Quote of the Day from Angela Dick

April 12, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Angela Dick, co-founder and CEO of Transman (South Africa) — **Angela Dick**, co-founder and CEO of Transman (South Africa)

“As women, we need to take charge, we need to get rid of emotions in other places and act rationally”

- Angela Dick is the co-founder and CEO of Transman the largest privately owned, temporary-employment service provider in South Africa. This one-time schoolteacher, who was the SA Business Women’s Association’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2006, has grown her company’s revenue from a mere R85 000 back in 1983 to well over half a billion rand today. Angela was recently elected the first woman president and chairperson of Board of Directors of The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa).

Quote of the Day by Johanna Mukoki

April 11, 2017 Melanie Hawken

"I am an entrepreneur. I was born a free spirit and I cannot think of any other way to work or live."

- Johanna Mukoki is co-founder and group CEO of Travel With Flair Travel, a leading black owned travel management company with over 18 years in the industry, 17 branches across South Africa and a team of over 750 skilled professionals. Johanna has accumulated numerous accolades including being named Emerging South African Entrepreneur of the Year at the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Awards in 2012.

Quote of the Day by Jennifer Riria

April 10, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Jennifer Riria, group chief executive of Kenya Women Holding — **Jennifer Riria**, group chief executive of Kenya Women Holding

“There are many poor people in Africa and the majority of them are women. We chose to work with women because they are the mainstay of the economy. We want women to transform the way the world works for them and their families. You cannot transform it for them but you can build their capacity to transform their own lives. That is what is sustainable.”

- 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 Mary Spio

April 7, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Mary Spio, founder and CEO of Next Galaxy Media — **Mary Spio**, founder and CEO of Next Galaxy Media

"Game Changers are the ones who are bold enough and brash enough to believe we can achieve our dreams and change the world in the process."

- Mary Spio is a lifelong game changer. Born in Syracuse, New York, to Ghanaian parents, she had humble beginnings growing up in Ghana, West Africa. Mary didn’t see her first computer until she was seventeen, yet she became a deep space engineer, designing and launching communication satellites. At Boeing, she helped pioneer digital technology that redefined how major motion pictures are distributed to movie theaters throughout the world. From there, she focused on her passion for matchmaking and founded One2One.com, a specialty media company dedicated to resources for singles. Mary also founded Gen2Media (now Vidaroo) an emerging leader in the digital media industry. Leveraging the power of online video, search and social media, Mary’s companies provide engaging user experiences for consumers and delivers quantifiable results for some of the most iconic brands, high profile entertainers and events in the world, including Microsoft Xbox, WalMart, Toyota, Coca Cola, Justin Timberlake, Will Smith, Britney Spears and The Billboard Awards Show. She is currently founder and CEO of CEEK VR Inc.

Quote of the Day by Tabitha Karanja

April 6, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Tabitha Karanja, founder and CEO of  Keroche Breweries — **Tabitha Karanja**, founder and CEO of Keroche Breweries

"We have that challenge now we as Africans, to be part of investing in our own continent. Africa is rising."

Tabitha Karanja is founder and CEO of Keroche Breweries. She is one of Kenya's leading entrepreneurs, a remarkable trailblazer and an example of a woman made good against all the odds. Tabitha chose to venture where none before her had dared. She took on an 87-year-old business monopoly and entered an industry with a deeply entrenched male gender stereotype. Tabitha broke the mould to become Kenya’s first home-grown beer and alcoholic drink manufacturer.

Quote of the Day by Beth Malatji

April 4, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Beth Malatji, founder of Wealth Ladder Magazine (South Africa) — **Beth Malatji**, founder of Wealth Ladder Magazine (South Africa)

"Constant learning is the grease we need to stay competitive."

- Beth Malatji is the founder of Wealth Ladder Magazine, a South African digital publication providing information on the opportunities and challenges of entrepreneurship and self-employment. Beth wanted to create a publication that speaks directly to passionate entrepreneurs with inspiring content that practically addresses the problems, frustrations, wants, needs and desires of other budding entrepreneurs.

Quote of the Day by Tinky Ogle

March 29, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Tinky Ogle, founder of SMME News (South Africa) — **Tinky Ogle**, founder of SMME News (South Africa)

"Be prepared to work hard, and then some."

- Tinky Ogle is the founder of SMME News in South Africa, a free bilingual educational newspaper providing information and advice to Small, Medium and Micro-Enterprises (SMME) sector. A passionate social change-maker, Tinky graduated from the University of Cape Town with a degree in Social Science and today is making a difference by empowering other small businesses in local communities, giving them much needed access to information and a powerful platform to showcase their services.

