Quote of the Day by Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu

February 2, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, founder and Managing Director of soleRebels (Ethiopia) — **Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu**, founder and Managing Director of soleRebels (Ethiopia)

"I wanted to do something that would give me job opportunities myself and the people around me, ... I immediately thought 'I have to start a small business!'"

- Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu is founder and Managing Director of soleRebels, the world's fastest-growing African footwear brand and the only Fair Trade-certified footwear company in the world. Growing up in a poor suburb of Addis Ababa, Bethlehem decided that there was only one way to defeat poverty – use local craftsmanship to make products that can compete in the global marketplace. She decided on footwear and today 70,000 pairs of shoes leave her factory every year. soleRebels has been expanding rapidly and today exports to no fewer than 45 countries and is targeting 50 stand alone soleRebels retail stores across the United States by 2018 and 500 worldwide by 2022.

Quote of the Day by Juliana Rotich

February 1, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Juliana Rotich, co-founder and executive director of Ushahidi — **Juliana Rotich,** co-founder and executive director of Ushahidi

"I am guided each day by these three questions: ‘What are you fixing?’ ‘What are you making?’ and ‘Who are you helping?'"

- Juliana Rotich is a technologist, strategic advisor, entrepreneur, and keynote speaker. She is Executive Director of BRCK.org, a not for profit affiliate of BRCK Inc. for deploying reliable technology for the edges of society, and advocating for internet access and literacy. Juliana co-founded Ushahidi Inc., a non-profit tech company, which specializes in developing free and open source software for changing how information flows in the world. She is passionate about driving partnerships for tackling social problems through connectivity and appropriate technology.

Quote of the Day by Karen Wessels

January 31, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Karen Wessels, co-founder and COO of VA Connect — **Karen Wessels**, co-founder and COO of VA Connect

"Every entrepreneur I've met has been dynamic, energetic and just so passionate about what they do, you can't help but be affected by all this drive and ambition."

- Karen Wessels is the co-founder and COO of VA Connect, a South African virtual assistant platform that provides outsourced administrative support; and is also the co-founder of SnappSales, a company that generates quality sales leads for its clients. Prior to establishing both her companies, Karen spent over 10 years in different sales, marketing & admin support roles. This experience has equipped her with the invaluable skills required to run her two successful business ventures.

Quote of the Day by Ethel Cofie

January 26, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Ethel Cofie, founder of Edel Technology Consulting (Ghana) — **Ethel Cofie**, founder of Edel Technology Consulting (Ghana)

"We don’t celebrate failure enough."

- Ethel Cofie, is a Ghanaian-born entrepreneur and founder of Edel Technologies. This techpreneur is passionate about technology, female leadership and empowering women entrepreneurs. She runs the women in tech group in Ghana and is a founder of the Women in Tech Africa Alliance. In 2014, Ethel was selected to be a President Obama Washington Fellow.

Quote of the Day from Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola

January 24, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, founder of WeCyclers — **Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola**, founder of WeCyclers

"Do not be afraid of failure. Live and take risks. If you stay in your safe zone, you won’t learn enough."

- Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola is a Nigerian entrepreneur and innovator, and founder and CEO of WeCyclers. This Lagos-based company is focused on giving low-income communities in developing countries a chance to capture value from waste and clean up their neighborhoods through an incentive-based recycling program. Bilikiss holds an MBA from MIT and a Masters degree from Vanderbilt University. She is a 2013 Echoing Green Fellow and WeCyclers were a Sustainia100 Company Award winner in 2014.

Quote of the Day by Julia Pimsleur

January 20, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Julia Pimsleur, entrepreneur and author — **Julia Pimsleur**, entrepreneur and author

"We can do anything we want, the trick is, it's usually waiting for us just beyond our comfort zone."

- Julia Pimsleur is the Founder of Little Pim, the leading early language teaching program for young children and author of the best-selling book Million Dollar Women: The Essential Guide for Female Entrepreneurs Who Want to Go Big". Julia has blogged about entrepreneurship for Forbes.com since 2012; has been featured on Today, NBC Weekend Today, and Fox News; and Little Pim was featured in Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.

Quote of the Day Amy de Castro

January 19, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Amy de Castro, founder of Bamboo Revolution — **Amy de Castro**, founder of Bamboo Revolution

"These days, consumers seem to be a lot more conscious about the products that they are spending their money on. They are asking more questions about the source and materials of the products that they are purchasing .... leaning towards quality over quantity, as well as seeking simplified products, without the unnecessary branding and detail."

- Amy de Castro is founder of Bamboo Revolution a Cape Town-based company that crafts unique, bamboo and leather watches, and relies on a business model that is sustainable, and supportive of local industry. For these reasons, Amy was a finalist in the 2014 Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards, an awards programme that recognises innovative women business owners who’ve thought outside the box and have the one-of-a-kind start-up to prove it.

