the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
Juanita Naidoo Rea, founder of eduSOIL
In the face of the glaring lack of mental and emotional health programmes for South Africa’s children and youth, entrepreneur Juanita Naidoo Rea created eduSOIL, a social enterprise on a mission to make a difference. Today, it is helping the most vulnerable young members of society to deal with stress in their daily lives.
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Christine Moraa (L) and Ruth Ogendi (R)
Finding a niche in business can often be a challenge in itself for many entrepreneurs, but for Christine Moraa, founder of Kenyan PR company Tendai Communications, her journey was inspired by her personal business experiences.
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Sofia Cassimo, founder of Sublime Special Events and Catering (Mozambique)
Finding a niche in business is always the challenge, but in the case of Mozambican entrepreneur, Sofia Cassimo, she has found a wonderful niche in the private catering sector in the country. Her company, Sublime Special Events and Catering is both winning fans and influencing discerning palettes in the country.
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Lizl Naude, founder of Lilly Loompa (South Africa)
It takes vision and creative skill to see possibilities where others see rubbish, and entrepreneur Lilly Loompa has both attributes in large quantities. She is designing individual pieces of furniture and interior accessories that have a unique story to tell and celebrate the authenticity of the recycled material used.
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Raheel Muhammad, founder of Excolo (South Africa)
Many entrepreneurs are so focused on the day to day pressures and challenges of running their businesses that they don’t realize how much their companies could benefit from external help in ensuring their business processes are optimized for success. Well, help is at hand - Excolo is the brainchild company of South African entrepreneur Raheel Muhammad and it’s on a mission to bring operational excellence to any company.
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Evylin Munyi, co-founder of KOFAR Kenya
Kenya is a country renowned for its agriculture and the quality of its produce, but for many small-holder farmers, the challenge is improving both yields and livelihoods. For Evylin Munyi and her co-founder at KOFAR Kenya Ltd, the solution was to create a business that would help farms to repair the soil using organic materials to boost crops and farm efficiency.
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Mary-Anne Calvert, founder of The Human Element (South Africa)
Smart companies and organizations understand the power of developing their employees’ full potential, and The Human Element is one company on a mission to make learning and development both impactful and fun for its clients.
Read moreAdèle Dejak is one of an emerging group of entrepreneurs who are adding value to Kenya's arts and fashion industry. Speaking to Nikiwe Bikitsha for the Africa Connected series, the jewellery designer said that she aims to create a platform that shares information with women that will empower them in business. Adele is part of a group called "Lionesses of Africa" which aims to recognise all those women entrepreneurs in Africa who are an inspiration to us all, those who have made it to the top of their fields and who are shaking up their industries and business sectors.
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Rozanne Collings, founder of Chillalas (South Africa)
Anyone who loves cooking understands how crucial it is to get great ingredients for the pantry, particularly when it comes to spicing up favourite dishes. Passionate and talented home cook Rozanne Collings took her love of spice and turned it into a business that is inspiring other cooks who appreciate the culinary power of the chilli. Her new chilli paste brand Chillalas is livening up kitchens and meals across South Africa.
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Deborah Nicholls, founder of Ageless Grace (South Africa)
Helping clients to achieve ‘ageless grace’ is the vision that entrepreneur Deborah Nicholls has for her company and she has developed an innovative exercise and wellness programme called Ageless Grace - Anti-Ageing Exercises for Body & Brain, which provides the solution.
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Eldari Visser, founder of Picketfence Life (South Africa)
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a professional expert in a particular field walking your life journey with you and providing support and advice along the way? Well, entrepreneur Eldari Visser knows the value of having such experts at hand, and her unique company, Picketfence Life, is providing access to information, advice and a powerful network of such experts.
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Chaymaa Rhou, founder of Nomadic Filmland Academy (Morocco)
For all those who love the idea of global travel and filming combined into one unique offering, then the Nomadic Filmland Academy has a great proposition. Entrepreneur Chaymaa Rhou and her film expert colleagues are providing the opportunity for travellers to experience not only fascinating trips to new places, but also the chance to record a film of their travels at the same time.
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Sarah Munyiva, founder of Royal Maids Cleaning Services (Kenya)
For both homeowners and business owners alike, the challenge of keeping important living and work spaces clean and tidy is one that Kenya-based Royal Maids Cleaning Services is happy to deal with. Founder and CEO Sarah Munyiva is providing a useful and much-needed service to those requiring hassle-free cleaning solutions in their lives.
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Rafiat Kasumu, founder of Kente Master (Ghana/USA)
For all those Ghanaian students who have proudly graduated from university or college and worn their official graduation stoles, the chances are they may be wearing the entrepreneurial success story that is Kente Master.
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Mapeka Polane, founder of Spegelicious Cakery And Party Rentals (Lesotho)
Children’s birthday parties are synonymous with special cakes and in Lesotho, one company, Spegelicious Cakery And Party Rentals, created by entrepreneur Mapeka Polane, is making a name for itself by creating fun celebratory cakes to remember.
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Bryony Parr, founder of Oh So Organised (South Africa)
It’s true what they say, in order to declutter your mind you also need to declutter your space. And, for all those people who find it difficult to achieve the latter, South African entrepreneur Bryony Parr has the solution, Her company, Oh So Organised, is on a mission to bring a little order in to your work and home living spaces, creating the space for you to think more clearly and live more freely.
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Memuna Williams, founder of Avantgarde Translations
Anyone who has ever been in the position of needing to translate information into different languages will appreciate just how critical it is to have the right specialist support. One company providing truly world-class translation and interpreting services, both globally and here in Africa is Avantgarde Translations.
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Messaynesh Geberesilassie, founder of Mela
Often in business, finding an idea that is unique and that will resonate with customers can be hard. But in the case of Messaynesh Geberesilassie and her business Mela, she is tapping into the traditional handcrafted tradition of her home country to create a unique business opportunity in another marketplace - and she is winning new fans along the way.
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Paula Quinsee
Healthy relationships are at the heart of successful personal and workplace environments, but often those relationships need a little specialist help to thrive. Paula Quinsee: Relationship Expert has the insights, personal experience and specialist expertise to provide that help for those that need it.
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Lucilla Blankenberg, founder of Off the Ground Media (South Africa)
Many small companies recognise that they need media and marketing support, but do not always have the time or money to develop these plans or produce the media to support their businesses. For entrepreneur Lucilla Blankenberg and her company Off the Ground Media, she is not only providing a great solution, but creating a company that makes a difference to the lives of others at the same time through those efforts.
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