The impact and success of the program to date has encouraged co-hosts African Leadership Academy and The MasterCard Foundation to extend their collaboration for a further 5 years. The Anzisha Prize will be a feature of the entrepreneur landscape in Africa until 2020, and aggressively expand its activities to not only encourage young entrepreneurs, but strengthen and celebrate the ecosystem of organisations that develop young African entrepreneurial talent in this age group.

They call it the #AnzishaEffect, and it is the power of stories about the very youngest entrepreneurs among us to encourage others to follow in their footsteps. Africa needs strong, innovative entrepreneurial young leaders to create jobs, solve problems and drive our economies. Our continent’s future will be determined by entrepreneurial leaders across all sectors.

“We have already seen the #AnzishaEffect at work through the inspirational stories and leadership of Anzisha Fellows like Laetitia Mukungu, Andrew Mupuya and Thato Kgatlhanye. They are now globally recognized and celebrated role models,” says Reeta Roy, President and CEO of The MasterCard Foundation. “We’re excited about expanding our support of the Anzisha Prize so that many more young entrepreneurs in Africa can make a lasting impact in their communities and countries.”

Each year, 12 finalists win a two-week trip to South Africa for a learning experience of a lifetime at African Leadership Academy, and share over $75,000 USD in cash funding. At a Gala Dinner, the grand prize winner is announced and receives $25,000 with which to grow their business. From 2015, Anzisha Fellows will be actively supported through the recently launched Youth Entrepreneur Support Unit (YES-U), based at African Leadership Academy, which is a collaboration with leading business incubators on the continent. Mentorship, consulting services, community gatherings and travel opportunities will now define the fellow experience as they grow their business ventures. New programs will be announced soon that focus on and invest into other areas of the youth entrepreneur value chain.

READ MORE AND APPLY VIA http://popafrica.com/african-entrepreneurs-under-22-upgrade-your-business-with-a-share-of-75000-apply-for-the-5th-anzisha-prize-today/