Quote of the Day by Khanyi Dhlomo

March 24, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Khanyi Dhlomo, founder and Managing Director of Ndalo Media (South Africa) — **Khanyi Dhlomo,** founder and Managing Director of Ndalo Media (South Africa)

"There’s a lot of innovation happening in Africa. But it’s not necessarily sexy in sort of the globally expected way. Much of the innovation is around solving problems and meeting real human needs."

- Khanyi Dhlomo is the Managing Director of Ndalo Media, which she founded in 2007. She is also the founder of DestinyConnect and the founding editor of Destiny Magazine. Before starting her own media company, Khanyi was editor of True Love magazine for eight years. In 2013, Khanyi ventured in retail and launched Luminance, a high-end fashion and lifestyle department store. Khanyi was named most influential woman in South African Media by The Media Magazine in 2003 and made the 2011 Forbes list of 20 Young Power Women in Africa.

Quote of the Day by Winnifred Selby

March 23, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Winnifred Selby, co-founder of Afrocentric Bamboo & Ghana Bamboo Bike Initiative — **Winnifred Selby**, co-founder of Afrocentric Bamboo & Ghana Bamboo Bike Initiative

“With the new wind of air blowing throughout the continent and organisations connecting female entrepreneurs across the continent with networks, sources of capital, operational know-how, female entrepreneurs have no excuse than to take advantage of the new windows of opportunities...."

– Winnifred Selby was just 17 when she co-founded Afrocentric Bamboo, a company that manufactures and markets bicycles made from bamboo. Today, she is heading what has become a growing brand that is struggling to keep up with demand. Designed in-house, Afrocentric Bamboo bikes are sturdy, affordable – US$100 for the local market – and made for the high terrain and rough roads of rural Ghana. The frames are built in one piece, making them stronger and more economically viable.

Quote of the Day by Jennifer Riria

March 21, 2017 Melanie Hawken

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

“... the woman is the core. She holds us up. In Africa, you just have to deal with the issues that affect the productivity of women. They bring food to the table. They bring education to the household. They bring medical care in the household... It is essential to support women, if we want to make a difference, if we want to transform the way the world works, for them and their families.”

- 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, 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 Wangechi Mwangi

March 17, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Wangechi Mwangi, co-founder & CEO of Valuraha — Wangechi Mwangi, co-founder & CEO of Valuraha

"Live life in a way that your contribution to humanity will be felt, during and beyond your years on earth!"

- Wangechi Mwangi is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Kenyan fintech startup Valuraha, a company that helps young people learn how to save and invest money. Valuraha runs investment clubs in high schools allowing students to learn about personal finance and investing while interacting with a virtual trading platform that simulates the investment ecosystem in Kenya. Wangechi, who is a 21-year-old student at Strathmore University in Nairobi, was in 2015 named as winner of the Global Social Impact Award by the the US-based Entrepreneurs' Organization's (EO) Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA). She won the prize after competing against a field of 2,000 entrepreneurs from 38 countries in a series of national and regional competitions.

Quote of the Day by Angela Ajala

March 7, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Angela Ajala, National President of Business and Professional Women (BPW) in Nigeria — **Angela Ajala**, National President of Business and Professional Women (BPW) in Nigeria

"Women should strive to pull up their fellow women when they are on the top."

- Angela Ajala is the National President of Business and Professional Women (BPW) in Nigeria and Vice President of the African Women Entrepreneurship Programme (AWEP). Angela is passionate about children's issues, is a seasoned educationist and the Executive Director, Ladela Schools in Nigeria.

Quote of the Day by Basetsana Kumalo

March 6, 2017 Melanie Hawken

"You have to be street-smart and have suss, which no one can teach you."

- Basetsana 'Bassie' Kumalo is a South African television personality, beauty pageant titleholder, businesswoman, and philanthropist. Her career began in 1990 when she was crowned Miss Soweto and Miss Black South Africa at the age of 16. Since then, Bassie has become a formidable force in the business world and is widely respected as both an entrepreneur and a philanthropist. In 2011 she was honoured as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

Quote of the Day by Honey Ogundeyi

February 24, 2017 Melanie Hawken

“The next growth opportunity in many sectors will come from Africa and that is a fantastic opportunity for us women, especially in non-traditional sectors such as entertainment, retail, agriculture and technology. These are huge opportunities of a lifetime and I foresee more women taking up the mantle and leading these new-generation enterprises.”

