In Focus / Mozambique
Like countries across the African continent, Mozambique is emerging from the impact of many challenges over the past two years, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic downturn. But those challenges have spurred on women entrepreneurs in the country who want to create businesses that can help them to better weather the social and economic storms going forward. What each of these women entrepreneurs share in common is a passion for the businesses they are creating, ambition for the brands they are launching, and a desire to create opportunities and jobs for local people. These true Lionesses of Africa are not just showcasing their own unique products and services to the world, getting consumers interested in buying what they have to offer, but they are also putting Mozambique on the map and stimulating interest from across the continent.
This month, we invite you to meet some of Mozambique’s women entrepreneurs who are building businesses and brands that represent the wide range of products and services on offer in the country. Their business offerings range from commodity value added products such as luxury tea, through to cutting edge tech companies, cosmetics brands, media services, transportation companies, fashion manufacturing businesses, food producers, and so much more. Read about them and get know these amazing women entrepreneurs through their startup stories, and then go and experience Mozambique’s entrepreneurial scene for yourselves.
Startup Story
Jessica da Fonseca Sargento is the inspiration behind The Zen Living Project community and now Zen Coaching, founded in 2020 in Mozambique. She graduated in Law and has worked for large corporations over the last twenty years, as a lawyer, following the so-called “traditional” trajectory that society applauds: a steady job, a steady paycheck, and the allure of climbing the corporate ladder. Yet as Jessica climbed the ladder, she felt a growing disconnect between her daily tasks and her inner aspirations. – financial gains, positions, and hierarchical advancements no longer resonated with her and she began searching for knowledge and holistic training in the areas of yoga instruction, meditation, and life coaching.
Startup Story
Éssita Viagem is the founder and General Director of Ellen ESV SCC Lda (Mozambique), is an experienced entrepreneur and is part of the Top 25 multilevel marketing leaders in the South African company Inuka fragrances (South Africa). The company Ellen ESV is dedicated to accounting, taxation, financial consultancy, and financial education training services in the Mozambican market. It was created in 2017, having been restructured and becoming Ellen ESV SCC, Lda in 2021 and currently employs 11 people, of which 6 are women. She has more than 13 years of experience in the financial area and 9 years as an intern assistant at Eduardo Mondlane University.
Éssita Viagem é a fundadora e Directora Geral da Ellen ESV SCC Lda (Moçambique), é uma empreendedora experiente e faz parte das Top 25 líderes de marketing multinível na empresa sul-africana Inuka fragrances (África do Sul).
A empresa Ellen ESV dedica-se aos serviços de contabilidade, fiscalidade, consultoria financeira e treinamento em educação financeira no mercado moçambicano. Foi criada em 2017, tendo se reestruturado e passado a Ellen ESV SCC, Lda em 2021 e emprega actualmente 11 pessoas, das quais 6 mulheres.
Tem experiência de mais de 13 anos na área financeira e de 9 anos como assistente estagiária na universidade Eduardo Mondlane.
Startup Story
Mirene Guitiche is the founder and CEO of Miregui Art, a company that has existed since 2020 and is dedicated to creative sewing and crafts in Mozambique. She is an entrepreneur equipped with skills and is very talented, in addition to being a Management student (UEM) in the country.
A Mirene Guitiche tem 23 anos é estudante de Gestão (UEM), é fundadora e CEO da Miregui art, uma empresa existente desde 2020 que se dedica a costura criativa e artesanato. Empreendedora munida de competências e muito talentosa.
Startup Story
Amirah Adam is the founder of the company Mira La Mira, a textile print design brand launched in 2018 in Mozambique. She is the winner of several financing awards and the Mozal & Kulungwana award. Since the age of 16, she has worked in the digital arts field, and has extensive experience in communication design, photography, and advertising. She has also worked in alternative areas such as business management. She completed her degree in Mozambique and her master's degree in Portugal, where the Mira La Mira brand was born. The business has created jobs for 4 people.
Startup Story
Dércia Marta Massilele is the co-founder and manager of COSEL-Colecta Selectiva, a waste management startup launched in 2019 and based in Maputo, creating jobs for five people. It’s main activity focuses on providing collection and treatment services for recyclable and common waste. Using motorless tricycles and promoting environmental awareness, Dércia and her team offer an innovative and affordable solution for micro-enterprises and private establishments.
