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Africa’s Business Heroes Unveils 2026 Top 100 Entrepreneurs Selected from Over 24,000 Applications Across Africa

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Africa’s Business Heroes

Expanded cohort reflects the scale, diversity, maturity, and economic impact of African entrepreneurship

KIGALI, Rwanda, June 11, 2026/APO Group/ –Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) (www.AfricaBusinessHeroes.org), the flagship philanthropic initiative of the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Philanthropy, has unveiled its 2026 Top 100 entrepreneurs, selected from more than 24,000 applications from all 54 African countries.

Download Infographic: https://apo-opa.co/4v3n7w5

For the first time in ABH’s history, the competition has expanded its first round of finalists from a Top 50 to a Top 100 cohort, creating more visibility and opportunity for entrepreneurs across regions, sectors, and business models. The expansion reflects the growing depth, competitiveness, and commercial maturity of African entrepreneurship as ABH approaches its 10-year milestone.

The 2026 Top 100 represents 27 countries, with an average founder age of 38 and an average business age of 6.5 years. Half of the cohort are returning applicants, underscoring the continued value entrepreneurs see in the ABH platform and the strength of its pan-African community.

This year’s applications came from every region of the continent. Women represented the highest share of entries since the competition launched in 2019 and there was also increased participation from emerging startup hubs such Angola, Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Madagascar, and Mozambique. ABH is grateful to the hard-working Round 1 judges who selected the Top 100 from more than 24,000 applicants, with strong representation from key sectors like AI, agriculture, fintech, health, and climate.

A Snapshot of Africa’s Entrepreneurial Momentum

The 2026 Top 100 cohort offers a strong picture of the diversity, resilience, and economic contribution of African entrepreneurs. Collectively, the Top 100 businesses generated USD 170 million in 2025 revenue, employed 6,200 people, and served 10 million customers. These figures underscore the role entrepreneurs are playing not only in building commercially viable companies, but also in creating jobs, widening access to essential products and services, and advancing inclusive growth across Africa.

The 2026 cohort tells an important story: African entrepreneurship is becoming broader, deeper, and more commercially mature

Top 100: By the Numbers

  • Operating Countries Represented: 27
  • Average founder age: 38
  • Average years in business: 6.5
  • Gender representation: 33% women founders; 67% men founders
  • Francophone/French-language representation: 13%
  • Returning applicants: 50%
  • Top operating countries: Egypt, Nigeria, and Kenya (15 entrepreneurs each), followed by Rwanda (9) and South Africa (6)
  • Leading sectors: Agriculture (21), Financial Services (12), Manufacturing (10), Healthcare (10), and Energy (9)

Key Sector Trends Driving the Cohort

The businesses represented address some of the continent’s most pressing challenges through scalable, regional solutions. The cohort also points to important shifts in the continent’s entrepreneurial landscape. Key trends include:

  • Agri-Tech Dominance: Comprising 21% of the cohort, agriculture has evolved beyond traditional farming into tech-enabled, value-added models.
  • Tech-Driven Financial Inclusion: As the second-largest sector (12%), Financial Services is leveraging machine learning and alternative data to provide paperless credit scoring for unbanked small businesses, resolving core frictions across markets
  • Recycling & Environmental Protection: 7% of the ABH Top 100 operate in this space, shifting toward high-margin circular economy models that combine profitability with social impact through value-added processing and emerging ESG/carbon credit monetization.
  • Decentralized Manufacturing Growth: Manufacturing accounts for 10% of the cohort and spans 9 diverse countries (including Cabo Verde, Namibia, and Ethiopia). This geographic spread indicates industrialization is accelerating beyond major economies, propelled by AfCFTA incentives, import substitution, and rising local demand.
  • AI as a Tool for Practical, Sector-Specific Innovation: 32 of the Top 100 entrepreneurs are integrating AI across 12 African countries to address concrete market challenges: improving low agricultural productivity through predictive crop and soil insights, expanding access to credit through alternative scoring, closing education gaps through personalized learning, easing healthcare shortages through triage and decision-support tools, and reducing logistics inefficiencies and supply chain waste through smarter routing and demand matching.

