<figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-border-color has-vivid-red-border-color" style="border-radius:100px"><blockquote>“Make 2023 Your Year!”</blockquote></figure>



It’s that time of the year again! FORBES AFRICA is calling on Africa’s brightest visionaries, risk-takers, change-makers and pioneers to take their place on the continent’s sought-after 30 Under 30 list.



For 2023, we are now on the quest for 30 of Africa’s most ingenious innovators under the age of 30 for the categories of Business, Technology, Creatives, Sport and Science/Health.



The <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/cover-story/2022/07/15/the-class-of-2022-money-and-meaning/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Class of 2022 </a>proved to the world that Africa’s Under 30s care about making money as well as meaning. For these young trailblazers, it was not just about commerce and clout but about ensuring they represent well their countries and the diverse, heterogeneous Africa they want to serve.



“Every year, the list keeps getting better and 2022 was also historic in that the cover shoot for this issue was in Botswana, for the first time outside of Johannesburg; and the finalists shone in every sense,” says Renuka Methil, Editor of FORBES AFRICA.



As we prepare for the ninth installment of the 30 Under 30 list, we also announce a few changes. Our process is extremely rigorous, and as the nominees progress through the stages, it gets more intense. As in the past, we will require a police clearance certificate (PCC) or report from your country verifying that you have no criminal record, no ongoing or upcoming court cases and that you are a citizen of that country. As an extra layer of verification, the FORBES AFRICA Under 30 team of curators now also need a recommendation/reference letter from your financial institution (like your bank), ensuring that you are a legitimate business/brand employing your funds responsibly. We recommend that you contact your financial institution or advisor to prepare for this part of the process.



In the end, it will all be worth it as you join these past honorees who are now illustrious Under 30 alumni; like Elsa Majimbo, Mr. Eazi, Lasizwe, Musa Keys, Lloyd Harris, Sho Madjozi, Bruce Diale, Antonio Depina, Karabo Poppy, Thuso Mbedu, Dr. Esperance Luvindao, Nomzamo Mbatha, Kabza De Small, Burna Boy, Nthabiseng Mosia, Davido, Shamim Nabuuma Kaliisa, Sikander Kalla, Nasty C, Chad le Clos, and WizKid.



“These are the shining stars who will be leading our future and deciding what’s best. What we are looking for in 2023? Even more committed young people pivoting the continent to progress, profits, and prosperity,” adds Methil. 



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading" id="h-nominations-and-applications-criteria">NOMINATIONS AND APPLICATIONS CRITERIA:&nbsp;</h2>



Please read and take careful note of the following before applying. APPLICATIONS CLOSE 20 January 2023 17:00 (SAST)



Business and Technology categories&nbsp;



<ol><li>Must be an entrepreneur/founder aged 29 or younger on 31 March 2023&nbsp;</li><li>Should have a legitimate REGISTERED business on the continent&nbsp;</li><li>Business/businesses should be two years or older (please ensure you have your audited financial documents for at least two years as well as your company&#8217;s registration documents; should you make the second stage, this will be required)&nbsp;</li><li>The more innovative the business the better (as it contributes to Africa’s growth story!)&nbsp;</li><li>Have you/your company created social impact on the African continent?&nbsp;</li><li>The company must be profit-generating&nbsp;</li><li>Must employ people in Africa&nbsp;</li><li>All applications must be in English&nbsp;</li></ol>



Sports category



<ol><li>Must be a sports person aged 29 or younger on 31 March 2023</li><li>Must be representing an African team</li><li>Should have a proven track-record of no less than two years</li><li>Should be making significant earnings</li><li>Endorsement deals and/or awards of any kind would be a bonus</li><li>Entrepreneurship and social impact are a plus, especially if applying under the Business/Technology category. However, the business must oblige by the same rules as under Business/Technology.</li><li>All applications must be in English</li></ol>



Creatives category&nbsp;



<ol><li>Must be a creative aged 29 or younger on 31 March 2023&nbsp;</li><li>Must be from or based in Africa&nbsp;</li><li>Should be making significant earnings&nbsp;</li><li>Should have a proven creative record of no less than two years&nbsp;</li><li>Awards of any kind would be a bonus&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Social media presence will be taken into consideration.&nbsp;</li><li>Entrepreneurship and social impact are a plus, especially if applying under the Business/Technology category. However, the business must be legitimate, registered and also two years or older.&nbsp;</li><li>All applications must be in English&nbsp;</li></ol>



Health/Science category&nbsp;



<ol><li>Must be a creative aged 29 or younger on 31 March 2023 </li><li>Must be from or based in Africa </li><li>Should have a proven track record in the field of health and/or science for no less than two years. </li><li>Must have social influence and impact. </li><li>If the nominee is a doctor/professor, please provide us with documentation and a reference letter from the institution where the applicant received a doctorate or Ph.D.   </li><li>Entrepreneurship and social impact are a plus, especially if applying under the Business/Technology category. However, the business must be legitimate, registered, and also two years or older. </li><li>All applications must be in English</li></ol>



APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED!

