Quote of the Day by Divine Ndhlukula

October 19, 2017 Melanie Hawken

"My advice to women all the time is: If you want a certain future, go out and create it. Conquer your fears as that is what enslaves most women. Opportunities are now galore. We just need to roll up our sleeves, lift our feet, and walk through the door as no one will carry us."

- 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 Adèle Dejak

October 18, 2017 Melanie Hawken

"Passion is the driving engine for anything you want to achieve in life."

- Adèle Dejak is founder of the Adèle Dejak brand which creates handmade fashion accessories for the modern, sophisticated and multidimensional woman. Adèle cut her teeth in the world of typographic design in England and Italy before moving to Nairobi, Kenya in 2005 and turning her attention to accessories design. She found herself intrigued by the natural beauty of horn and begun to experiment with techniques of creating unique shapes and fashioned pieces. Her flair was noticed and spurred on by an admirer of one of her creations who encouraged Adèle to set up shop creating unique shapes to wear. Dejak’s Nigerian roots begun to merge perfectly with European influences and she set out on her never-ending quest for that essential artefact that allows you to express your own style.

Quote of the Day by Lydie Hakizimana

October 17, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Lydie Hakizimana, co-founder of Drakkar Limited (Rwanda) — Lydie Hakizimana, co-founder of Drakkar Limited (Rwanda)

"When you have the interests of people at heart, you can do anything."

- Lydie Hakizimana is co-founder and Managing Director of Drakkar Limited, a specialist reseller and distributor of educational textbooks. It all started back in 2006 when this avid bookworm decided to follow her passion and opened a small bookshop. Before long, her entrepreneurial instincts had her developing relationships with numerous publishing companies. Today, Lydie manages 45 employees and thirty part-time distributors covering the five provinces of Rwanda, with exclusive distributor deals with Longman, Heinemann, Penguin and Pearson.

Quote of the Day by Olajumoke Olufunmilola Adenowo

October 13, 2017 Melanie Hawken

“We are done teaching women how to fish,... We want to give them the whole lake.”

- Olajumoke Olufunmilola Adenowo is an award-winning Nigerian architect, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, as well as a speaker, radio host, and author. She is the founder and Principal Partner of AD Consulting, a leading architecture and interior design company based in Lagos. Olajumoke Adenowo has received numerous Architecture awards and has been called the “Face of Architecture” in Nigeria. She was featured on CNN African Voices, and profiled on CNN as Africa’s 'Starchitect', and has been featured in the world’s leading Architectural Publications such as America’s Architectural Record Magazine.

Quote of the Day by Winnifred Selby

October 12, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Winnifred Selby, co-founder of Ghana Bamboo Bikes — **Winnifred Selby**, co-founder of Ghana Bamboo Bikes

"Ultimately being an entrepreneur allows me to be in charge of my own destiny. And there’s nothing better."

– Winnifred Selby was just 15 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 Dr. Ola Orekunrin

October 11, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Dr. Ola Orekunrin, founder of Flying Doctors Nigeria — **Dr. Ola Orekunrin**, founder of Flying Doctors Nigeria

"Your background does not determine your destiny."

- Dr. Ola Orekunrin is a physician, helicopter pilot and entrepreneur founder of Flying Doctors Nigeria, West Africa’s first Air Ambulance Service. She was motivated to start the company after her younger sister tragically died whilst traveling in Nigeria as a consequence of there being no medical air service available to transport her to hospital. Flying Doctors Nigeria today provides just such urgent helicopter, airplane ambulance and evacuation services in Nigeria and other countries across West Africa. Ola graduated from the University Of York in Britain and is a member of the American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine and holds their board certification.

Quote of the Day by Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu

October 10, 2017 Melanie Hawken

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

"... we have embraced the idea that tradition and innovation go hand in hand, so that yesterday's hand loomer of fabrics is tomorrow’s textile innovator; yesterdays cobbler is tomorrow’s added value shoe artisan,"

- 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 Ethel Cofie

October 9, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Ethel Cofie, techpreneur & founder of Edel Technologies, Ghana — Ethel Cofie, techpreneur & founder of Edel Technologies, Ghana

"I believe entrepreneurship is Africa's way out of poverty. Entrepreneurship is on the increase, because Africa, at last has been emerging and the economies are booming -- several countries are starting to really increase entrepreneurial activity and move to opportunity entrepreneurship, rather than necessity entrepreneurship."

