Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) has selected 20 entrepreneurs from 12 African countries for its 2026 Top 20, advancing them to the semi-final stage of the competition in Nairobi, Kenya. The entrepreneurs are building businesses across healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, financial services, climate technology, education, biotechnology and commerce, with many addressing practical challenges affecting businesses and communities across the continent.
The selection gives the entrepreneurs an opportunity to compete for a share of the US$1.5 million prize pool and move closer to becoming one of the 10 finalists in the 2026 competition. Beyond the prize money, the semi-final stage provides an important platform for African founders to present their businesses, attract attention and demonstrate how locally developed companies can contribute to economic growth.
Egypt has the largest representation in this year’s Top 20 with four entrepreneurs, followed by Nigeria and Kenya with three each. Morocco has two representatives, while Côte d’Ivoire, Rwanda, Benin, Madagascar, South Africa, Tanzania, Ghana and Ethiopia each have one.
The geographical spread highlights the range of businesses being developed across Africa. North Africa accounts for six representatives, while West and East Africa make up much of the remaining cohort. The companies also reflect a growing focus on businesses that combine commercial opportunities with solutions to challenges in food production, healthcare access, sustainability, digitalisation and financial inclusion.
The 20 Entrepreneurs Taking African Businesses to the Next Stage
1. Ahmed Shaaban, Simplex CNC, Egypt
Ahmed Shaaban is the founder of Simplex CNC, an industrial technology company focused on developing and manufacturing computer numerical control (CNC) machinery and other industrial manufacturing technologies. The company operates in an area that is important to the development of local manufacturing capacity, providing technology that can support businesses involved in industrial production. Shaaban’s selection places manufacturing technology among the sectors represented at the ABH semi-finals and highlights the role of African entrepreneurs in developing solutions for industrial businesses.
2. Farah Emara, FreshSource, Egypt
Farah Emara founded FreshSource, an agritech and supply chain company working across the fresh-food value chain. The business connects sourcing, grading, cold storage, logistics and distribution to improve how fresh produce moves from suppliers to markets. By addressing different stages of the food supply chain, FreshSource is positioned around one of Africa’s important economic needs: reducing inefficiencies between agricultural production and consumers while improving access to fresh food.
3. Nour El-Assal, Tagaddod, Egypt
Nour El-Assal is the founder of Tagaddod, a climate technology company focused on waste and used-oil collection, recycling and renewable-resource supply chains. The business uses technology to support the collection and processing of materials that can otherwise become waste. Its inclusion in the Top 20 brings attention to the growing business opportunities around recycling, resource recovery and environmental sustainability in Africa.
4. Salma Tammam, Reme-D, Egypt
Salma Tammam founded Reme-D, a health technology and biotechnology company developing medical diagnostic and biotechnology solutions. The company’s work is focused on improving healthcare diagnostics, an area where access to reliable and effective diagnostic services remains important for health systems across Africa. Tammam’s selection also demonstrates the increasing presence of biotechnology and health innovation among African startups.
5. Affiong Williams, ReelFruit, Nigeria
Affiong Williams is the founder of ReelFruit, a Nigerian food technology company that processes locally grown fruit into dried snacks and other products. The company addresses post-harvest losses by extending the shelf life of agricultural produce and creating commercially packaged food products. ReelFruit’s business model connects agriculture, manufacturing and consumer markets, demonstrating how food processing can create additional value from locally produced crops.
6. Ikechukwu Anoke, Zuri Health, Nigeria
Ikechukwu Anoke is the founder of Zuri Health, a health technology company providing digital healthcare services. Zuri Health uses digital platforms to make access to medical care more convenient for users. The company’s presence in the ABH Top 20 reflects the growing role of technology in expanding healthcare access and connecting people with services in a way that can be more accessible and convenient.
7. Kelvin Umechukwu, Bumpa, Nigeria
Kelvin Umechukwu founded Bumpa, a software and commerce technology company that provides small businesses with digital tools to manage sales and business operations. The platform also supports access to financial services through a mobile-first approach. Bumpa focuses on a major part of Africa’s economy, the large number of small and growing businesses that need better tools to manage their operations, serve customers and expand.
8. Joseph Mungai, AceleAfrica Limited, Kenya
Joseph Mungai is the founder of AceleAfrica Limited, a Kenyan business services company focused on solutions that support the development and growth of African businesses. Its work places business support at the centre of its operations, addressing the needs of companies seeking to strengthen their activities and expand. Mungai’s selection brings the business services sector into a cohort that is otherwise strongly represented by technology and production-focused companies.
9. Louisa Gathecha, Bottle Logistics East Africa, Kenya
Louisa Gathecha founded Bottle Logistics East Africa, a climate technology and circular economy company focused on glass recovery and recycling. The company works to turn discarded glass into an economic resource by recovering and recycling it rather than allowing it to remain waste. Its business model demonstrates how environmental challenges can also create opportunities for new industries, jobs and more efficient use of resources.
10. Naom Monari, BENA CARE / Renal Roads, Kenya
Naom Monari is the founder behind BENA CARE and Renal Roads, a Kenyan health technology initiative focused on healthcare delivery, including mobile renal and dialysis services. The company is working around the challenge of making specialised healthcare services more accessible. Its inclusion highlights the importance of healthcare businesses that develop practical delivery models for patients who may face difficulties accessing specialised treatment.