Startup Story
Nuria Arbelo is the founder of Brincadeira, a vibrant earrings brand with an exclusive design located in Maputo, Mozambique. Born in the Canary Islands, Nuria arrived in Mozambique for work in 2018. In 2021, she founded Brincadeira without knowing that, two years later, the brand would lead her to leave her profession as a project manager to become an entrepreneur dedicated to the design of unique earrings.
Startup Story
Moleboheng (Lebo) Nhamahango is the founder and CEO of Nerah Decór in Mozambique, an online surface pattern design company. Lebo designs the patterns in Mozambique and then uploads them to the Red Bubble portal which allows her to coordinate her design prints on different surfaces according to a client's order. Through the Red Bubble portal, it allows Lebo to print and ship her product designs from USA to any country in the world. Lebo makes it easy for clients to access her designs, and by simply putting the Nerah Decór website in a client's URL, that client links to the online store where they can order according to their desire and collect their order on their doorstep!
Startup Story
Natercia Jone is a Mozambican entrepreneur and the founder of Dione’s Liquor, with more than 20 years of experience having operated in the cleaning and gardening, confectionery sectors. She is currently dedicated to building her business and brand, Dione's Liquor, which is focused on the production of liqueurs based on fruits, herbs and currently operating in the national market.
Startup Story
Elicha Fernandes Valdez is originally from Cape Verde and has lived in Maputo, Mozambique for 3 years with her family. Graduated in Medicine, she found in Macramé a way to redefine herself, express her creativity and occupy her time, adding quality and beauty to her days. About 2 years ago she created the brand MacramêbyElicha and today shares her art with the world through his Instagram and Facebook pages.
Startup Story
Yeelen Khan is a Mozambican entrepreneur and the founder of MJAY Criações which launched in January 2022. MJAY is a company that creates and sells educational resources for children, with the aim of making learning moments joyful and light. MJAY has 2 workers and has partnerships for distribution in Maputo, Nacala and Beira. MJAY has an online store that can be accessed at www.mjaycriacoes.co.mz.
Startup Story
Iara Muchanga is the founder of FERMU, a sustainable Mozambican jewellery and accessory brand founded in 2022 that is faithful to its identity and its passion for reducing the environmental damage caused by the fashion industry. Iara’s work is focused on sustainability, creating accessories from recycled solid waste such as fish carcasses, shells, cardboard plastic bottles, etc.
Startup Story
Sothenne is a consultancy company founded by Gisela Massaua in Mozambique and operating in the areas of Financial Education, Personal Development and business and sales intermediation. The business aims to contribute to better financial positioning of people and companies in the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries. The business has been in the market for 2 years and has developed products and services that can accommodate customers in different segments. Gisela launched two specific products for informal sellers and low-income people, contributing to better financial positioning of people and companies in Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde and Portugal. Sothenne aims to work with audiences from across the CPLP (Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries) by 2025.
Startup Story
Chinenye Macuacua is the visionary founder of Powa Clothing in Mozambique, a company dedicated to the art of upcycling, breathing new life into discarded clothing while also crafting fresh garments from dead stock fabrics. She embarked on her entrepreneurial journey in 2018, immediately after completing high school. Chinenye has been the driving force behind her one-woman business for five years, demonstrating both her passion for sustainability and her creative prowess. Her dreams extend beyond her solo venture, aspiring to build a community of empowered, eco-conscious fashion enthusiasts who share her commitment to breathe new life into the old. Specializing in the transformation of men's suits, Chinenye is drawn to the empowering aura that suits exude. This attraction fuels her dedication to upcycling this iconic clothing item, infusing it with renewed purpose and style. As Powa Clothing thrives, Chinenye envisions expansion, aiming to inspire and mentor young women, passing on her passion for upcycling.
Startup Story
Stélia Dgedge is the founder of Khuwana Water Filters Lda, a Mozambican company dedicated to the production and sale of ceramic-based water purifying filters. She has a degree in Financial and Insurance Management from ISCTEM. Since very early on, she has always been interested in topics related to preservation, sustainability, and the environment. About five years ago Stélia was invited to be part of the Finance Department of a startup that operates in the Renewable Energy sector. It was a unique opportunity for her to demonstrate once again the knowledge obtained at the associated University and her professional experience, as she came from a company with over twenty years in the market and was well positioned in it. She discovered her purpose - a mixture of three words, “Entrepreneurship, Impact, and Sustainability”.