- Honey Ogundeyi is the founder of Fashpa.com, a Nigerian online fashion store retailing trendy clothes, footwear, and accessories. Oyindamola started Fashpa.com after she couldn’tfind any great fashion in the country and decided to leverage her e-commerce platform to serve others frustrated like her.

Quote of the Day by Zaza Motha

February 23, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Zaza Motha, founder of POUT, South Africa — **Zaza Motha**, founder of POUT, South Africa

"Social media is making us more connected both globally and locally. It is easier to find organisations or individuals who are spearheading the women-empowerment ‘revolution' if they are active on social media. It is also more affordable to launch a project online."

- Zaza Motha, a journalist and social entrepreneur, is the founder of POUT, a self-empowerment movement for young South African women. POUT stands for Powerful, Outstanding, Unique & Talented. It is an inspirational and aspirational media platform for young women helping them to realise their full potential by sharing inspiring stories, information and opportunities to reach their dreams.

Quote of the Day by Juliana Rotich

February 17, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Juliana Rotich, Venture Partner in Africa Technology Ventures (ATV) — **Juliana Rotich,** Venture Partner in Africa Technology Ventures (ATV)

“There is great opportunity in interconnecting the insides of Africa, continuing to connect Africans to Africans, South Africa to Kenya, South Africa to Egypt, South Africa to Addis”

- Juliana Rotich is is a technologist, strategic advisor, entrepreneur, and keynote speaker. She 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. Her personal mission is to make things, fix problems and help others. Juliana serves as an advisor to the councils of BASF, Risk Cooperative, Africa Technology Ventures (ATV) and the Lemelson Foundation. She is also a trustee of Bankinter Foundation for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Spain and former trustee of the iHub in Kenya and is on the Kenya Vision 2030 Delivery Board.

Quote of the Day by Tabitha Karanja

February 13, 2017 Melanie Hawken

“I believe women entrepreneurs can do so much better than men, because women feel their products and want to provide quality as they pay attention to details, causing customers to keep coming,”

- Tabitha Karanja is founder and CEO of Keroche Breweries. She is one of Kenya's leading entrepreneurs, a remarkable trailblazer and an example of a woman made good against all the odds. Tabitha chose to venture where none before her had dared. She took on an 87-year-old business monopoly and entered an industry with a deeply entrenched male gender stereotype. Tabitha broke the mould to become Kenya’s first home-grown beer and alcoholic drink manufacturer.

Quote of the Day by Divine Ndhlukula

February 10, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Divine Ndhlukula in conversation with Richard Branson — Divine Ndhlukula in conversation with Richard Branson

"With the shift towards political democratic changes in many countries now, this is also creating serious entrepreneurial societies in Africa. The positive thing in countries like Zimbabwe and others, entrepreneurial studies are now a must in the education systems so the new generation of entrepreneurs is developed."

- Divine Ndhlukula founded SECURICO Security Services from humble beginnings in Zimbabwe in 1998. Divine identified a need in the market for a quality oriented security company and she has driven SECURICO to become the market leader in Zimbabwe. She has tackled a previously male-dominated industry head on and her business success story is nothing short of remarkable - marking her as one of Africa's most tenacious and inspiring women entrepreneurs.

Quote of the Day by Anne Amuzu

February 8, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Anne Amuzu, co-founder of Nandimobile Ltd., Ghana — **Anne Amuzu**, co-founder of Nandimobile Ltd., Ghana

"Entrepreneurs in Africa could also take it upon themselves to serve as role models by taking time to talk to young people in school and in other programs so the students can understand what entrepreneurship is and begin to consider it as a career path."

- Anne Amuzu is co-founder and lead product developer of Nandimobile Ltd., a young and vibrant technology startup based in Ghana and founded in 2010. Nandimobile’s objective is to leverage the high mobile penetration rates in Africa to create customer service technology that enables businesses to easily connect with their customers on the mobile platform. Amuzu is a graduate of Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology, which was established to train and mentor young entrepreneurs in Africa.

Quote of the Day by Njeri Rionge

February 6, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Njeri Rionge, co-founder of Wananchi Online, Kenya — **Njeri Rionge**, co-founder of Wananchi Online, Kenya

"Success for me is defined by increased value – not simply financial rewards. I think it is important to focus on the growth of African businesses and leaving a legacy rather than just trading in the moment for short term financial gain."

- Njeri Rionge is one of Africa’s leading entrepreneurs and one of the very few women pioneers in the ICT sector on the African continent. She co-founded internet service provider Wananchi Online that has since been transformed into Wananchi Group Holdings – one of east Africa’s leading providers of pay-tv, broadband internet and VoIP services. Last year the company raised US$57.5 million in growth capital from a group of international investors.