KIGALI — Yahoo co-founder and Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) judge Jerry Yang has praised Kigali as a powerful meeting point for African innovation, saying the continent is not “catching up” but actively building and leaping forward, as he addressed entrepreneurs and guests at the 7th ABH Grand Finale held in the Rwandan capital on Saturday.
Speaking after judging the final pitches, Yang said the ABH event in Kigali felt global in outlook, comparing its energy and diversity of ideas to leading innovation hubs elsewhere in the world.
He noted that having entrepreneurs from seven high-impact sectors competing on one stage was a strong signal of Africa’s capacity to generate homegrown solutions.
“There is something very powerful here in Kigali. The city is focused, intentional, and very forward-looking,” Yang said. “It is clear that Kigali is a place where ideas from across the continent meet and then scale.”
The ABH Grand Finale marked the culmination of a highly competitive process that attracted more than 32,000 applications from across Africa.
From these, ten finalists representing seven countries pitched their ventures for a share of USD 1.5 million in grant funding.
Yang served on the judging panel alongside Dr. Diane Karusisi and Ibukun Awosika, selecting the top three pitches from the finalists.
Grand Prize winner, Diana Orembe
The grand prize went to Diana Orembe of Tanzania, co-founder and CEO of NovFeed, a biotechnology company developing alternative protein solutions.
Abraham Mbuthia
Orembe, a 28-year-old scientist, presented a biotech innovation that converts food waste into nutritious fish feed, helping reduce import dependence, lower production costs, and improve margins for smallholder farmers.
Second place was awarded to Abraham Mbuthia of Kenya, founder of Uzapoint Technologies, whose digital tools use AI-enabled bookkeeping to help micro and small enterprises move away from manual records and gain better access to credit.
Third place went to Adriaan Kruger of South Africa, founder of nuvoteQ, a HealthTech platform offering Africa’s first digitalized clinical trials system to support faster and more affordable medicine research.
Adriaan Kruger
Reflecting on the pitches, Yang said he was inspired by the clarity, ambition, and practicality of the solutions presented, describing them as evidence that Africa’s future is already taking shape.
“Having been around the world, I have seen a sense of excitement for Africa,” he said. “Don’t let people tell you that Africa is catching up. Africa is building and leaping forward.”
He also commended the ABH initiative for creating an ecosystem that goes beyond prize money to include mentorship, networks, and global exposure—elements he described as essential for entrepreneurs to scale sustainably.
Each of the top three winners walked away with grants of USD 300,000, USD 250,000, and USD 150,000 respectively, while the remaining seven finalists received USD 100,000 each, trophies, and recognition for solutions already making a tangible impact across the continent.
Top 3 Winners: Diana Orembe of Tanzania, Adriaan Kruger (middle) of South Africa and Abraham Mbuthia of Kenya
Rwanda was represented among the finalists by Mukasahaha Diane, founder of DIKAM, a women-led cloth manufacturing business with an 80 percent female workforce. Though she did not take a top prize, her made-in-Rwanda textile venture drew attention for its focus on reducing dependence on imported clothing and second-hand garments.
Mukasahaha said she plans to seek financing from the Development Bank of Rwanda to expand skills training and infrastructure, including partnerships with China and Bangladesh to strengthen the cotton-to-cloth value chain.
As the ceremony concluded, Yang reiterated his confidence in Africa’s entrepreneurs, saying the ideas showcased in Kigali demonstrated that the continent is not waiting for the future—it is actively creating it. 