- Ethel Cofie is a technology entrepreneur and the CEO of EDEL Technology Consulting in Ghana. As a high caliber IT Professional, Ethel has gained a wealth of technical and commercial experience across a wide range of demanding roles having worked in the United Kingdom, Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone on projects for organizations like Bill and Melinda Gates Mobile Technology for Health project, the Ford Foundation’s Election Monitoring project for Nigeria and as Head of Commercial Solutions for Vodafone. Ethel is founder of Women in Tech Africa, was shortlisted for the UN GEM Tech Award for work supporting women in ICT, and is a Mandela Fellow for President Obama’s Young African Leaders initiative(YALI).

Quote of the Day by Sarah Collins

October 6, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Sarah Collins, founder and CEO of Wonderbag (South Africa) — **Sarah Collins**, founder and CEO of Wonderbag (South Africa)

"Every one of us is an entrepreneur at heart, we just need the courage to make it happen..."

- Sarah Collins is the founder and CEO of Wonderbag, a simple non electric slow cooker which works in mud huts in Africa to Manhattan apartments, possibly one of the only cooking devices that is globally relevant! Sarah is a South African adventurer, entrepreneur, and lifelong social activist. She thrives on challenges and has worked tirelessly over the past two decades to inspire change in the realms of gender-equality and environmental sustainability.

Quote of the Day by Adenike Ogunlesi

October 5, 2017 Melanie Hawken

“I have learnt that if you face the challenges with positive energy, you are most likely to get better results.”

- Adenike Ogunlesi is the founder of Ruff 'n' Tumble a leading designer, manufacturer and retailer of designer children's clothing in Nigeria. Nike started out modestly in 1996 selling the clothes she made from the boot of her car and in bazaars. Today, Ruff 'n' Tumble is an instantly recognisable brand in Nigeria and has a reputation for being one of the top manufacturers of children's clothing throughout West Africa. Ruff 'n' Tumble successfully caters to the unique fashion sense of today’s youngsters, from new born to age 16, happily mixing indigenous lifestyle trends with an international appeal.

Quote of the Day by Abai Schulze

October 4, 2017 Melanie Hawken

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

"Execution is the stuff of success – passion is just one of the ingredients."

- 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 Divine Ndhlukula

October 3, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Divine Ndhlukula, founder of Securico, Zimbabwe — **Divine Ndhlukula**, founder of Securico, Zimbabwe

"Women should uplift each other in terms of business and one does not lose anything by being a stepping stone for another."

– 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 Khanyi Dhlomo

September 29, 2017 Melanie Hawken

"... failure is an opportunity to learn and to do better next time. It’s part of the path to greatness, which was never meant to be smooth."

- 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. 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 Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu

September 27, 2017 Melanie Hawken

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

"Prosperity creation is the sole route to the elimination of poverty. And to create sustained prosperity, you have to create something truly world class."

- 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 Carrol Boyes

September 26, 2017 Melanie Hawken

“People do not believe in artists, nor do they believe that a sculptor can also be an entrepreneur. It’s such a fallacy. Creativity combined with common sense is bound to yield great results.”

- Carrol Boyes is an iconic South African designer who has built a global brand. She founded Carrol Boyes (Pty) Ltd in 1991 combining her artistic flair and talent in sculpture with her jewellery experience to create an extensive range of distinctive homeware, giftware, flatware and table top products. Today, her company designs and manufactures a meticulously crafted product range of well over 1000 items and sells over a million items every year. Products are always imbued with Carrol's trademark artistic flair and finesse. The brand is available through her 35 branded shops in South Africa and in over 30 other countries around the world.

Quote of the Day by Deola Sagoe

September 25, 2017 Melanie Hawken

“The West has taken and borrowed a lot from Africa…now it’s a renaissance: we’re claiming back what is ours and we’re adding value to what is ours, making it globally acceptable and globally appealing."