The full list of the ABH 2026 Top 100 entrepreneurs can be found here (www.AfricaBusinessHeroes.org).

Speaking on the significance of this year’s Top 100 cohort, Zahra Baitie-Boateng, Managing Director, Africa at ABH, said:

“The expansion from the Top 50 to the Top 100 reflects the extraordinary evolution of entrepreneurship across Africa. The 2026 cohort tells an important story: African entrepreneurship is becoming broader, deeper, and more commercially mature. These are not just promising ideas; they are real businesses operating across 27 countries, generating USD 170 million in annual revenue, employing 6,200 people, and serving 10 million customers. We are seeing strong innovation from established hubs as well as from emerging ecosystems that have often been underrepresented. By expanding the cohort, ABH is creating more opportunities for entrepreneurs to access visibility, recognition, community, and long-term support.”

Commenting on this year’s selection process, an ABH Round 1 Judge: Johan de Visser, Regional Manager, Africa at PUM & Founder of Africa Business Coaching, said:

“The quality of applications this year was exceptionally strong. What stood out was the level of innovation, clarity of vision, and deep understanding of local market challenges from founders across the continent. The Top 100 includes businesses that are already serving customers, creating jobs, and building scalable solutions across critical sectors, from agriculture and financial services to healthcare, manufacturing, energy, and climate. Expanding the cohort allows ABH to spotlight more of the entrepreneurs shaping Africa’s next phase of growth.”

Now in its 8th year, the ABH Prize Competition celebrates visionary leaders driving inclusive and sustainable growth across the continent. Since 2019, ABH has grown into one of Africa’s leading entrepreneurship platforms, directly awarding 70 entrepreneurs with funding, mentorship, global exposure, and ecosystem-building opportunities. ABH has also supported more than 5,000 entrepreneurs through programs including ABH ScaleUp and attracted more than 160,000 applicants to date.

The Top 100 will now advance to the next stage, where judges will evaluate the cohort to determine the Top 20 semi-finalists. The Top 20 will pitch live on August 21-22 in Nairobi, Kenya, competing for a place in the ABH Top 10 and a share of the USD 1.5 million grant prize.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH).

 

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Dangote Calls on Africa to Keep its Capital at Home as Industrialization Takes Center Stage at Unstoppable Africa

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1 hour ago

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September 22, 2026

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Africa

African business leaders call for a bigger share of the continent’s growth, with investment and local value creation high on the agenda

NEW YORK, United States of America, September 22, 2026/APO Group/ –Africa must stop sending its capital abroad and start investing in its own industrial future, Aliko Dangote, President and CEO of Dangote Group, told global business leaders at Unstoppable Africa 2026 today, as he set out an ambitious vision for African industrialization backed by billions of dollars in investment, new refining capacity, and broader public ownership.

 




  

Pointing to Asia’s economic rise, he argued that Africa cannot build comparable industrial strength while its own money continues to flow into foreign banks and markets. Emphasizing the importance of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in creating the scale required for major industrial projects, he noted, “We must believe in our continent,” urging businesses to stay focused despite the challenges involved in building major organizations in Africa. “Once you start, it gets easier. But the more you don’t do anything, it becomes difficult.”

With more than 3,000 African and global business leaders and heads of state gathered for the two-day forum in New York, Unstoppable Africa 2026 demonstrated the scale of global interest in Africa’s economic opportunities and the appetite for stronger commercial partnerships with the continent.

Another notable highlight was the South African Business Initiative for Impact (SABII), which brought South Africa’s business, investment, and partnership proposition into sharper focus. Discussions explored how local opportunities can connect with global capital and translate into tangible economic impact.

Eine Zeidane, Director of the African Department at the International Monetary Fund, highlighted the importance of structural reforms, stronger domestic financial markets, and wider African markets through AfCFTA in attracting private investment.

