5 million in grants
The prize structure guarantees all finalists substantial seed capital: the overall winner takes up to $300,000, the first and second runners-up receive larger runner-up awards, and the remaining finalists receive at least $100,000 each — with an additional allocation for global immersion and training.
Rwanda’s Diane Mukasahaha, founder and CEO of a textile company DIKAM Ltd, is among the top 10 finalists for the 2025 Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH).
Other finalists include; Abraham Bundi, Adriaan Kruger, Baraka Chijenga, Diana Oremba, Gohar Zaki, Janet Kuteli, Jean Lobe Lobe, Siny Samba and Wyclife Omondi. They are all standing for different sectors.
