Month: April 2025

Winner – Africa Business Concept Challenge 2025

Posted on by gbsn
Global Business School Network 2025 Africa Business Concept Challenge Addressing local challenges with viable business solutions

The Africa Business Concept Challenge puts student teams to the test, requiring them to develop a viable business concept that addresses a locally relevant challenge or problem related to Agenda 2063. This year’s virtual business concept competition for African undergraduate and graduate students was sponsored by Stanford Seed and UConn School of Business.

The following teams were selected to advance to the final stage of the competition, where they presented their business concepts live to our panel of international judges for the $5,000 USD scholarship prize!

And the winner is… Team EMONJOY!

1st Place

Pan-Atlantic University

University of Cape Coast, Ghana

Team: EMONJOY

Team Members: Enoch Mbawin Alale*, Agnes Joy Aryee, Simon Etornam Feliste

Faculty Mentor: Samuel Kofi Tulashie

EMONJOY: Organic Pesticide Solution for African Farmers 

EMONJOY offers a 100% plant-based, biodegradable pesticide formulated from neem and local plant extracts to address West African farmers’ challenges with crop pests. The solution helps farmers reduce the 60% annual crop loss while avoiding the health and environmental hazards of synthetic pesticides. By providing an affordable, effective alternative that meets international export standards, EMONJOY enables smallholder farmers to increase yields, access premium markets, and improve soil health. The company plans a phased rollout starting with pilot testing in Ghana before expanding across West Africa, directly supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals related to health, clean water, responsible production, and environmental protection.

* Team captain

2nd Place

Pan-Atlantic University

University of Buea, Cameroon

Team: NeuroCare/Stemgirlz

Team Members: Ebua Cindy Sangha*, Ngong Odilo Bertila, Amber Yabuah Fuambu, Tifuh Percilia Nji

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kolle George Nkume

NeuroCare: Digital Support for Neurodivergent Communities in Cameroon 

NeuroCare is a mobile app addressing the significant barriers faced by neurodivergent individuals in Cameroon, where specialized services are scarce and prohibitively expensive. The app provides early screening tools, AI-powered learning resources, peer support forums, and direct access to therapists in multiple languages (English, French, and Pidgin). By offering a digital-first, culturally adapted solution, NeuroCare makes essential services accessible to the estimated 5 million neurodivergent Cameroonians and their families. The platform employs a hybrid tech-human approach, combining AI with real specialist support, and offers a freemium model ensuring core features remain free while generating revenue through specialist referrals, sponsored content, and premium features. 

3rd Place

The American University in Cairo, Egypt

Team: sanay3eya صنايعية

Team Members: Nayera Ahmed Fathy Badawy*, Marwan Sayed Fekry Abdelwahab, Nancy Mohamed Shaker El Assaar

Faculty Mentor: Dina El Bassiouny

sanay3eya: Formalizing Egypt’s Craftsmen Sector 

sanay3eya (“The Craftsmen”) addresses the challenge that two-thirds of Egypt’s working population operates in the informal sector, including an estimated 2 million craftsmen. The business creates a syndicate-like platform that brings these skilled workers into the formal economy while providing them with medical insurance, pensions, and professional licensing. Through a user-friendly mobile application, customers can easily find and hire verified craftsmen, while craftsmen gain access to training, insurance benefits, and larger government projects. The platform initially targets high-demand areas like Nasr City, Heliopolis, and New Cairo, with plans to expand nationwide. By formalizing this sector, sanay3eya supports multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals, including poverty reduction, decent work, and economic growth, while generating revenue through membership fees, training certifications, corporate partnerships, and supplier relationships. 

Thank you to our investor experts and judges, who provided feedback, guidance, and invaluable advice to our student teams!