The discussions also turned to the continent’s rapidly expanding digital economy. Olugbenga Agboola, CEO of Flutterwave, highlighted the opportunity presented by Africa’s young and increasingly connected population, pointing to digital payments, AI, and other technologies that can help businesses access markets and grow.

We must believe in our continent

Elly Savatia, Founder and CEO of Signverse, highlighted technology’s potential to expand inclusion through African sign languages. With U$2 million in Google funding, Signverse has developed the largest publicly documented dataset for an African sign language to date and is building a framework that can expand to multiple local sign languages.

In the sporting arena, H.E. Ndemupelila Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, President of Namibia, signed a partnership agreement between the Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah Foundation (NNN Foundation) and the Queens of the Continent Foundation (QoTC), founded by two-time WNBA All-Star and ESPN host Chiney Ogwumike. The landmark partnership will explore opportunities to support the empowerment and development of young people in Namibia, with a particular focus on girls and young women.

African creative industries take their place on the global stage

The creative economy was another major focus, with speakers highlighting the growing ability of African brands, filmmakers, and technology innovators to build global audiences and markets.

Khanyi Mashimbiye, Manager, Creatives at Afreximbank, highlighted the Afreximbank CANEX program, which connects African fashion brands with international buyers through Tranoï in Paris and Japan and Coterie in New York. Since 2022, the initiative has secured more than 120 offtake agreements, with Zimbabwean brand Vanu Vanwerk now selling in more than 50 stores globally.

Closing the forum, UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed said, “We are entering a new age of technology and AI that will fundamentally shape the future, and Africa has a tremendous opportunity to leapfrog. Just as industrialisation transformed economies and created new forms of work, AI can open new pathways for growth, innovation and opportunity. Africa has the talent and the ideas. What we need is the opportunity, infrastructure and investment to deploy them at scale. This is a moment for Africa to shape its own AI story, combining the continent’s talent with the technology and infrastructure needed to build the future.”

As the conversations concluded, the focus turned to the practical work ahead: translating Africa’s investment momentum into initiatives that can deliver growth, jobs, and lasting economic value.

For event photos, visit HERE (https://apo-opa.co/3TJQpSP). For speakers’ video soundbites and highlights, visit HERE (https://apo-opa.co/477SpHE). The entire event can be viewed on Unstoppable Africa YouTube channel (https://apo-opa.co/4xE0FKs).

For more about GABI please visit the website GABI.UNGlobalCompact.org

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Global Africa Business Initiative.

 

 




 

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Frasers Hospitality unveils Fraser Suites Reserve, a new luxury serviced living brand

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2 hours ago

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September 22, 2026

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Fraser Suites

Fraser Suites Reserve Bangkok starts welcoming guests at One Bangkok in December 2026
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 September 2026 – Frasers Hospitality, a business unit of Frasers Property, today announced Fraser Suites Reserve, a new luxury serviced living brand created for discerning global travellers seeking the privacy, ease and familiarity of home while away, complemented by the service and standards of luxury hospitality.

Building on Frasers Hospitality’s longstanding expertise and established track record in extended stays, Fraser Suites Reserve addresses a distinct segment at the luxury end of the market. Its introduction further sharpens the company’s portfolio of clearly differentiated brands.

 




 
 

“Fraser Suites Reserve represents the next strategic step in strengthening our portfolio,” said Eu Chin Fen, Chief Executive Officer, Frasers Hospitality. “It draws on our experience in long stays, while responding to the evolving expectations of an increasingly sophisticated segment of travellers accustomed to the world’s finest hospitality.”

Time for what matters

Fraser Suites Reserve is anchored in the belief that time is the ultimate luxury for today’s global professionals. Each property brings together refined design, intuitive service, curated wellness and lifestyle experiences intended to make life away from home easier, leaving guests free to focus on what matters most, whether their work, wellbeing, relationships or personal pursuits.

