Three teenagers shortlisted for $75,000 Anzisha Prize Award

Two 16-year-olds, Diana Kerubo Mong’are, Laetitia Mukungu and 18-year-old Mubarack Muyika from Kenya are among 13 finalists of the 2012 Anzisha Prize Award.

The 2012 finalists were announced by the African Leadership Academy (ALA) and the MasterCard Foundation on Monday after being picked from a pool of 270 young entrepreneurial leaders in 23 African countries.

Kerubo is the founder of Waste Value, a recycling initiative that mobilizes local carpenters, farmers, households and a recycling company to reduce waste build up, at a profit.

Mukungu is the founder of Women’s Rabbit Association, a cooperative organization that farms rabbits profitably to help women pay for their children’s educational needs.  

Muyika is the founder of HyperCentury Technologies, a company that develops dynamic and affordable websites for small to medium sized local business.  

Other finalists across the continent:

David Mwendele (Tanzania), 22, founder of Let God Be You Foundation, an initiative that trains youth to launch their own ventures in book manufacturing, backing and photography.  

Andrew Mupuya (Uganda), 20, founder of YELI, a paper bag production company that produces custom solutions for local hospitals and vendors and employs 14 people, the oldest of whom is 53.

Yaw Duffour Awuah (Ghana), 19, founder of Student Aid Plus, a financial services company that offers financial literacy education and a savings and loan program that helps students pay school fees.   

Isaac Nekemiah Oboth (Uganda), 22, founder of Media 256, a rising media production company that creates innovative videos for a wide range of NGO and corporate clients.

Faisal Burhan (Tanzania), 17, inventor extraordinaire, who designed and built a gas-producing bio-digester and a microscope for his school’s science classes.  

Mahmood Oyewo (Nigeria), 20, founder of RubiQube, a cross-platform (iPhone, Android, Nokia, Windows Mobile) market applications platform for the Nigerian mobile market.

Lindokuhle Mdluli (Swaziland), 18, founder of Eco-Eagle, a company that produces high-yield organic produce on non-arable land, using hydrophonic and other low-cost methods.   

Nadege Iradukunda (Rwanda), 18, founding member of the United Youth for Rwandan Development, which spearheads the development of biogas solutions in schools serving over 15,000 students.

Naledi Mosweu (Botswana), 18, founder of Guardian Angels Co., an award-winning company that produces a line of solid, alcohol-free perfumes.   

Mohamed Aldesouky Ismail (Egypt), 20, founder of Bara Co. Educational Toys that designs and manufactures scientific toys for children.

The announcement of Anzisha prizewinners will be on Wednesday, August 29 2012 at the Venue Green Park in Johannesburg, South Africa.

About the Anzisha Prize

Anzisha Prize is a prestigious award that recognizes and rewards talented young entrepreneurs (aged between 16 to 22 years) in Africa whose business and social ventures have a positive impact in their society.

The awards take its name from the Swahili word, meaning ‘initiative’. It is managed out of ALA’s Centre for Entrepreneurship Leadership that was established through a $1.6 million multi-year partnership with the MasterCard Foundation.