Quote of the Day by Kofo Akinkugbe

January 16, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Kofo Akinkugbe, founder & CEO of SecureID Nigeria Ltd (Nigeria) — Kofo Akinkugbe, founder & CEO of SecureID Nigeria Ltd (Nigeria)

"Start with the end in mind and work towards it."

- Kofo Akinkugbe is recognised globally for her entrepreneurial success story and strong business track record. She is founder & CEO of SecureID Nigeria Ltd a market leader in smart card technology and digital security in Africa. SecureID is a world-class manufacturing facility with the only smart card production plant in West Africa and one of only six on the continent. In January 2015 the company commissioned a new state-of-the-art EMV-certified smartcard manufacturing plant – the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa. The company serves 16 countries across Africa and is fully certified by VISA, Verve and MasterCard. In 2012, Kofo won the Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship Mature Business Award.

Quote of the Day by Jennifer Riria

January 11, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Dr. Jennifer Riria, Group Chief Executive of Kenya Women Holding — **Dr. Jennifer Riria**, Group Chief Executive of **Kenya Women Holding**

"Women disproportionately face financial access barriers that prevent them from participating in the economy and from improving their lives."

- Dr. Jennifer Riria is the Group CEO of Kenya Women Holding and one of Africa's leading women entrepreneurs who has always been on a mission to transform the lives of women and their families in her native Kenya. She is distinguished as a microfinance banker and practitioner, researcher and gender specialist. She has served in many leadership roles for which she has been recognized locally and internationally. In 2013 she was awarded the Ernst & Young (EY) Entrepreneur of the year, East Africa 2013, and subsequently, the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2014, at which point she was admitted to EY’s Global Hall of Fame.

Quote of the Day by Rapelang Rabana

January 10, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Rapelang Rabana, founder of Rekindle Learning (South Africa) — **Rapelang Rabana**, founder of Rekindle Learning (South Africa)

"Time pushes everything forward. No stunning success and no sorrowful failure lasts forever. Absolutely everything comes to pass."

- Rapelang Rabana is a South African technology entrepreneur and founder of Rekindle Learning, a company looking to improve education in Africa by turning people’s compulsion to check their phones into an opportunity to learn. Rapelang is a Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum, was chosen by Forbes as one of Africa’s Best Young Entrepreneurs, and listed on the ‘O Power List’ by The Oprah Magazine.

Quote of the Day by Cathy O’Clery

January 9, 2017 Melanie Hawken

"In a few years people won’t be talking about ‘African design’, they will be talking about Senegalese design, Kenyan design or Malian design. There are so many interesting things coming out of Africa and I hope soon people won’t be referring to the whole continent – 54 countries – as one design style."

- Cathy O’Clery is the co-founder and creative director of Platform Creative Agency, overseeing the creative output of the agency including developing creative and marketing, conceptualising campaign and visual production. With a wealth of experience as editor, design director and stylist, Cathy is renowned for her visual acumen, creative and content direction. In her role as curator of 100% Design South Africa, she brings expertise and skill to the bear ensuring the show is fresh, future-forward and of an exceptional standard every single year.

Quote of the Day from Joanne Mwangi

January 4, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Joanne Mwangi, founder and CEO, PMS Group — **Joanne Mwangi**, founder and CEO, PMS Group

"The future is in the young people. Everyone today who is 30 and under; those are the people who own Africa. It is their collective efforts that are going to change this world. These people succeeding, each one at a time, is what is going to change Africa. "

- Joanne Mwangi founded PMS Group in Kenya in 1996. Today her company has five subsidiaries and a presence across East Africa. Joanne has steered the PMS Group from a small agency to a leading full service marketing and communications group and in 2010 her company was voted number one in the Top 100 SME competition in Kenya. Joanne is also the chairperson of the Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Associations (FEWA), an organisation that seeks to create an enabling business environment for women.

Quote of the Day by Nkemdilim Begho

January 3, 2017 Melanie Hawken

"…. we need to reshape the way we teach technology to be engaging to a broader set of people. We need to dispel the idea that programming is too hard to learn. While there are clearly things that are necessary to understand, the perception is that only select individuals can succeed. We need a breadth of backgrounds entering the technology field to adequately address the breadth of solutions needed."

- Nkemdilim Begho is founder and Managing Director of Future Software Resources Limited, an IT solutions provider focused on online solutions, e-learning and IT security. As one of a few Nigerian women in the industry, her success is founded on a passion for driving innovative thinking, building a globally recognized technology brand and setting trends in the Nigerian Technology space.

Quote of the Day by Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu

December 30, 2016 Melanie Hawken

"As I entered college, it became clear to me that poverty alleviation is a myth and that prosperity creation is the sole route to the elimination of poverty. And to create prosperity you have to create something world class."