Designed as private sanctuaries within the city, its rooms are designed to offer privacy and calm. Many feature integrated kitchenettes, allowing guests to maintain familiar routines of home while away, an independence that becomes particularly valuable during longer stays. The experience is complemented by the discreet yet highly personalised service of luxury hospitality.

Beyond the rooms, guests can enjoy distinctive dining concepts, wellness and leisure experiences on property, as well as Club Frasers, a private lounge designed for conversation, connection and curated experiences.

“For guests accustomed to the highest standards, luxury service gives the assurance that every detail has been carefully thought through and every need understood,” said Chew Hang Song, Chief Operating Officer, Frasers Hospitality. “With Fraser Suites Reserve, this means providing an experience that feels immediately familiar and deeply human, supported by service that is warm and intuitive, yet respectful of their privacy.”

Wellbeing, made part of everyday

Holistic wellbeing is integrated into the Fraser Suites Reserve experience. At Fraser Suites Reserve Bangkok, the House of Rejuvenation will offer a dedicated environment for recovery and renewal, pairing therapist-led treatments with advanced wellness facilities such as thermal pools, cold plunges, compression therapy, dry flotation and red-light therapy.

Guests will also have access to The Wellness Edit, Frasers Hospitality’s proprietary global wellness programme. Through simple, repeatable everyday rituals that can be incorporated naturally into a guest’s stay, the programme is designed to integrate wellbeing with simple gestures, making wellbeing easier to sustain even amid demanding schedules and frequent travel.

Global debut at One Bangkok

Fraser Suites Reserve Bangkok, the brand’s first property, will begin welcoming guests in December 2026 as part of a phased opening. Its grand opening is planned for March 2027 when the complete range of facilities and experiences will be available.

The 255-room property will occupy the top ten floors of a 45-storey premium office and retail tower at One Bangkok, located right in the heart of Bangkok at the intersection of Rama IV Road and Wireless Road, with panoramic views of the Bangkok skyline and Chao Phraya River with easy access to Bangkok’s dining, entertainment and cultural attractions. Further details to be announced in the coming months.

Find out more about Fraser Suites Reserve at frasershospitality.com/en/our-brands/fraser-suites-reserve/

NOTE:
For more information, please visit www.frasershospitality.com.

About Frasers Hospitality
Frasers Hospitality is a leading investor-operator within the lodging sector, backed by 28 years of proven expertise. Frasers Hospitality specialises in optimising and managing hospitality assets to deliver sustainable value for its stakeholders. As a business unit of Frasers Property Limited, its presence spans Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

With a diversified portfolio of over 100 lodging assets across geographies and segments, Frasers Hospitality offers a comprehensive end-to-end ecosystem of bespoke lodging expertise and solutions to maximise performance, value and growth for its partners across the real estate value chain. Frasers Hospitality is a trusted expert and preferred partner within the lodging sector with a proven track record and a business model optimised to deliver value.

Frasers Hospitality is distinguished by its style of hospitality from their progressive mindset that fosters innovation and matched with an award-winning brand portfolio tailored to new ways of travelling, living and socialising. Recognised globally for our commitment to hospitality excellence, Frasers Hospitality has earned numerous industry accolades and awards, showcasing its leadership in delivering exemplary, quality services, and curating memorable, life-enriching experiences for its guests and residents – by people, for people.

For more information on Frasers Hospitality, please visit www.frasershospitality.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

About Frasers Property Limited
Frasers Property Limited (“Frasers Property” and together with its subsidiaries, the “Frasers Property Group” or the “Group”) is an integrated investor-developer-operator of real estate products and services. Listed on the Main Board of the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (“SGX-ST”) and headquartered in Singapore, the Group has total assets of approximately S$40.0 billion as at 31 March 2026.

Frasers Property operates across five asset classes: industrial & logistics, retail, commercial & business parks, residential and hospitality. Its businesses span Southeast Asia, Australia, Europe and China, and its well-established hospitality business owns and/or operates serviced apartments and hotels in 20 countries.

