‘You made the inaugural Africa Netpreneur Summit a success’ – Jack Ma Foundation to Ursula

The Jack Ma Foundation has eulogized Ghana’s communication minister Ursula Owusu Ekuful for her indescribable support during the inaugural Africa Netpreneur Summit.

The Jack Ma Foundation last month hosted the inaugural Africa Netpreneur Summit – where African and global entrepreneurs, investors, educators and leaders convened and discussed how best to enable entrepreneurship and the digital economy across the continent.

Guest-speakers at the conference included Ban Ki-moon, Former UN Secretary General and Co-chair of the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens.

In a letter to the Ghanaian communications minister, Jason Pau, Head of Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative and Senior Advisor for International Programs Jack Ma Foundation wrote: “On behalf of Jack Ma, the Jack Ma Foundation, and our partners, I would like to extend my deepest appreciation for your invaluable support of and participation in the inaugural Africa Netpreneur Summit.

“As a key leader in the drive to catalyze Africa’s development and entrepreneur ecosystem, you and Ministry’s support of the African Netpreneur Initiative (ANPI) enabled us make successful strides in realizing our mission: “to identify and spotlight African entrepreneur heroes and their stories to inspire the African continent and beyond”.

The 2019 Summit drew approximately 1,500 attendees and saw 10 African entrepreneur heroes awarded $1 million in grant funding.

Importantly, the Summit also provided a venue for various actors in the entrepreneur ecosystem to share, learn, and inspire. Since the summit concluded, various key stakeholders across Africa, including several African heads of State have rallied behind the stories and missions of these entrepreneur heroes.

In addition, the summit has received significant international press coverage and been covered by major news outlets such as CNN, the Financial Times and Bloomberg.

“Our “Africa’s Business Heroes” show continues to broadcast across Africa on DSTV, StarTimes, African TV stations, and YouTube as well as in China on Youku, a leading online streaming platform. The exposure from the competition has provided our top 10 finalists with ongoing opportunities.

“The successes of the summit would not have been feasible without the extensive support that the Government of Ghana, and your Ministry in particular, provided our team. The Ministry of Communications, under your and Mr. George Andah’s leadership, provided extensive and invaluable insights as well as coordination support with various stakeholders within the Ghanaian Government. As such, on behalf of the ANPI team, we would like to extend a heartfelt thank you for your support,” the letter read.