Quote of the Day by Victoria Kisyombe

December 29, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Victoria Kisyombe, founder of SELFINA, Tanzania — **Victoria Kisyombe**, founder of SELFINA, Tanzania

"This is the era for Africa to move forward, and if Africa is moving forward, the women can move forward with it."

- Victoria Kisyombe founded SELFINA in 2002 and pioneered micro-credit in Tanzania through micro-leasing with a focus on widows and young girls. Victoria helped women overcome many of the traditional stumbling blocks that made it difficult for them to own land and assets. SELFINA has gone on to economically empower more than 25,000 women with a total credit worth 25 billion Tanzanian Shillings (approximately $16 million US dollars). Over 200,000 lives have been impacted through the benefits accrued.

Quote of the Day by Ally Angula

December 28, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Ally Angula, co-founder of Leap Holdings (Namibia) — **Ally Angula**, co-founder of Leap Holdings (Namibia)

"I believe we have to seriously start creating job opportunities. We have to become active doers and entrepreneurs and not rely so much on social support from government, like social grants."

- Ally Angula is a qualified charted accountant and co-founder of Leap Holdings, a group of companies involved in the growing of fresh produce, garment manufacturing and retail in Namibia. She is also the founder of My Republik Brand, Namibia’s first locally designed, manufactured and retailed clothing brand with a flagship store situated in the Grove Mall in Windhoek's Kleine Kuppe suburb. She currently serves as non-executive director for Old Mutual Life Assurance (Namibia) and Rio Tinto's Rossing Uranium mine in Namibia. Ally was chosen as a Desmond Tutu Fellowship programme Associate in April 2013 and was one of two Namibian entrepreneurs selected to attend the 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Summit hosted by US President Barack Obama in Kenya.

Quote of the Day from Shona McDonald

December 27, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Shona McDonald, founder of Shonaquip (South Africa) — Shona McDonald, founder of Shonaquip (South Africa)

"Take risks, be brave, follow your dreams, just do it and make the world a better place. We all need to work together!"

- Shona McDonald is the founder of Shonaquip, a social enterprise that develops mobility devices to improve physical access and quality of life for people living with disabilities in under-resourced and rural regions in Africa. The company designs, manufactures and supplies posture support wheelchairs, mobility equipment and other positioning devices. Founded in 1992, Shonaquip is the first woman run wheelchair business of its kind in Africa and is considered a model for many social enterprises all over the world.

Quote of the Day from Jessica Bonin

December 23, 2016 Melanie Hawken

"I believe that anything that lasts takes time to create. You have to lay the foundations and wait for the cement to dry before you can build the first level, and on it goes."

- Jessica Bonin is the founder of Lady Bonin’s Tea, a Cape Town-based company that blends and distributes organic loose leaf teas sourced direct from farms that use sustainable farming practices and are community driven. The teas and herbs, by their source, are exceptionally high in quality, improving nutritive content and flavor density. Tea is Jessica’s business, her passion and her practice.

Quote of the Day by Abai Schulze

December 21, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Abai Schulze, founder of ZAAF, Ethiopia — **Abai Schulze**, founder of ZAAF, Ethiopia

"Real economic development is about producing top quality products using unique cultural, natural and human resources that can find a place at the highest levels in the global marketplace,"

- Abai Schulze is founder of the creative, new Afro-luxe brand ZAAF who create handcrafted luxury leather handbags and accessories produced by artisans in Ethiopia. Abai, born in a remote village in Ethiopia, has had a truly remarkable life journey. Her journey has taken her from an orphanage in Addis Ababa to the United States where she was raised, and back to Ethiopia. Today, she passionately uses her background in economics and fine arts to create unique and practical expressions of beauty, and to open avenues of opportunity for talented artisans in Ethiopia and the rest of Africa. Her designs draw upon precious cultural relics and allow them renewed expression through fresh, uplifting and modern designs.

Quote of the Day by Victoria Verbaan

December 20, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Victoria Verbaan, founder of Victoria Verbaan & the Smoking Daxi — **Victoria Verbaan**, founder of Victoria Verbaan & the Smoking Daxi

"I have had to learn that it is important to just get your products and designs out there, regardless if it is 100% perfect or not. It is perhaps one of the hardest lessons to learn for a creative entrepreneur I think."

- Victoria Verbaan, the founder of Victoria Verbaan & the Smoking Daxi, is an established designer, artist and illustrator. She works in a wide variety of artistic disciplines ranging from illustration and painting to the design of bespoke rugs, wallpaper, limited edition fine art prints, fabric and more recently, ceramics. Her commissioned artwork and fabric can be seen in local and international homes as well as restaurants and boutique hotels. Wallpaper Magazine recently named her as 1 of 20 reasons to visit South Africa.