The Group is the sponsor of real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), Frasers Centrepoint Trust and Frasers Logistics & Commercial Trust, listed on the SGX-ST, as well as Frasers Property Thailand Industrial Freehold & Leasehold REIT and Golden Ventures Leasehold Real Estate Investment Trust, listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand.

Guided by its purpose of inspiring experiences and creating places for good, the Group promotes an ESG framework that supports long-term value creation through focus areas such as transparent governance, sustainable finance, inclusive communities and reducing its carbon emissions. Frasers Property aims to deliver lasting shared value for its customers, people, investors and communities, while fostering a progressive, collaborative and respectful culture.

For more information on Frasers Property, please visit frasersproperty.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
 




 

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Energy

Building a Knowledge Hub for China-ASEAN Energy Cooperation

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7 hours ago

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September 22, 2026

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ASEAN

NANNING, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 21 September 2026 – During the 23rd China-ASEAN Expo and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, China Southern Power Grid showcased a range of innovations designed to support energy cooperation between China and ASEAN. These included the DaWatt – Lao Language Large Language Model (LLM) for the Energy and Power Sector V2.0 and the Flexible Grayscale Intelligent Monitoring & Analysis Platform for power system cybersecurity, highlighting expanding opportunities for cooperation in digitalization, intelligent technologies and green energy.

The Lao-language LLM has been deployed at Electricité du Laos Transmission Company Limited (EDL-T), where it can automatically analyze thousands of inspection images within a short period of time. After its algorithms were optimized for Laos’ mountainous and rainforest terrain, the model completed intelligent inspection analysis for four transmission lines, processing 26,000 drone inspection images and identifying more than 3,600 equipment defects.

 




 
 

Liu Ying, general manager of the Digitalization Department at Guangxi Power Grid Co., Ltd., said the company has been building multilingual professional corpora for the power sector, covering ASEAN countries including Laos, Vietnam and Malaysia. Drawing on the capabilities of the DaWatt foundation model, the company is developing energy and power models tailored to ASEAN languages and real-world power industry applications.

Talent development is another focus of the cooperation. The China-ASEAN Institute of Energy, jointly established by Guangxi Power Grid Co., Ltd. and Guangxi University, is exploring an industry-university training model with a strong emphasis on practical experience. So far, two cohorts totaling 53 students from ASEAN countries have enrolled.

Cooperation is also evolving from one-way training toward joint innovation. Guangxi Power Grid Co., Ltd. and the Royal Academy of Cambodia have jointly established a laboratory for artificial intelligence and safety equipment, while the company has also launched peer-to-peer exchanges with Electricité du Laos on improving power supply reliability.

To address language barriers in cross-border technical exchanges, Guangxi Power Grid Co., Ltd. has developed an AI-powered translation platform backed by a specialized database containing terminology for more than 1,800 types of power equipment. The platform supports accurate translation between Chinese and English, Chinese and Lao, and Chinese and Vietnamese.

At a recent training program for Chinese and overseas engineers, the system supported one-click generation of bilingual course materials and real-time speech translation, helping participants navigate highly specialized power-sector terminology.

To support regular international exchanges, Guangxi Power Grid Co., Ltd. has also established an international talent pool covering management, technical and skilled personnel. It has developed 24 hours of courses on international affairs as well as 20 short-form video courses.

“This year, we will also explore joint postgraduate programs with universities in ASEAN countries,” said Sun Xiaohua, deputy director of the Human Resources Department at Guangxi Power Grid Co., Ltd.

Looking ahead, Guangxi Power Grid Co., Ltd. plans to further advance a development model featuring “R&D in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong, integration in Guangxi, and application in ASEAN.” The company will continue expanding its multilingual power-sector corpora and explore a “Token Goes Global” model for power-sector AI, with computing resources and models based in Guangxi while knowledge services are delivered overseas. The effort is aimed at creating new forms of China-ASEAN energy cooperation and supporting the green development of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0.
 




 

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