Startup Story
Shádia Gafur Chachine is the founder of Mbira Advisory, a consulting company specializing in people management in Mozambique. She has 15 years of professional experience, mostly in NGOs, of which 4 are in project management in the area of HIV/AIDS prevention and 11 years in the area of HR, people management. With this experience Shádia acquired an understanding of international standards, dealt with a diversity of people, cultures and different realities, always in close collaboration with those responsible for the departments/areas in the organization, to ensure that all tasks were carried out in compliance with organizational growth and challenges. It was in this context that during the COVID pandemic, when the effects of the pandemic were already being felt in the work area, she decided to create Mbira, with the aim of contributing to the well-being of people in the work environment.
Startup Story
Cátia Siueia is the founder of Smart Energy Initiatives in Mozambique. She is an entrepreneur extremely passionate about technology. Her business distinction lies in offering totally environmentally friendly and economically sustainable solar cookers to low-income women. At the end of 2021, Smart Energy Initiatives was created for the purpose of reaching women who do not have access to energy. The company currently has four employees who promote this impact driven initiative.
Startup Story
Yolanda Matine is the founder of MomlifeMarmitas in Mozambique, a business idea inspired by her two daughters. Yolanda has taken various entrepreneurial routes in the past 10 years, but has now arrived at her destination, doing what she loves the most, which is cooking. She is using this love to help caretakers (moms, dads, grannies, aunties, uncles, helpers) to make healthy lunchboxes (with less processed food) for their children, while at the same time creating incredible food memories. MomlifeMarmitas offers courses with weekly menus, recipes, weekly shopping lists, lunchbox set ups, bento boxes, accessories, and an eBook with more than 25 recipes, tips on food storage, and lunchbox plans.
Startup Story
Silvia Ferreira is the founder of Cosini Lda, a construction, real estate and industrial solutions company started in Mozambique in 2020 and with a workforce of 12. She is the winner of the Access bank 2022 award for the biggest Female Entrepreneurship project in Mozambique. She has an MBA in supply chain from Vlerick Business School in Belgium.
Startup Story
Leonilde Melembe Bene, is the founder of Paphalati, a handicrafts and handmade jewellery small business in Mozambique. She has a passion for accessory designs, recycling materials and home décor articles. Paphalati also restores old pieces of jewellery, giving them a second life. She founded her business 15 years ago, first it was only her and now she employs 3 people, one of them a local community seamstress. Professionally she also works as a Communication and Public Relations Manager. From a very early age she became interested in the world of arts and culture. She made her directorial debut with this short film and was the winner of the 2nd Edition of the Maputo Shortcutz competition (2022).
Startup Story
Vanize da Natividade Teixeira is the founder of Muyana and Arts in Mozambique. The company uses recycled materials, transforming them into dolls, bags and other products for the home, through sewing skills and empowering women who want to embrace this artform. Vanize has two interns who work with her, and who are currently being trained in specific skills. She is still running the company herself because it's small, but her dream is to be big and international one day. Vanize has a degree in accounting from high school, and was the commercial director of the company Mocinter lda that was in the field of service provision, and also of the business, Marumadi Planeta Mozambique, a guesthouse.
Startup Story
Tamara Bhatt is co-founder of Atelier, a Mozambican architecture firm founded in 2012 and which today employs 5 people. She has a degree in Architecture from the Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal, she is pursuing a Masters in Urban Planning at Eduardo Mondlane University, focusing on ecological structure and urban green infrastructure. Her main areas of specialization include Architecture and Urbanism, with more than 13 years of experience working in the production and coordination of projects as a Senior Architect, Urbanist and Project Manager, with experience in physical planning, urban design and building design in Mozambique, Portugal, and Angola. Tamara has extensive experience in coordinating multidisciplinary teams, making projects compatible, as well as managing projects and clients.
Startup Story
Márcia Dima Jone is the founder and owner of N’toko Organic Lda, a startup that collects and recovers waste. Currently, its focus is on composting for the production of organic fertilizer in order to promote the adoption of sustainable cultivation practices by gardeners and farmers and the reduction of the use of pesticides. N'toko has been committed to environmental education as one of the bets for promoting the Circular Economy, through the correct disposal of solid waste, its use and sustainability.