Investor Experts

Marilena Antoniadou

Associate Dean – Education and Employability

American College of Greece

Sourabh Bhattacharya 

Associate Professor 

Haldia Institute of Technology

Olof Brunninge

Associate Professor 

Jönköping International Business School

Malick Diallo

Senior Business Transformation Advisor 

Stanford Seed

Daniel Gameti

Adjunct Faculty 

Ashesi University

Eugene Eluerkeh

Senior Lecturer

Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration

Ilias Kapareliotis

Associate Professor Marketing

The American College of Greece

Samantha Keshara

Research and Teaching Volunteer

Makerere University, College of Health Centre, Biomedical Engineering Unit

George Kyparissiadis

Assistant Professor

The American College of Greece

Julian Adrian Randall

Visiting Professor, Management of Change

Edinburgh Business School

Vladimir Korovkin

Associate Professor

Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO

Mohamed Marwan

Strategy Consultant / Business Instructor

Part-Time Instructor at American University in Cairo

Chuks Otioma

Research Associate

Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow

Renato Pereira

Associate Dean for Internationalization and Research

ISCTE Business School

D N Venkatesh

Professor & Dean (Academics)

Goa Institute of Management 

Thierry Vodounou

Business Transformation Advisor

Stanford Seed

Mumbi Maria Wachira

Full-Time Accounting Lecturer

Strathmore University Business School

Judges

Peter Bamkole

Deputy Vice Chancellor

Pan-Atlantic University

Roberta Blankson

Knowledge and Content Manager

African Development Bank

Malick Diallo

Senior Business Transformation Advisor 

Stanford Seed 

Diane Holt

Chair in Entrepreneurship 

Leeds University Business School

Darius Teter

Executive Director

Stanford Seed

Finally, thank you to our generous sponsors who make this challenge possible.

GBSN Beyond in Ghana: Leveraging Business Education for Africa’s Development Challenges 

Posted on by Jennifer Deschain

On a warm morning in Accra, a young woman named Mariam rolls up the shutters of her shop, where she sells shea butter and handmade crafts. Her products have found customers not only in Accra, but also in several boutiques in the United States—thanks to the duty-free access provided by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and assistance from Evi, a Dutch business student in the GBSN DHL GoTrade Fellowship Program. 

Mariam and Evi are worried. Today, it is unclear whether AGOA or newly instituted tariffs take precedence. And the future of AGOA is uncertain at best amid rising global trade tensions. “If the U.S. market closes,” Evi says, “what happens to all this?” She gestures toward the shelves stocked with products made not just by Mariam, but by dozens of women in nearby villages. Although this story is fictionalized, the central question is playing out across Africa today in businesses of varying sizes and a wide range of industries. Thirty-two African countries were eligible for AGOA benefits in 2024, covering 6,700 products. 

There is no escaping that the world is highly interconnected. Policy choices in one country, especially one as big as the United States, ripple across the global economy. The potential shuttering of Mariam’s business is just the tip of the iceberg. Many economists are worried about the broader economic impact, which will vary depending on the country. Lesotho, for example, is particularly vulnerable. Driven by heavy investment in apparel manufacturing, 20% of its total exports are covered by AGOA and will now face a 50% tariff. 

But what’s happening now in Africa is just a small part of a much larger picture. The broader reality is that the continent stands at a pivotal moment, and our simple story masks the extent to which Africa can shape its own future. Africa’s economic prospects, its stability, and the well-being of people hinge on decisions being made today, not only by policymakers in other places but also by Africans in Africa. While the uncertainty surrounding AGOA, spurred by trade disputes and shifting U.S. tariff policies, has added a layer of urgency, core development challenges—reducing poverty, strengthening health systems, protecting ecosystems, and providing security—have persisted over time. What will it take for Africa to weather global storms while cutting a more effective path towards prosperity? 

