Alibaba Kicks Off One-Month Netpreneur Training Program for Africa

Alibaba Global Initiatives (AGI), a professional training arm under Chinese tech giant Alibaba, has enrolled a second class of more than 360 African entrepreneurs for its Alibaba Netpreneur Training program, a philanthropic initiative that aims to support and inspire the next generation of business leaders in Africa.

All participants are founders of startups across industries such as agriculture, education, information and communication technology (ICT), and trading. Scheduled to run from October 10 through November 10, the training seeks to equip entrepreneurs and business leaders with tangible and actionable steps they can take to advance in the digital economy. The new wave comes after the success of the inaugural class, which graduated 70 African participants last October.

“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,” said 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. Participants can deepen their knowledge of the digital economy in China and the latest trends and practices shaping its development. They can also strengthen the understanding of the journey of select traditional businesses that have successfully gone through digital transformation, the evolution of Alibaba‘s business, as well as frameworks and approaches for building an 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 successful like-minded entrepreneurs, providing 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, Zhejiang Province, subject to fulfilling online course criteria.

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 bring about positive social impacts. 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.

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A training program for Asian entrepreneurs in July this year provided online entrepreneurship courses and practice for 631 participants, most of whom are founders of small and medium-sized companies from different fields, such as e-commerce, e-payment, logistics, online games, health and agriculture.