the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
Guest Blog by Clare Kagimu, interior architect and designer and founder of Phoenix Design
In today's highly competitive marketplace, creating a unique differentiator in our businesses in order to get noticed, and doing what it takes to stand out from the crowd in the right way, has never been more important. This month, we share a few helpful tips on how to get your business to stand out from the crowd and get into new markets.
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Maria Auma, founder of Blue Luxury Investments (Uganda)
At a time when access to funding and capital-raising for business start-ups in Africa is difficult and stressful at the best of times, one Ugandan woman entrepreneur is looking to forge a path where few African women tread. Maria Auma is taking her passion for economics and financial management and building her company, Blue Luxury Investments, as a platform for investment management solutions for entrepreneurial ventures that are environmentally conscious.
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Johanette van Niekerk, founder of Sew Good Handmade (South Africa)
You need to believe in yourself and what you are doing....
- Johanette van Niekerk is the founder of Sew Good Handmade South Africa a company that designs and produces a unique range of jewellery and accessories. Johanette has worked for herself ever since she finished studying design at the University of Pretoria and has always been involved in the design and fashion industry. The inspiration for the pieces that Sewgood Handmade produces comes from the raw materials Johanette uses, which come from all over the world - whether that material is wood, glass or a semi-precious stone.
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Yolanda Methvin, LithaFlora African Botanicals (South Africa)
The world already knows of the unique beauty of the Cape Floral Kingdom and the amazing indigenous biodiversity that exists there. Entrepreneur Yolanda Methvin is demonstrating through her LithaFlora African Botanicals company that it is possible to capture the essence of this unique environment as the source of her environmentally friendly and luxurious wellness products.
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Galerie Arte - commode podor camille. Image courtesy © Joëlle le Bussy
Mariem Besbes – Echantillons. Image © courtesy Henry Del Olmo for Mariem Besbes
Tekura - Image © courtesy David Ross for Amaridian
Tintsaba - Image © courtesy Patrick Stubbs for Tintsaba
TNBW - Tall Porcupine Basket. Image © courtesy Geoff George for Snob
Yeleen - Tapis Babemba. Image © courtesy Olivier Marchetti for Yéleen Design
ZENZULU. Image © Angela Buckland for ZENZULU™
An emerging industry, design from Africa, is drawing increased global attention, and with it the success stories of women across the continent taking leading roles in the industry's development; from women-run cooperatives bringing together several hundred women, to university graduates taking their futures into their own hands by creating jobs for themselves and others.
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Precious MK Mvulane, author of The Essential Finance Handbook
Reading The Essential Finance Handbook for Business Owners could be one of the most helpful gifts you could ever give yourself as a business owner. It is a great companion for any entrepreneur who is venturing into the world of business, which can often be a daunting place for those starting out. This book has been written to provide expert, easy to understand guidance to business owners to help them to better manage and run their business financial performance, both effectively and efficiently.
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Bilikiss Kola-Abiola, co-founder of WeCyclers (Nigeria)
Interview on 23 July 2015 by Melanie Hawken, founder & editor-in-chief of Lionesses of Africa
Listen to our fascinating chat with Bilikiss about ecopreneurship in Africa and whether it is possible for a new generation of women entrepreneurs to operate financially viable businesses whilst remaining true to their core social and environmental values.
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Lynette Hundermark, co-founder & chief product officer, Useful & Beautiful (South Africa)
The mobile technology space is probably one of the most rapidly changing and dynamic sectors, and for businesses and organisations that can often prove a challenge, finding the best solutions to meet their needs. Lynette Hundermark’s company, Useful and Beautiful (U&B), is looking to breakthrough the clutter and find the right mobile technology solutions and develop the right strategies to fit each client’s specific objectives, and add real value to the business.
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Source: All Africa | 22 July 2015 | By Richard Mugarura
Janet Nkubana is co-founder of Gahaya links, a company that has empowered and supported Rwandan women through job creation. Nkubana's company is committed to restoring hope and dignity of women who were affected by the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. From a humble beginning under a tree in the remote village of Byimana in the Southern Province, Gahaya Links started organizing women in associations that were later transformed into cooperatives.
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The deadline is nearing for applications for the third edition of The Ampion Venture Bus Africa initiative which will take over 200 Ampioneers on 5 buses in 2015. LoA had the opportunity to chat to Ampion Founder and MD, Fabian-Carlos Guhl and he gave a greater insight into how women entrepreneurs in Africa could benefit from this amazing initiative. Listen to the interview here, and apply now!
