Meriem Benabad and Nidal Tafah have advanced to the semi-final of the 2026 Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) competition, placing two Moroccan entrepreneurs among the 20 finalists selected from across Africa.
Benabad is the founder of retail technology company z.systems, while Tafah founded agritech startup MIRRIAH. The two will represent Morocco at the semi-final in Nairobi on August 21 and 22.
The semi-finalists were chosen from the competition’s Top 100 cohort after a process that attracted more than 24,000 applications from all 54 African countries. They represent 12 countries and operate across sectors including agriculture, financial services, technology, healthcare, education, energy and retail.
The Nairobi event will select 10 entrepreneurs for the Grand Finale, where they will compete for a share of ABH’s $1.5 million prize pool.
Launched by the Jack Ma Foundation, Africa’s Business Heroes is an annual program that supports African entrepreneurs through funding, training and access to business leaders and investors. The 2026 cohort was assessed on business models, impact and growth potential.
Source: Morocco World News
