Due to popular demand, the closing date for entries for the Anzisha Prize has been extended until April 15.

Hosted by the African Leadership Academy in partnership with The MasterCard Foundation, the Anzisha Prize is worth more than $75 000 USD in cash prizes.

The competition is regarded as Africa’s foremost youth entrepreneurial awards which reward young African entrepreneurs and celebrates initiative and innovation. There is also a $10 000 USD Energy Prize in addition to the $75 000 cash prize.

Anzisha Prize programme manager, Chi Achebe, said: “With all the public holidays at the end of March we decided to extend the deadline for entries. We are delighted with the calibre of the applications we’ve received to date and we’re hoping to see even more applications come in from the following countries that we have yet to receive applications from. These are Algeria, Burundi, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Reunion, Sao Tome & Principe, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan and Togo.”

Individuals, teachers and organisations are urged to visit the Anzisha website to nominate young entrepreneurs in their communities.

The Anzisha Prize is open to entrepreneurs from around the African continent aged between 15 and 22. Entries close on April 15, 2013. Application forms can be downloaded from the Anzisha Prize website www.anzishaprize.org. Completed forms can be emailed to prize@anzishaprize.org.

Finalists will win an all-expense paid trip to the African Leadership Academy (ALA) in Johannesburg, South Africa, to attend a weeklong entrepreneurship conference and awards gala. While there, they will be taught by the ALA’s renowned Entrepreneurial Leadership faculty as well as experienced business mentors. Winners will share $75,000 USD, courtesy of The MasterCard Foundation, and be given networking and learning opportunities to take their projects to the next level.

Twenty-one- year-old Andrew Mupuya of Uganda was announced as the grand prize winner of last year’s Anzisha Prize for his paper bag production company, Youth Entrepreneurial Link Investments

http://www.ynaija.com/thisshouldconcernyou-anzisha-prize-for-african-entrepreneurs-closing-date-for-entries-extended/