Kenya’s Chebet Lesan beat over 22,000 applicants to emerge the Grand winner of the Africa’s Business Heroes Award that comes with a $300,000 (KSh33.3 million) grant. Africa’s Business Heroes Award is a philanthropic initiative by the Jack Ma Foundation that aims to identify and empower African entrepreneurs.
Chebet is the founder and CEO of Bright Green Energy, a company that produces life-saving and eco-friendly fuel bricks. She was awarded for her innovative product that provides affordable fuel to low income communities and saves forests from destruction.
Chebet has training in Leadership from The University of Cambridge, Product Design from The University of Nairobi, and a Business-Design Fellowship from Massachusetts Institute of Technology D-lab.
The second prize went to Nigeria’s Oluwasoga Oni, the founder and CEO of MDaaS Global, a company that builds and operates modern, tech-enabled diagnostic centers in clinically-underserved communities. Zimbabwean, Ethel Mupambwa, who runs Moneymart – a Zimbawean based microfinance institution – took the third position in the Africa’s Business Heroes Award.