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Call For Nominations To FORBES AFRICA’s 30 Under 30 Class Of 2023

An intrepid 22-year-old entrepreneur from Sierra Leone has founded an eco-friendly paper bag company – something he has kept at doggedly despite the challenges a developing economy can present.



TWO DIFFERENT SCENARIOS. ONE PRODUCT. Amadu Deen Bah was raised by a single mother in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He grew up helping her work as a small trader on weekends and holidays. At the age of 13, he sold bags by the side of the road.



Cut to now. He is the founder and CEO of Caballay Investment, an eco-friendly paper bag manufacturing company he set up in 2020 in the West African country, now trying to raise $75,000 to buy machines to automate the manufacturing process. His aim? To produce 1,000 bags a day and work towards ending the use of plastic bags.



Also an Anzisha Prize fellow in 2021, he has surely come a long way.



“Sometimes, your start is not that good – it’s difficult and hard. But the one thing I have learned on my journey is that it doesn’t matter if you start good or bad; just know that on the journey you will face difficulties. So, the time that you are facing difficulties is the time you need to show your character. You just need to be strong, to be focused, to keep going because the going will get you there. And don’t forget to read!” says Bah, summarizing his years as a novice starting up his entrepreneurial journey. He set out on this ride soon after high school, when he wanted to embark on a business instead of continuing with his education.



He met Jeremy Okoye, a businessman from Senegal, and decided to leave Sierra Leone, for the first time. While in Senegal, hungry and unable to speak either French or Wolof, he eventually found a temporary job in construction.



One day while wandering the streets, he saw a sign advertising English lessons – and thought that was something he could do. As luck would have it, his soon-to-be mentor Okoye was also there. He began working for him.



When he decided to leave Senegal, Okoye gave him a laptop and books to motivate him. Plus, he had $1,000 in savings.



Back again in Sierra Leone, he was involved in the community clean-up on the last Saturday of every month, where citizens are encouraged to venture out and collect garbage.



“There are no local people to collect trash in my community. You have to wait for the bigger companies to collect it. So I saw it as a business opportunity.”



He wanted to recycle, but the initiative didn’t work out. Then, an idea struck him: what about paper bags? In three weeks, during August 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bah learned to make paper bags and thereafter founded his company, Caballay Investments; the name Caballay the nickname his uncle gave his mom.



He found his first customer and second mentor in Sierra Leone, Rodney Hughes. The very first order was for 70 bags.



But Bah did not have the capital to get started on the order, so Hughes gave him some valuable business advice – “What you need to do first in business if you don’t have money to start is – always ask your customer to give you a deposit.”



Bah worked day and night to deliver and soon began acquiring more customers. In the meantime, the Anzisha Prize had always inspired him, so he applied, and at 21, he made the shortlist.



But then, there were setbacks in store. One morning, a heavy downpour caused flooding, and he lost all his wares.



He gave up for three months, taking on only bits of work.



But he read about a character who faced adversity, and sitting in the shade of a tree, the character said to himself “after all this long work, if I give up, what will it give me”.



And so Bah resolved to start in earnest again. He saved money, sold his bed, and even sold stickers. He was granted $1,000 through the Anzisha Prize Fellowship in 2021, and made $5,000 through the Tony Elumelu Foundation. He wanted to use the money to set up an office and expand, but there were still many curveballs to resolve– he bought the wrong materials to make paper bags, and during Covid-19, prices went up.



He used the power of networking, and found that hotels use paper bags the most, and so began marketing mainly in that direction, also supplying them handmade to supermarkets, fashion stores, stationery shops, printing presses and restaurants.



Today, he is set to build on his learnings and make a difference to the circular economy. His piece of advice? “You need to have passion for what you do, and a love for learning. After every failure, there is another opportunity.” And he isn’t shy of admitting his mistakes as a young businessman. He has relied on feedback from customers to scale up his business and bag every opportunity in his way.