Startup Story
Maura Cumba is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of Nilombi Microcredito and Imperium Finance Consulting in Mozambique. Today, at the age of 30, she is also a mother of two children as well a business builder which currently employs 15 people. At the age of 17 she began her professional journey in the areas of protocol and sales. At the age of 21 she embraced the profession as HR Consultant, accumulating 5 years of experience in this area with a focus in recruitment and selection. At the age of 27, she decided to embark on the world of entrepreneurship, and today she is a serial entrepreneur.
Startup Story
Karina Jamal, fundadora da Koko Boxes Lda, Mozambique, empresa dedicada ao ramo de embalagens biodegradáveis.
Karina Jamal is a writer and founder of Koko Boxes Lda, Mozambique, a company dedicated to the field of biodegradable packaging and production of paper bags. Koko Boxes has been present in the Mozambican market for 4 years, supplying packaging to hotels, shops, catering companies and restaurants. The company started in 2023 operating as a manufacturer of paper bags as a disposable solution in the reduction of the use of plastic.
Startup Story
Fátima Lorgat is an entrepreneur and the founder of Ohana in Mozambique. She is also a wife, and a mom of 4 children. She always had a passion for sewing and fabrics, and in 2018 she started to make beach tote bags for family members. By the end of that year, she was approached to sell her beautiful tote bags commercially, and so came up with the idea of creating a Brand. In 2019 she founded Ohana as a business and in April of 2020, expanded her range to start producing protective masks to help prevent Covid19. Thanks to the love and effort that she put into her work, the masks were a success and the brand name started to be well-known for its quality. In early 2022, Ohana reinvented itself and today produces a range of useful and versatile products which use 100% cotton fabric and only good quality Capulana fabric. The main product range includes the Ohana Eco-bags, tote bags, personal and home organizers, and accessories for cooking and kitchen. All Ohana products are made with care to make our clients life a little bit better.
Startup Story
Leocádia Yurca Chau is the founder of Ecoplus Mozambique, Lda, a business which operates in the environmental, agribusiness and provider of training and consultancy services with the aim of providing innovative solutions to the market in which it operates, through the use of work tools that produce superior gains to the investment made by the customer or partner. Since its creation in 2020, Ecoplus Mozambique has tried to become a leading SME of excellence in the services it provides, and with extensive experience in the design and implementation of Environmental and Business Sustainability projects. The business has created 5 jobs.
Startup Story
Sany Weng San is a successful entrepreneur and co-founder of MMO Facilities in Mozambique, and her exceptional leadership skills and dedication have earned her the Women Leadership Award. She founded MMO Facilities in 2018 to provide high-quality services to her clients and make their lives easier by providing top-notch integrated office management services. Under her leadership, MMO Facilities has become a leading provider of shared office spaces in Mozambique, serving a portfolio of multinational companies. Sany is committed to empowering women and has created job opportunities by hiring a team comprising 80% of women. With over 15 years of experience in the business industry, Sany's expertise in marketing, sales, human resources, procurement, budgeting, and project management has been instrumental in the success of MMO Facilities.
Startup Story
Neidy Carvalho is the founder and general manager of Imbe-Consultoria, Serviços e Soluções, Lda, also known as Imbe CSS. Her business, which was founded in 2019, is located in Mozambique. In the beginning, it was focused only on environmental consultancy, but then expanded to water treatment, HSQ and Energy sector (renewable and non-renewable energy). Imbe CSS helps other companies to become more green and environmentally aware in their day-to-day practices. It also provides environment permits, audits, monitoring and evaluations, environmental studies, assistance, and more as they need. The business has grown as it became more serious in its focus. Neidy considers herself persistent and studious, traits developed over the past few years. She now has almost 7 years of experience in the environmental area, and is surrounded with a young and vibrant team of 3 people. In the future, Neidy aspires to grow the business further, and help companies and others to be more sustainable as the planet requires of us.
Startup Story
Ornília Cândida Roseiro Artur Faife is the founder of EnviroWorks Solucoes Ambientais, Lda, a business located in Maputo City Centre which has 11 employees. It’s main customers are private and state entities. She is currently the manager of two companies: EnviroWorks Lda. and Connected Business Center, and is also opening a laundry in the Maputo province.
Luisa Hussene is the founder of Doce sal Serviços, a business dedicated to floristry, catering, and gift services in Mozambique. The company specializes in commemorative events offering clients a wide range of decoration, catering, and florist services. Luisa is based in Maputo, and also works as a marketing and advertising manager in a software company.