Zimbabwean entrepreneur Ethel Mupambwa is among the top 10 finalists of the Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) prize, a program to support and inspire the next generation of African entrepreneurs.
The program, which is in its second year, is created by the Jack Ma Foundation’s African Netpreneur Prize Initiative (ANPI).
The organizer of the 2020 ABH prize announced its top 10 finalists on Monday, who will pitch at the competition’s grand finale in November, for a chance to win a share of a 1.5 million U.S. dollars prize pool.
The 10 outstanding entrepreneurs – half of whom are female – have been selected from over 22,000 applications across all 54 African nations, following several rounds of rigorous evaluation.
“I am excited. I am so so so excited, super excited. You don’t know what’s happening in me right now,” Mupambwa told Xinhua while struggling to contain her excitement.
Mupambwa is the co-founder and Executive Director of MoneyMart, a microfinance firm that provides its clients with tailor-made business loans and offers energy solutions to energy-poor households living off the electricity grid in rural areas.