the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
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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Deola Sagoe, founder of haute couture fashion house, Deola
Source: This Day Live | December 7, 2014
The Business Side of Fashion (BSoF) forum in Nigeria brings together successful fashion designers every year to serve as an inspiration to the upcoming ones. This year's Forum featured Deola Sagoe who shared with the participants some of her hard earned business knowledge of the industry.
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Read moreVideo published: April 11, 2014
Lorna Rutto is the founder of EcoPost in Kenya and an inspiring and passionate eco-preneur who has garnered numerous international awards for her social entrepreneurship business. In this video she discusses her passion for conservation and what inspired her to launch her venture.
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Nelia Annandale, founder of Keedo Kids, South Africa
- Nelia Annandale is founder of Keedo Kids a company she launched in 1993 to manufacture designer children’s clothing in a socially responsible and ethical manner. Nelia blends imagination, comfort and style with vibrant colour and exceptional quality, and the brand has grown to be one of the leading children’s clothing manufacturers in South Africa and now exports to 16 countries across the globe. It took a life-threatening skiing accident for South African born Nelia Annandale to overcome her fear of starting a business. Although she had a happy life and was set in a good routine with her husband and two year old twins, the near fatal accident forced her to take stock of her life - Keedo Kids emerged from that new focus.
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Janet Rhys, co-founder of Charlotte Rhys, South Africa
You need to raise your game when expanding into international markets...
- Janet Rhys is co-founder and managing partner of Charlotte Rhys, a South African company started in 1999 that produces a sophisticated brand of luxurious bath, body and lifestyle products. The Charlotte Rhys brand has expanded from a single product 14 years back to over 100 luxury products, comparable to, or better than, the best international luxury brands. Today, Janet's company supplies leading hotels across the world and is firmly entrenched as a premier luxury brand.
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- Penny Pritzker has been serving in Washington as the United States Secretary of Commerce since 2013. She is, however, probably best known as one of America's leading women entrepreneurs, a Chicago billionaire who's founded five companies that have created thousands of jobs. These include PSP Capital Partners and Pritzker Realty Group. She is also heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune.
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Adenike Ogunlesi, founder and CEO of Ruff 'n Tumble, Nigeria
Source: The Guardian Nigeria | December 3, 2014
Adenike Ogunlesi, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ruff and Rumbles Clothing in Nigeria has partnered the NECA and ITF to use her company as a platform for training jobless youths seeking to be self-employed. Adinike says that the project is part of her company’s corporate social responsibility in reducing the level of unemployment in the country.
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Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, founder of WeCyclers and winner of the 2014 Sustania Award
Wecyclers, founded by Nigerian entrepreneur and innovator, Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, has won the 2014 Sustainia Award, chaired by Arnold Schwarzenegger, for a solution that enables low-income communities to make money from waste piling up in their streets. By deploying a fleet of cargo bicycles to collect and recycle unmanaged waste in Nigeria’s capital Lagos, Wecyclers lets families exchange garbage for consumer goods via an SMS-based point system.
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Tara Fela-Durotoye (centre) at the Kenyan launch of House of Tara
Source: Capital FM Kenya | December 2, 2014
House of Tara International, a Nigerian beauty and cosmetics brand founded by Tara Fela-Durotoye launched its products in the Kenyan market as part of its continental expansion strategy. House of Tara has developed makeup products with international standards that are tailor made for the African woman by an African woman.
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Source: Financial Times | October 19, 2014
The fledgling business in Parkhurst, one of Johannesburg’s affluent northern suburbs, is the brainchild of Martin-Leke, who forged ahead with the project in spite of initial scepticism among her friends and peers. “I did my research, but no one believed in it,” she says, sipping a new blend she is testing at the elegant townhouse that has been transformed into a chic store....
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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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Don’t start a business just for the money....
- Kelsey Ramsden is one of Canada’s top female entrepreneurs and founder of kelseyramsden.com. This serial entrepreneur has founded and run businesses as diverse as construction and children’s toys. A formerly wayward student, Kelsey triumphed when she graduated with her MBA from the highly regarded Ivey School of Business. She credits that same grit and determination for helping her overcome a devastating cancer prognosis last year – a cancer she has since overcome. Kelsey is a select member of Ernst & Young’s Winning Women Entrepreneurs for 2013 and on the Richard Branson Centre for Entrepreneurship as a mentor.
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Divine Ndhlukula, founder of Securico, Zimbabwe
This year's Exceptional Entrepreneur Award at the 2014 EY Africa Chapter of the World Entrepreneur Awards has been awarded to the inspirational Zimbabwean woman entrepreneur, Divine Ndhlukula, founder of Securico.
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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.
Read moreVideo published on 1 December 2014
Ethel Cofie is tech entrepreneur and founder of women in tech Ghana/Africa. In this video she shares her thoughts on Women's Leadership, Technology and Entrepreneurship.
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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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Aissa Dione, founder of Aissa Dione Tissus, Senegal
Senegalese entrepreneur and textile designer, Aissa Dione, has made it her lifelong mission to revive her country’s ailing textile industry, and in the process, create products that are highly desirable the world over.
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Nkemdilim Begho, founder of Future Software Resources, Nigeria
A leading Nigerian techpreneur building a powerful business focusing on online solutions, e-learning and IT security, and taking Africa’s tech sector by storm.
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- Susan Coelius Keplinger, is is a San Francisco entrepreneur and the co-founder of Triggit, an online advertising technology company building technologies around ad buying on the real time display advertising exchanges.
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