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NOT CARRIED AWAY: From Plastic To Paper in Sierra Leone

This unassuming entrepreneur from Benin has created an alternative to chemical fertilizers that most farmers use in Africa. He is the CEO of AGRECO Sarl and at 22, is looking to expand his company creating impact across West Africa.



THE RISE IN FOOD PRICES AS a result of the war in Ukraine is accelerating inflation in regions of Africa, a new report by the World Food Programme (WFP) outlines. It says that increasing food prices pose a threat to food security in a region dealing with conflict, climate change, and the Covid-19 pandemic.



The report further highlights that countries like South Africa, Zambia, Tanzania and Malawi are highly dependent on imported chemical fertilizer, and shortages will create issues for the next agricultural season’s planting and yields.



Despite this bleak outlook, innovators in Africa are trying to change the game. One of those is Djifa Constant Ayihounoun, from Abomey-Calavi, 20km from the city of Cotonou in Benin.



At only 22, Ayihounoun has already secured his place as an entrepreneur, as the founder of AGRECO Sarl, an organic fertilizer and pesticides company.



In 2018, while he was still a student and trainee at an environmental impact studies firm, he conducted a study merely out of curiosity – on the impact of human economic activities on the environment.



“My research allowed me to discover that agriculture alone is responsible for more than 25% of global warming, and therefore has a huge negative impact on the environment,” Ayihounoun says.



This is echoed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2013) which says agriculture, forestry, and the alteration of land-use account for as much as 25% of human-induced GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions.



He decided to study agricultural practices in depth. He learned that chemical inputs in fertilizers and pesticides have an adverse impact.



Then, he brainstormed solutions.



Ayihounoun decided to focus on providing information to the main players in the industry, who may be uninformed or have no alternatives. He created an NGO called Africa Bio House at the age of 18, in order to raise awareness to farmers in rural areas.



He holds a degree in Entrepreneurship and Management of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) with a specialization in environment and green economy from the University of Abomey- Calavi in Benin.



Through his study he learned that beyond the soil, chemical inputs have a profoundly negative impact on the environment as a whole, on biodiversity, as well as on humans.



“Speaking of the consequence on the soil, we have discovered that one of the main disadvantages of chemical fertilizers is their high content of sulphuric and hydrochloric acids,” Ayihounoun explains. “These lead to the destruction of microorganisms and trace elements that are present in the soil, thus, the first consequence of the use of chemical fertilizers is the depletion of the soil, which leads to a drop in yield, and the exposure of crops to attacks and diseases.”



“Similarly, substances not assimilated by plants are carried away by the rains and poured into our environment and also infiltrate the soil and pollute the groundwater. Chemical fertilizers due to their harmful chemicals have an impact both ecologically and on our body,” he adds.



Ayihounoun says that the first challenge he faced was raising awareness: bringing farmers together and informing them about the impacts of chemical fertilizer. He solved this by making products freely available, for experimentation and gaining farmers’ trust. Another challenge was the certification and approval process required for the marketing of agricultural inputs in Benin.



“The first gratifying aspects are the satisfaction of our very first customers, it gives a feeling of pride and accomplishment to see a producer who is satisfied and very happy to have used our products. The second gratifying aspect is the awards we have received, especially in terms of grants that allow us to accomplish a lot and move forward.”



In 2021, Ayihounoun became an Anzisha Prize Fellow in recognition of his entrepreneurial efforts.



Throughout school he says he was an ambitious and dynamic boy, who did research on the best young people in Africa and the world. He met a mentor who guided him towards an entrepreneurship training center at his university.



“The hardest part of being a young entrepreneur is that people are reluctant to trust you or take you seriously sometimes. Especially in French-speaking communities where the culture of youth entrepreneurship is not yet developed, basically it is the weight of culture and society. Beyond that, the heavy administrative formalities remain a burden for the youngest at their start,” he explains.



AGRECO Sarl’s fertilizers are made with living matter and the recovery of bio-waste from livestock farms and agro-food processing units.



“It enriches the soil with natural nutrients, increases yield and facilitates the conservation of crops. What differentiates it above all from the others is the fact that it has nematicidal and soil-improving properties because it is enriched with azadirachtin and helps fight against soil nematodes that attack the roots of plants. Beneficial for all soils, all crops, all seasons. Above all, it increases the amount of humus on the soil, ideal for soils low in organic matter.”



Soil nematodes are the worms responsible for plant diseases. Some soil nematodes are beneficial, but more study has gone into those that negatively affect plants.



