Young African Entrepreneur of the Year

The World Entrepreneurship Forum has named Ugandan-born businessman Ashish J. Thakkar the world’s best young entrepreneur. Thakkar, 32, was given the award last Thursday at a gala dinner during the World Entrepreneurship Forum’s annual convention in Singapore. Ashish J. Thakkar is the founder and CEO of Mara Group, a pan-African conglomerate that operates in 26 countries and employs over 7,000 people. He grew up in the UK and Uganda, survived the terror of the Rwandan genocide, and started his first company at the age of 15. “It’s very humbling for me and this gives me all that more energy. The thing I’m most excited about is that we as Africa won,” he said.