At GBSN, we think business schools play a vital role in shaping Africa’s future. For example, business schools have been developing entrepreneurial talent, incubating and accelerating startups, and building (and contributing to) robust innovation ecosystems. Part of our job as a network is to champion the development of management education as a potent local force, generating the entrepreneurial leadership for communities to thrive. Our efforts are also aimed at helping business schools work together across borders and sectors to enhance the innovative capacity of organizations and systems, create meaningful employment, promote inclusive wealth and well-being, and improve society. 

That’s why we are going to Ghana for GBSN Beyond—to advance and accelerate this important work with entrepreneurs, enterprises, and ecosystems. We will be hosted by Ashesi University and, for the members meeting, CEIBS in Accra. Both institutions have made major contributions to entrepreneurial development in Ghana, West Africa, and the continent. If you haven’t already experienced Beyond, which is GBSN’s annual conference, you can expect an internationally diverse set of participants, generating new opportunities for their schools to work together to address the development needs of society. You will see that topics are selected to help schools understand and act on critical issues. Beyond cuts across disciplines and positions business schools at the nexus of business, government, and civil society.  

Most importantly, you can expect GBSN Beyond to leverage the local context for learning and, generally, to support our mission. We recognize that the world’s grand challenges form a mosaic of related yet distinct issues across many different contexts and are committed to pursuing solutions that learn from and embrace the distinctive needs and opportunities of each community. At Beyond in Accra, you can expect participants from all over the world, but we will all lean deeply into Ghana and West Africa.  

Entrepreneurship and innovation are important drivers of development, but the way forward also requires collaboration. I want to close this short piece by emphasizing that the best way forward for Africa requires its diverse countries to work together. At GBSN, we are committed to bringing together communities at various stages of development on equal and collaborative footing. By enabling—and expecting—contributions from all corners of the network, GBSN is stronger, more impactful, and resilient. Likewise, I believe, for Africa. 

As we prepare for Beyond in Ghana, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is celebrating its 50th anniversary. In my view, ECOWAS was built precisely for pivotal moments like this. Founded on the ideals of regional integration and mutual progress, ECOWAS must now double down on efforts to strengthen regional trade, infrastructure, and financial systems to reduce reliance on external markets and support. The same can be said about the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)—it’s time to move more decisively across a number of areas, such as infrastructure and customs regulations. By investing in intra-African commerce, we can build more resilient economies. I would love to see business schools work together to take a lead role in advancing these objectives and serving as a platform to align policies on a wide range of challenges, as well as commerce. 

Top Five Student Teams – Africa Business Concept Challenge 2025

Posted on by gbsn
Global Business School Network 2025 Africa Business Concept Challenge Addressing local challenges with viable business solutions

In March, the fifth annual Africa Business Concept Challenge (ABCC) began with 84 student teams representing 46 schools across 19 countries registered for this year. Among these institutions, 11 are GBSN member schools. The competition challenges student teams to develop a viable business concept that addresses a locally relevant challenge or problem related to Agenda 2063. The virtual business concept competition for African undergraduate and graduate students is sponsored by Stanford Seed and UConn School of Business.

This year’s Top 5 ABCC projects reflect a passion to improve communities’ economies, sustainability, and well-being through creative and viable business concepts. The following teams will move on to the final stage of the competition and present their business concepts to our panel of international judges, competing for a chance to win the $5,000 USD scholarship prize!

Top Five Teams

Ashesi University, Ghana

Team: Golden Glow

Team Members: Christine Adwol Emmanuel*, Martha Chaitezvi

Faculty Mentor: Albert Bensusan

Golden Glow: Science-Backed African Skincare 

Golden Glow transforms underutilized African botanicals like palm kernel oil into clinically tested skincare products specifically formulated for melanin-rich skin. Addressing the paradox where Africa produces 65% of the world’s shea butter yet imports harmful skincare products, Golden Glow offers affordable solutions ($7-12) for hyperpigmentation, acne, and extreme dryness—problems affecting up to 80% of African women. Each product undergoes rigorous scientific testing while maintaining ethical sourcing through women’s cooperatives. The brand bridges the gap between ineffective raw botanicals and expensive imported products, providing transparent sourcing information and culturally relevant packaging that tells Africa’s story through indigenous Adinkra symbols. 

