the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
Meet Diana Opoti, founder of leading Kenyan fashion consultancy, Diana Opoti PR, a true champion of the continent’s fashion design industry and one of Africa’s most formidable fashion connectors.
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Lani Stenvert, founder of Good Dog Designs, South Africa
Lani Stenvert, the founder of South African-based start-up, Good Dog Designs, made the tenacious move from design studio employee to graphic design solopreneur. In the process, she found freedom of expression and a unique design style all of her own.
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Sebenzile Matsebula, founder of Motswako Office Systems, South Africa
Sebenzile Matsebula, the founder of Motswako Office Systems, is proof positive that if you have the ambition, are prepared to work exceptionally hard, and demonstrate to others that you are an entrepreneur first and foremost and successful at what you do, then disability is not a barrier to success.
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Jenna Clifford, founder of Jenna Clifford Designs, South Africa
Jenna is an inspirational example to women entrepreneurs across Africa that despite significant challenges in personal and business life, with many setbacks and considerable personal heartache along the way, it is possible to find business success.
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Karin Rae Matthee, founder of Dear Rae Jewellery, South Africa
In the world of jewellery design in South Africa, Karen Rae Matthee is a young entrepreneur with a vision, a unique design and creative aesthetic, and a deep commitment to skills development and upliftment in her community.
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The start up story of a serial entrepreneur who has created a unique business in South Africa by elevating the nailbar to a world-class boutique and luxury girls club experience.
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Lynn Worsley and the inspiring team of ecopreneurs of All Women Recycling, Cape Town
All Women Recycling is an inspiring women-led social enterprise in South Africa turning discarded plastic soft-drink bottles into beautiful upcycled, highly decorative giftboxes.
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Ethel Cofie, founder Edel Consultancy, Ghana
Ethel Cofie is an entrepreneurial powerhouse in the highly competitive and traditionally male dominated tech industry on the African continent. Through her own business building efforts, and as a successful network builder for pan-African women in tech, she is helping to change the face of the industry, breaking down barriers to entry along the way.
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Monica Umwari, co-founder of Angaza, Rwanda
Two young Rwandan eco-preneurs are showing the world that great design combined with a passion for finding environmentally friendly ways of dealing with the country’s non-biodegradable waste, can create something beautiful. Monica Umwari and Maria Mayanja have founded a young and funky eco-brand, Angaza, producing fashionable and highly desirable accessories made from upcycled waste products.
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Dr. Jennifer Riria, Group CEO of Kenya Women Holding
If there is one woman that is proof positive of the power of individual entrepreneurs to make a difference, it is Dr Jennifer Riria. She has singlehandedly transformed the microfinance industry in Kenya in order to tangibly improve the lives of women. Because of her efforts, hundreds of thousands of Kenyan women now have access to finance, previously not available to them.
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Victoria Kisyombe, founder of Sero Lease and Finance (SELFINA), Tanzania
Victoria’s incredible journey into entrepreneurship emerged as a result of personal tragedy and the unexpected death of her husband back in 1991. For her and their three young children, life was to change inexorably as she was left to deal with the resulting social and economic challenges facing them. An entrepreneurial approach to life thereafter provided the solution.
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Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, founder of WeCyclers, Nigeria
An award-winning Nigerian social entrepreneur who has built a sustainable and economically viable business model to help the poor communities of Lagos reclaim their neighbourhoods from the scourge of pollution and waste.
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Susan Mashibe, founder of Via Aviation, Tanzania
There are not too many young 4 year old girls in the world who have a dream of a career in aviation and go on to launch a unique and highly successful technical and logistics company to support private jets in Africa - but the inspirational Susan Mashibe is one of those few!
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Anne Githuku-Shongwe, founder & CEO of AFROES Transformational Games
Anne is literally a game-changer in every sense of the word, empowering young people in Africa to learn, engage, and challenge existing perceptions of the continent through mobile gaming.
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Dr. Ola Orekunrin, founder of Flying Doctors Nigeria
There are certain people you come across in life that are truly inspirational on a number of levels, but medical doctor, pilot and healthcare entrepreneur, Ola Orekunrin is certainly one of those.
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Julian 'Mama Cheers' Omalla, founder of Delight Limited, Uganda
This inspirational woman entrepreneur from Uganda shows the power of grit and determination to succeed in business, despite the many hurdles encountered, to build a highly respected, multi-million dollar drinks and foodstuff empire in Africa.
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Tara Fela-Durotoye, founder of House of Tara, Nigeria
More than ten years ago, House of Tara founder Tara Fela-Durotoye, sparked a revolution that reverberated across Nigeria, creating a powerful corporate brand, a range of interesting makeup and skincare lines aimed at women of colour, and setting up Nigeria’s first make-up school.
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Teta Isibo, founder of Inzuki Designs, Rwanda
This remarkable award-winning Rwandan designer made the move from career urban planner to African-inspired jewellery and accessory creator and retailer.
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Janet Nkubana and Joy Ndungutse, founders of Gahaya Links, Rwanda
Rwandan social entrepreneurs and sisters, Janet Nkubana and Joy Ndungutse, are testimony to triumph over incredible adversity. They are an example of how women in that country are spearheading a new economic revival following the 1994 genocide which took the lives of 1 million people.
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Juliana Rotich, co-founder of Ushahidi, Kenya
The world, and in particular Africa, needs more women social techpreneurs like Juliana Rotich who can identify a major challenge or need and develop effective, accessible technologies and software to provide a solution.
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