Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative picks regional partners from Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa
Bukola Odufade is Businessamlive Reporter.
You can contact her on bukola.odufade@businessamlive.com with stories and commentary.
The Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative (ANPI) has appointed three new regional partners, Network of Incubators & Innovators in Nigeria ( NINE) from Nigeria, RiseUp from Egypt and 22 On Sloane from South Africa, as
the official Western, Northern, and Southern Africa regional partners, respectively. They are expected to work closely with Nailab, the continental and Eastern Africa partner, to promote the prize in their respective regions.
The initiative was founded by the Jack Ma Foundation, and for the next 10 years, the ANPI will host a pitch competition across Africa, where the winner would go home with $1 million.
Sam Gichuru, Nailab Founder and CEO in a statement made available to business a.m. said that “we are excited to work with these reputable and mission-aligned partners who will help us bring the Prize to all corners of Africa, as well as discover and spotlight a new generation of entrepreneurs from across the continent. Together with our partners, we will support both technology-driven and traditional companies with a special focus on small businesses, grassroots communities and women-founded enterprises.”
Graca Machel, Chair of the Graca Machel Trust Board and a member of ANPI advisory board, also noted that the regional partners will help support the Prize’s inclusive and community-based approach and praised the
Prize’s strong focus on women entrepreneurs. “There are so many undiscovered entrepreneurial heroes, women and men alike, who once unearthed can become game-changers of the African entrepreneurship
landscape. I am happy the Africa Netpreneur Prize has decided to makewomen a priority.”
According to the statement, the southern partner, 22 On Sloane, is a legacy project of the Global Entrepreneurship Network Africa (GEN Africa) and home to the largest startup campus on the continent, while the northern partner, RiseUp, is the creator and organizer of the MENA region’s largest entrepreneurship event, RiseUp Summit. RiseUp is a platform that connects startups with needed resources from across the continent.
The western partner, NINE is Nigeria’s largest network of Incubators supporting the growth of entrepreneurs. Bankole Oloruntoba, Founder of NINE added that the company “was excited to discover vibrant enterprises that would benefit from the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative. We believe that the Prize finalists have the power to
inspire the continent with their commitment and dedication, as well as show the potential of our African Entrepreneurs.”