A 22-year-old lady by the name Melissa Bime, the founder of INFIUSS, has won the $25,000 Grand Prize at the 8th annual Anzisha Prize awards gala.
INFIUSS, an online blood bank and digital supply chain platform, ensures that patients across 23 hospitals in Cameroon have life-saving blood when they need it.
Bime, only the second woman to win the prize, said of her win:
Today, I stand here to represent every young girl out there that just has her dreams. I stand here to represent this amazing group of entrepreneurs that I am a part of. With these people, the future of Africa is very bright. We are going to change this continent.
A shortlist of 20 was announced earlier in the month, out of which Bime was chosen.
18-year-old Alhaji Siraj Bah, founder of Rugsal Trading in Sierra Leone, a company that produces handcrafted paper bags as well as briquettes for cooking fuel, was the first runner-up and was awarded $15,000.
Joan Nalubega, the 21-year-old co-founder of Uganics, which produces mosquito-repellent soap to combat malaria in Uganda, was named the 2nd runner-up and was awarded $12,500.
The Anzisha Prize is a partnership between the African Leadership Academy and the Mastercard Foundation that rewards Africa’s youngest entrepreneurs.
