The $10,000 Anzisha Prize a flagship recognition for Africa’s youngest entrepreneurs has once again spotlighted the ingenuity, resilience and transformative potential of the continent’s youth. This year’s four winners stand at the intersection of profitability and purpose, their ventures addressing some of the most entrenched economic and social challenges while expanding opportunity across Africa.
Each award category, Job Creation, Storytelling, Systems of Delivery and Revenue Growth tells a different story of entrepreneurial leadership. From biodegradable sanitary pads to grain processing innovations, from solar energy access to rural enterprise growth, the 2025 laureates show that youth-led businesses are not simply side projects in emerging economies; they are front-line economic engines.
As Anzisha Prize Managing Editor Didi Onwu reminded attendees in her closing speech: “Youth entrepreneurship isn’t the backup plan, it’s the blueprint. For too long we have treated entrepreneurship as plan B, the path we take when ‘the real’ systems fail you. But today has reminded us that youth-led enterprise isn’t what happens when things go wrong, it’s what happens when young people take control of their futures.”
Job Creation Prize — Esther Olalude, Venille Ltd, Nigeria
In a country where period poverty still holds millions of girls and women back from education and economic participation, Esther Olalude is challenging both a public health crisis and an environmental threat. Her company, Venille Ltd, is one of the few indigenous sanitary pad manufacturers in Nigeria, producing biodegradable sanitary pads derived from banana stem agro-waste.
Venille’s model combats the climate impact of non-biodegradable products while creating economic opportunity. Since founding the business, Olalude has generated 20 meaningful jobs a feat that earned her the Job Creation Prize.
The company’s production hub is a tangible blend of innovation and purpose, a manufacturing floor where waste becomes wellness, and employment becomes empowerment.
Storytelling Prize — Christianah Madu, PrimeVolt Solar, Nigeria
For Christianah Madu, the art of storytelling is as critical as the kilowatts her company generates. Founder of PrimeVolt Solar at just 16, she entered a male-dominated energy sector determined to bring light to clinics, homes and last-mile communities, while training girls in STEM.
Her win in the Storytelling Prize category crowns a two-year pursuit. “Two years. Four interviews. Countless pitches. And today… a dream fulfilled,” she said. “This win means so much more than a trophy or a title. For me, it is a full-circle moment, proof that persistence, clarity of purpose and faith in one’s journey can indeed open doors.”
Madu’s narrative is rooted in both struggle and progress: starting PrimeVolt at 19 with “nothing but passion and a deep frustration over Nigeria’s unreliable power supply,” navigating funding constraints, balancing university studies with being CEO, and learning to connect audiences to “the why, not just the what.”
Her message to peers is as luminous as her solar grids: “To every young person daring to dream: your story matters. Tell it. Even when it feels too small, too simple, or too unfinished, it is already powerful.”
Systems of Delivery Prize — Tafadzwa Manyanye, Foodwealth Grain Shellers, Zimbabwe
For Tafadzwa Manyanye, entrepreneurship began in high school, sparked by the sight of rural farmers losing significant portions of their harvest after months of labour. His company, Foodwealth Grain Shellers, was born as a direct intervention providing practical tools to preserve yield and improve farmer incomes.
His meticulous application of strategies learned during the Anzisha fellowship to streamline operations won him the Systems of Delivery Prize. “Deeply honored and humbled… it is a powerful reminder of what is possible when young people are trusted, trained and supported to lead,” he said.
Manyanye’s vision is as much about capacity-building as commerce: “This award is not just a personal milestone, it’s a celebration of the transformative power of entrepreneurial education.” He credits Emergination Africa and the African Leadership Academy for shaping his approach and sees his work as part of a larger agricultural transformation.
His advice mirrors his own resourceful start: “Start where you are, with what you have. The world needs your voice, your vision, your solutions.”
Revenue Growth Award — Cebolenkosi Gcabashe, South Africa
From a rural upbringing to leading a business with soaring profitability, Cebolenkosi Gcabashe’s trajectory embodies the market’s recognition of both commercial and social capital. Winning the Revenue Growth Award for the greatest increase in profitability, Gcabashe remains grounded in his roots: “As a person from a rural area, this award means the world to me and the community I come from.”
His advice to Africa’s next wave of business leaders is pragmatic and potent: “Start where you are with what you have and the rest will come along with your journey.”
Beyond the Awards — An Emerging Continental Blueprint
The Anzisha Prize, backed by a growing network of partners and mentors, continues to affirm that Africa’s economic future is not defined solely by foreign investment or large-scale corporate expansion. The pulse is local, youthful and driven by entrepreneurs who see gaps not as obstacles but as openings.
The 2025 winners prove that when innovation meets execution and when young people are trusted to lead job creation, systems change and revenue growth are not competing goals but mutually reinforcing outcomes.
In the words of Onwu: “Youth-led enterprise isn’t what happens when things go wrong, it’s what happens when young people take control of their futures.”
This year’s laureates are already writing that future.