- Deola Sagoe, leading lady of African fashion, is a haute couture fashion designer from Ondo State in Nigeria. Deola has been at the cutting edge of high fashion since 1989 and became the first black woman to present a collection at AltaRoma, Rome’s celebrated fashion week, back in 2004. Her "globally appealing" style has earned her an enviable clientèle that ranges from Africa's first ladies, to society girls like Lydia Hearst, top model Alek Wek, and famous personalities such as Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith.

Quote of the Day by Kofo Akinkugbe

September 20, 2017 Melanie Hawken

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

"Once you have a good plan and a good concept and you work through it, the funds will always come."

- 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 Dr. Ola Orekunrin

September 19, 2017 Melanie Hawken

"The people that generate wealth are people that make multiples of themselves."

- Dr. Ola Orekunrin is a medical doctor, helicopter pilot and the healthcare entrepreneur founder of Flying Doctors Nigeria, West Africa’s first Air Ambulance Service. She's dedicated to bringing trauma care to the most remote parts of Western Africa and her company, an air ambulance service based in Lagos, is doing just that. She was motivated to start the company after her younger sister tragically died whilst traveling in Nigeria as a consequence of there being no medical air service available to transport her to hospital. Ola graduated as a medical doctor from the University Of York in the UK and is a member of the American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine.

Quote of the Day by Bev Missing

September 18, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Bev Missing, founder and ceo of Rain — **Bev Missing**, founder and ceo of Rain

"It is a dream come true to see a tiny garage soap making business being given the opportunity to play on the global stage as an international brand."

- Bev Missing is the founder of South African body and bath product brand RAIN. Back in 1999 Bev saw a gap in the market to start making soap as it was labour intensive and all the lovely soaps at that stage were imported. Bev started the project in her garage hoping to help solve unemployment in her hometown of Ladybrand, and to make a difference in the lives of the poor and jobless. Today, RAIN has 14 stores across South Africa, two unique wellness spa's, two stores in New York and one in California. RAIN is the only beauty product company that is fully Fair Trade and Beauty Without Cruelty accredited, meaning the whole company and every ingredient it uses is regulated by the international Fair Trade body, not just some ingredients.

"My advice to women all the time is: If you want a certain future, go out and create it. Conquer your fears as that is what enslaves most women. Opportunities are now galore. We just need to roll up our sleeves, lift our feet, and walk through the door as no one will carry us."

"Passion is the driving engine for anything you want to achieve in life."

"When you have the interests of people at heart, you can do anything."

"You are the right person to change the world, so just start."

“We are done teaching women how to fish,... We want to give them the whole lake.”

"Ultimately being an entrepreneur allows me to be in charge of my own destiny. And there’s nothing better."

"Your background does not determine your destiny."

"... we have embraced the idea that tradition and innovation go hand in hand, so that yesterday's hand loomer of fabrics is tomorrow’s textile innovator; yesterdays cobbler is tomorrow’s added value shoe artisan,"

"Every one of us is an entrepreneur at heart, we just need the courage to make it happen..."

“I have learnt that if you face the challenges with positive energy, you are most likely to get better results.”

"Execution is the stuff of success – passion is just one of the ingredients."

"Women should uplift each other in terms of business and one does not lose anything by being a stepping stone for another."

"... failure is an opportunity to learn and to do better next time. It’s part of the path to greatness, which was never meant to be smooth."

"Prosperity creation is the sole route to the elimination of poverty. And to create sustained prosperity, you have to create something truly world class."

“People do not believe in artists, nor do they believe that a sculptor can also be an entrepreneur. It’s such a fallacy. Creativity combined with common sense is bound to yield great results.”

“The West has taken and borrowed a lot from Africa…now it’s a renaissance: we’re claiming back what is ours and we’re adding value to what is ours, making it globally acceptable and globally appealing."

"Once you have a good plan and a good concept and you work through it, the funds will always come."

"The people that generate wealth are people that make multiples of themselves."

"It is a dream come true to see a tiny garage soap making business being given the opportunity to play on the global stage as an international brand."

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