In praise of disruptive women innovators in Africa

You have probably all heard of the phrase ‘disruptive innovators’. It refers to those industry changing entrepreneurs who come along with a small but truly innovative idea that has the potential to totally turn a business or industry sector on its head. Because they start out small, they can easily go unnoticed by the established big players who continue to dominate because of their sheer size and market dominance, but in true David and Goliath style, these disruptive innovators start to gain momentum, winning over customers and fans because of their truly unique approach and product offering. That's when the real disruption starts. The market starts to shift in the direction of these innovative newcomers, the big players have to start paying attention to them because they are impacting on their own share of the market, and before you know it, there is real disruption to the status quo. Here in Africa, there are women entrepreneurs who are bringing innovative new ideas to market, and like David, starting out small but with aspirations to shake things up in traditional marketplaces. Here’s hoping they are the next disruptive innovators that set the world alight with their ideas.