Azadirachtin is used as a general-use pesticide, found in the seeds, bark, and leaves of the neem tree. It is regarded as having low toxicity to mammals and the environment and even bees, when used correctly. Humus is the substance remaining after plants and animals have decomposed through a process done by earthworms, bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms, found in the top few inches of soil.



Ayihounoun’s company is expanding into the northern region of Benin, a big step for them as it means increasing production capacity. Since its creation, AGRECO Sarl has impacted over 500 people.



“Currently, we are concentrating on developing a large clientele and mobilizing resources to launch industrialization.”



The high cost of the certifications, marketing approval for the production process and product is the main reason they are concentrating on organic fertilizers.



Later, they will move on to biopesticides.



They want to roll out their products beyond Benin, namely to Togo, Burkino Faso, Niger, Mali and Senegal.



He says these countries have a huge need for organic fertilizer. After conducting a study in Togo, they believe they could expand there first.



Africa could face challenges head on, with environmentally- conscious and innovative people like Ayihounoun.



The question remains, where will our investments go – to the historically profitable and known, or the new and sustainable?

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Organic Growth: Meet The 22-Year-Old Farmer-CEO From Benin

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When a 16-year-old Brett Lyndall Singh from Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, was unable to perform CPR on his sick grandmother, he used this traumatic experience as his calling to become a doctor.



“It kind of cemented the idea of me making sure that I have the skills to be able to save people’s lives,” Singh tells FORBES AFRICA.



The congenial doctor has a spring in his step when we meet him, as he speaks about his journey around the world in medicine and health.



“Unfortunately, I couldn’t study in South Africa due to a lack of space [in medical school],” Singh explains. “And I took a leap of faith and applied to universities around the world and got a great offer from China. And so, I moved to China when I was 17 going [on] 18 back in 2011. I then studied at Wenzhou Medical University for my bachelor of medicine and surgery. I was then able to do some internships and electives at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia.”



When Covid-19 became a vast and ugly reality across the globe, Singh spent days in Covid wards in China, and says was even invited by President Xi Jinping and the Communist party to go to Beijing to volunteer during the pandemic as one of two African doctors.



Singh is now also involved in South Africa’s national response to Covid-19 and is also currently the chairperson of the Global Value Chains working group of the Department of Trade and Industry Cooperation’s national healthcare master plan.



“My job is to unlock the strategy and investment and opportunities around ‘made in South Africa’ medical devices and healthcare products. So, as a doctor, getting involved in research and development and in the healthcare business started with my thesis in combatting sub-Saharan Africa’s malnutrition…



“I am helping to create a device that could make a doctor’s life better, and could also contribute to stimulating the economy of South Africa and Africa… And I’m trying to be the bridge to help technology transfer like what we did in our project for rapid antigen, as well as component manufacturing, so that we can stimulate the economy, do more research and development and go forward.”



When Covid-19 first broke in 2020, whilst with Plame Biotech, Singh’s company Alpha and Omega MedTech contributed to medical advancements in coronavirus diagnostics by way of the KOVIFAST Rapid Antigen Test, which compared to a PCR Test, only needing 15 minutes to identify a test, rather than six to 18 hours.



Alpha and Omega MedTech was soon approved by CDC Africa’s Africa Medical Supplies Platform as an official supplier of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Medical Devices. Singh’s company has one of the youngest founding teams to hold a South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) license. His work on diagnostics, and its pairing with digital healthcare in epidemiological tracking was presented at the First International Conference on Public Health in Africa hosted by CDC Africa.



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Words and Curation: Chanel Retief Art Director: Lucy Nkosi Additional Research &amp; Reporting: Lillian Roberts Photography: Ilan Godfrey for Forbes Videography and production: Timothy Pierson for Forbes &amp; Chad McClymonds for Forbes Video Editor: Chanel Retief Styling: Katlego Magano of Oak Ave; Assistant: Tumelo Nkwe Hair &amp; Makeup: SnehhOnline Beauty; Thapelo Letsebe Location: Image Lounge, Botswana and 2022 Forbes Under 30 Summit



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Tag: Under30

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

Call For Nominations To FORBES AFRICA’s 30 Under 30 Class Of 2023

NOT CARRIED AWAY: From Plastic To Paper in Sierra Leone

Organic Growth: Meet The 22-Year-Old Farmer-CEO From Benin

#FORBESAFRICA30UNDER30: Meet Cover Star DR BRETT LYNDALL SINGH: ‘Helping Create A Device That Could Make A Doctor’s Life Better’