In efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19 and provide aid to afflicted communities across the world, the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation committed to donating 100,000 medical masks, 20,000 test kits and 1,000 protective suits to each of the 54 nations on the African continent on the 16th of March.
On the 6th of April, the foundations announced that they would
donate additional medical supplies to the countries of Africa. These include
500 ventilators, 200,000 suits and face shields, 2,000 thermometers, 1 million
swabs and extraction kits, and 500,000 gloves.
Addressing the need to share resources and knowledge to combat the health
crisis, Ma tweeted: “As members of the
global community, it would be irresponsible of us to sit on the fence, panic,
ignore facts or fail to act. We need to take action now!”
On the same day, The Jack Ma Foundation announced the official launch of the
second edition of the “Africa’s Business Heroes” (ABH) prize competition with
applications now open to African entrepreneurs from all 54 African countries,
as well as every sector, age group, and gender. Applications will also now be
available in both French and English.
The ABH prize competition is organized by the Africa Netpreneur Prize
Initiative (ANPI), the Jack Ma Foundation’s flagship philanthropic program in
Africa. ABH made its debut last year, and aims to identify, support and inspire
the next generation of African entrepreneurs who are making a difference in
their local communities, working to solve the most pressing problems, and
building a more sustainable and inclusive economy for the future.
Every year, ten finalists will be selected to compete in a finale pitch
competition show that will be broadcast online and across the continent. At
this year’s grand finale, all ten finalists will share a prize pool of US$1.5
million, up from $1 million last year, as well as gain access to the ANPI
community of business leaders to leverage the community’s shared expertise,
best practice, training and resources. To apply or learn more visit> https://africabusinessheroes.org/en/the-prize/2020/apply-now
With all the developments, it is evident that Jack Ma—through the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation—is committed to Africa and the African entrepreneurship ecosystem.
In these times, let us also shine a light what the African Foundations are also doing to support African SMEs and ESOs. Post Covid19, it will be the African Foundations who will support the resurgence of African communities, creating sustainable solutions for the long-term. This is A Call to African Foundations Doing to Share Their Stories.
To be a part of this campaign, kindly share our posts and use the hashtag: #Support4AfricaSMEs
