Alibaba Global Initiatives (AGI), a professional training arm of Alibaba Group, has enrolled the second class of more than 360 African entrepreneurs for its Alibaba Netpreneur Training program at a virtual opening ceremony.
The program is being supported by the Africa’s Business Heroes prize competition, a philanthropic initiative that aims to support and inspire the next generation of African entrepreneurs.
Scheduled to run from today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022 to November 10, the training seeks to equip entrepreneurs and business leaders across different sectors with tangible and actionable steps they can take to advance in the digital economy.
Its launch came after the success of the inaugural class, which graduated 70 African participants last October.
Following a rigorous selection process, the final candidates from across the African continent will embark on a series of online classes where they will delve into approaches to harnessing technology to grow their businesses within the local economy. All participants are founders of their respective start-ups from industries such as agriculture, education, information & communication technology (ICT), and trading.
“We are delighted to be able to continue advancing our vision of sharing the positive impact of the digital economy with entrepreneurs and enrolling our second cohort of African participants. With companies taking to online channels to keep their business afloat during the pandemic, digitalization is no longer a foreign concept to consumers and entrepreneurs.
“We hope this edition of our Alibaba Netpreneur Training will help entrepreneurs in Africa develop long-term, savvy digital strategies that will open up more opportunities for them.”
Dan Liu, Senior Advisor at Alibaba Global Initiatives
The Alibaba Netpreneur Training program is conducted online in English by certified Alibaba trainers and business leaders who have had experience leading their own digital businesses to success.
Key focus areas of the program
Participants can deepen their knowledge and understanding of: The digital economy in China and the latest trends and practices shaping its development as well as the journey of select traditional businesses that have successfully gone through digital transformation.
Other areas include: The evolution of Alibaba’s business, including the role of digital technology in supporting the growth of companies in its ecosystem; and Frameworks and approaches for building a successful and innovative business in today’s digital world.
Participants who complete the program will receive an e-certificate and will be eligible to join the AGI entrepreneur community. The community comprises a diverse mix of passionate and successful like-minded entrepreneurs, and provides unmatched opportunities to network, collaborate and learn.
Outstanding participants will also have the opportunity to participate in a one-week offline immersion program at Alibaba’s headquarters in Hangzhou, China, subject to fulfilling the online course criteria.
The Alibaba Netpreneur Training Program was first introduced in 2019 and has successfully trained close to 1,500 entrepreneurs in Africa, Europe, Latin America as well as South and Southeast Asia since its inception.
Alibaba Global Initiatives (AGI) inspires and supports entrepreneurs, youth and women globally by sharing the positive impact of the digital economy in promoting inclusive development. Its programs encourage entrepreneurs to share and use digital economy tools to create a positive social impact and to collaborate with each other as well as the public sector to make a larger impact.
To date, there are close to 1,900 digital entrepreneurs and business leaders from more than 60 countries and regions trained directly by AGI, who have subsequently shared their learnings with other members of their own communities.
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