11. Meriem Benabad, z.systems, Morocco
Meriem Benabad founded z.systems, a Moroccan retail technology company that helps traditional retailers digitise their operations. The company provides tools designed to help merchants modernise the way they manage and operate their businesses. By bringing digital systems into traditional retail, z.systems is responding to the wider shift towards technology-driven business management and helping smaller merchants adapt to changing market conditions.
12. Nidal Tafah, MIRRIAH, Morocco
Nidal Tafah is the founder of MIRRIAH, an agritech company developing irrigation solutions for smallholder farmers. Its work includes solar-powered smart irrigation systems aimed at helping farmers move away from diesel-dependent irrigation. MIRRIAH combines agricultural technology with a community-based approach designed to create green employment while supporting more sustainable farming. The company’s model connects renewable energy, agriculture and rural economic development.
13. Appessika Adanin Laurent Koffi, Green Agro Valley CI, Côte d’Ivoire
Appessika Adanin Laurent Koffi founded Green Agro Valley CI, an agritech company focused on solar-powered irrigation and more efficient farming systems. The company is working to improve agricultural production by using technology and renewable energy in farming. Its selection represents Côte d’Ivoire in the ABH Top 20 and adds another example of African entrepreneurs developing agricultural solutions around efficiency, sustainability and food production.
14. David Kamugundu, eFiche Ltd, Rwanda
David Kamugundu is the founder of eFiche Ltd, a Rwandan health technology company developing digital solutions for healthcare services and medical records management. By focusing on digital systems, the company aims to improve how healthcare information and services are managed. Its inclusion in the competition reflects the growing demand for technology that can strengthen healthcare systems and make medical information easier to manage.
15. Gildas Zodome, BIO PHYTO, Benin
Gildas Zodome founded BIO PHYTO, an agritech company developing organic agricultural inputs and fertilisers for farmers and agricultural production. The company operates in an area directly connected to farm productivity and sustainable agriculture. Its focus on organic inputs provides an alternative approach to agricultural production while supporting farmers seeking products that can improve soil and crop performance.
16. Hagasata Rakotoson, SOLIDIS S.A., Madagascar
Hagasata Rakotoson is the founder represented by SOLIDIS S.A., a Madagascar-based fintech company providing financing and guarantee solutions designed to improve businesses’ access to capital. Access to finance remains a key challenge for many African businesses, particularly smaller enterprises. SOLIDIS S.A.’s work focuses on helping businesses overcome some of these financing barriers and gain access to the capital required to operate and grow.
17. Jess Roussos, BluLever Education, South Africa
Jess Roussos founded BluLever Education, a South African education technology company providing vocational education and skills training. The company focuses on preparing learners for employment and skilled trades, linking education more closely with practical employment opportunities. Its selection highlights the importance of skills development at a time when businesses across Africa require workers with practical and technical capabilities.
18. Joseph Paul, Dawa Mkononi, Tanzania
Joseph Paul is the founder of Dawa Mkononi, a Tanzanian health technology company working on pharmaceutical supply-chain solutions. The business focuses on improving access to medicines by addressing how pharmaceutical products move through the supply chain. Its work places logistics and technology at the centre of healthcare access, recognising that getting medicines to patients depends not only on production but also on efficient distribution.
19. Rodney Kofi Kyei, Crux Global, Ghana
Rodney Kofi Kyei founded Crux Global, a Ghanaian business and investment services company. The business provides services focused on supporting companies and economic activity, placing it within the wider ecosystem that helps businesses access expertise, investment and opportunities for growth. Kyei’s selection adds a business and investment services perspective to the 2026 Top 20.
20. Samson Fentaye, Thur Biotech, Ethiopia
Samson Fentaye founded Thur Biotech, an Ethiopian biotechnology company developing biological products and solutions for agriculture. The company aims to provide farmers with tools that can increase yields, improve resilience to climate and disease, and support healthier environments. Its bacterial biofertilisers and biocontrol agents are designed to provide sustainable solutions that benefit both crops and ecosystems. The company’s flagship products reflect its focus on combining scientific development with practical agricultural needs across different regions.
A Showcase of Africa’s Growing Business Potential
The 20 companies selected for the 2026 ABH semi-finals demonstrate the breadth of entrepreneurship emerging across the continent. Their businesses range from industrial machinery and food processing to digital healthcare, renewable energy, financial services, education and biotechnology.
The diversity of the cohort is also significant because many of the businesses are addressing challenges that affect economic activity directly. Better irrigation can support farmers, improved supply chains can reduce losses, digital healthcare can expand access to medical services, while financial technology can help businesses secure capital. At the same time, recycling and climate-focused businesses are creating commercial opportunities around sustainability.
For the founders, the next stage will be the ABH 2026 Semi-Final in Nairobi, where they will pitch their companies and compete for a place among the Top 10 finalists. The competition will ultimately provide one of the continent’s largest platforms for showcasing entrepreneurial talent while giving the selected businesses greater exposure and access to opportunities that can support their next stage of growth.
The 2026 Top 20 therefore represents more than a list of competition entrants. It offers a snapshot of African businesses being built around practical economic needs, with founders using technology, local knowledge and new business models to tackle challenges in their respective markets. Their progress through the competition will be closely watched as they compete for a share of the US$1.5 million prize pool and the opportunity to take their companies to the next level.
