The Africa’s Business Heroes flagship philanthropic programme for the Jack Ma Foundation in Africa, has announced the top 50 finalists for the 2022 ABH prize competition and Amanda Etuk – a Nigerian entrepreneur made the list.
Etuk who is the co-founder of Messenger, a total supply chain solutions firm, was selected from a pool of 21,000 applicants from across 54 African countries, many of whom are highly-skilled and accomplished entrepreneurs.
“Your selection represents our belief that you demonstrate the characteristics of an Africa’s Business Hero finalist which are mission-driven, innovative, passionate, bold and resilient,” according to a notification mail by organizers.
“It is also an acknowledgement of your hard work and impact so far. You join an impressive cohort of entrepreneurs who like you are inspiring change-makers and business heroes,” the statement adds.
Etuk, who holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy Degree from the University of Lagos and a Master’s Degree in Global Supply Chain and Logistics Management at the University of Sussex, has a proven track record of business optimization.
She has driven the competitiveness of organisations in the healthcare industry, the Fast Moving Consumer Goods sector and e-commerce which are where her passion lies.
In all of her roles, she has delivered business and revenue growth and efficiency gains, and successfully strengthened client relationships.
Her company which she co-founded with her brother, Essien Etuk recently did a partnership with Gricd Technology using active cooling boxes employing technology for temperature and GPS logging. The company also heavily invested in warehousing and order fulfilment.
Clients in this new business line include Melting Moments Gelato Company, ShopexTV and Omnibiz to mention a few.
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The top 50 finalists recently participated in a virtual boot camp in preparation for their next round of interviews with judges. The boot camp featured sessions led by partners and judges alike. Topics included using data to better understand markets, identifying opportunities to scale, running effective digital marketing campaigns and selling in the digital age.
In late August, the top 20 will be identified and announced. The top 10 will be announced in October, before they go on to the grand finale where they will pitch live to global business legends and secure their share of the $1.5 million prize pool.
“We are thrilled to see that all of the countries and regions of Africa are represented in this year’s competition and to have a more diverse pool of applicants than ever,” said Zahra Baitie-Boateng, head of partnerships & programs, Africa’s Business Heroes said in a statement.
“It is encouraging to see more than 21,000 entrepreneurs throw their hats into the ring from a wide spectrum of industries, regardless of their gender and age.”
“The top 50 finalists of the ABH 2022 competition show what great potential and talent exists in Africa. We are looking forward to spotlighting them and giving them the support they need to grow and generate a positive impact for both their businesses and the communities they serve,” she added.