*Team captain

The American University in Cairo, Egypt

Team: sanay3eya صنايعية

Team Members: Nayera Ahmed Fathy Badawy*, Marwan Sayed Fekry Abdelwahab, Nancy Mohamed Shaker El Assaar

Faculty Mentor: Dina El Bassiouny

sanay3eya: Formalizing Egypt’s Craftsmen Sector 

sanay3eya (“The Craftsmen”) addresses the challenge that two-thirds of Egypt’s working population operates in the informal sector, including an estimated 2 million craftsmen. The business creates a syndicate-like platform that brings these skilled workers into the formal economy while providing them with medical insurance, pensions, and professional licensing. Through a user-friendly mobile application, customers can easily find and hire verified craftsmen, while craftsmen gain access to training, insurance benefits, and larger government projects. The platform initially targets high-demand areas like Nasr City, Heliopolis, and New Cairo, with plans to expand nationwide. By formalizing this sector, sanay3eya supports multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals, including poverty reduction, decent work, and economic growth, while generating revenue through membership fees, training certifications, corporate partnerships, and supplier relationships. 

Pan-Atlantic University

Pan-Atlantic University, Nigeria

Team: Ubuntu

Team Members: Aaron Ayanfe Afelumo*, Adebare Adesokan Ayomide, Chizim Awele Gabriela

Faculty Mentor: Mr. Afam Okonkwo

Integrated Circular Farming & Packaging System: A Sustainable Solution for Nigeria 

The Integrated Circular Farming & Packaging (ICF&P) System offers a closed-loop agricultural model that tackles food insecurity, plastic pollution, and urban sustainability in Nigeria. The system combines IoT-enabled vertical farming with biodegradable packaging production, repurposing agricultural waste into eco-friendly packaging. By optimizing crop growth and utilizing waste, the ICF&P system aims to boost yields, reduce reliance on plastic, and support smallholder farmers, aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Pan-Atlantic University

University of Buea, Cameroon

Team: NeuroCare/Stemgirlz

Team Members: Ebua Cindy Sangha*, Ngong Odilo Bertila, Amber Yabuah Fuambu, Tifuh Percilia Nji

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kolle George Nkume

NeuroCare: Digital Support for Neurodivergent Communities in Cameroon 

NeuroCare is a mobile app addressing the significant barriers faced by neurodivergent individuals in Cameroon, where specialized services are scarce and prohibitively expensive. The app provides early screening tools, AI-powered learning resources, peer support forums, and direct access to therapists in multiple languages (English, French, and Pidgin). By offering a digital-first, culturally adapted solution, NeuroCare makes essential services accessible to the estimated 5 million neurodivergent Cameroonians and their families. The platform employs a hybrid tech-human approach, combining AI with real specialist support, and offers a freemium model ensuring core features remain free while generating revenue through specialist referrals, sponsored content, and premium features. 

Pan-Atlantic University

University of Cape Coast, Ghana

Team: EMONJOY

Team Members: Enoch Mbawin Alale*, Agnes Joy Aryee, Simon Etornam Feliste

Faculty Mentor: Samuel Kofi Tulashie

EMONJOY: Organic Pesticide Solution for African Farmers 

EMONJOY offers a 100% plant-based, biodegradable pesticide formulated from neem and local plant extracts to address West African farmers’ challenges with crop pests. The solution helps farmers reduce the 60% annual crop loss while avoiding the health and environmental hazards of synthetic pesticides. By providing an affordable, effective alternative that meets international export standards, EMONJOY enables smallholder farmers to increase yields, access premium markets, and improve soil health. The company plans a phased rollout starting with pilot testing in Ghana before expanding across West Africa, directly supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals related to health, clean water, responsible production, and environmental protection. 

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