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Tabitha Karanja, founder and CEO of Keroche Breweries (Kenya)
Tabitha Karanja does not boast about being a woman in an industry dominated by men; rather, she asserts that an entrepreneur is defined by his or her innovation. “When I began Keroche Breweries in 1997, I did not believe in copying other brands that were in existence. Instead, I carried out research to understand the gap in the market,” she says. Her findings, a little savings and acres of land jointly owned with her husband formed the foundation for a thriving alcoholic beverages business worth billions today.
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Tsungie Ncube pitches her new app at the Muzinda startup hub in Harare, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe’s first entrepreneurship and innovation Hub, Muzinda, provided the opportunity and the platform for aspirant techpreneurs and app developers in the country to come together on 17-18 July for a StartUp Weekend aimed at developing and pitching new app ideas for potential future funding and commercialisation. The aim, to identify viable new tech ideas that investors might look to provide funding to in order to achieve commercialisation in the future. One young aspirant woman techpreneur, Tsungie Ncube, was one of the winners at the event.
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Suzie Wokabi, founder of Suzie Beauty Ltd. (Kenya)
The growing market and need in Africa for an authentic, affordable and high quality make-up brand created specifically for African women, inspired Kenyan entrepreneur, Suzie Wokabi, to launch a new trailblazing cosmetics brand, Suzie Beauty Ltd. The result is a world-class product range that understands the needs of today’s African women who want bespoke make-up products that work perfectly on African women’s skin-tones and creates a stunningly beautiful look.
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Zuziwe Mkhwanazi and Sibabalwe Sesmani, co-founders of Unorthodox PR & Media Group (South Africa)
The all-woman entrepreneurial team behind South African niche PR company, Unorthodox, live up to their name as they take a unique approach to the corporate public relations, communications and partnerships they undertake. The dynamic duo of Sibabalwe Sesmani and Zuziwe Mkhwanazi work exclusively with corporates and differentiate themselves in the marketplace by dealing with "firsts" in their industry. They strive to create their own genre of public relations, one that specializes in corporates and thought leaders of industries.
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Melanie Hawken, Lerato Kadiaka and Matilda Sekoakoa at the launch of the Help A Child Grow Foundation Book Drive in Johannesburg on July 11th, 2015
The challenge of inspiring young, underprivileged and orphaned children in South Africa to learn to read and develop a love of books and learning, is one that social edupreneurs Matilda Sekoakoa and Lerato Kadiaka, have embraced. Their inspirational Help A Child Grow Foundation is positively and tangibly changing the lives of these children each day by collecting books and building libraries for schools in need.
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Tapiwa Matsinde, author of 'Contemporary Design Africa'
In her beautifully presented and insightfully written new book, Contemporary Design Africa, British/Zimbabwean designer, writer and blogger, Tapiwa Matsinde, showcases the work of some of the most creative, inspirational contemporary designers, artisans and cooperatives from across the African continent. Many of the talented women who are leading the way in developing Africa’s contemporary design industries take centre stage.
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Daniela Barajas and Priscilla Makundi, co-founders of Sote Tunaweza (Tanzania)
The challenge of addressing poverty and empowering women in emerging markets through entrepreneurship empowerment, is one that the Sote Tunaweza Initiative has risen to. Co-founders Daniela Barajas and Priscilla Makundi, together with their inspirational team, are on a mission to foster a global network of strong female leaders who will have the skills, confidence, and creativity to address some of the most pressing issues in their communities.
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Nozuko Teto, opera singer and founder of Adesso Enterprises (South Africa)
In the eyes of the world, Africa and music have long been synonymous, and indeed, hugely respected and revered. Today, one South African woman is proving that the most wonderful musical talent, underpinned by an entrepreneurial spirit, is a powerful combination in this tradition. Gifted Opera singer, Nozuko Teto, is showing the world’s connoisseurs that she is a musical and entrepreneurial force to be reckoned with, and a true inspiration to the generation of young women who are following in her footsteps.
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Team Charis from Nigeria: Praise David-Oku, Sonam Kumar, Nmesoma Ogbonna, and Grace Akpoiroro
Four brilliant young high-school girls: Praise David-Oku, Sonam Kumar, Nmesoma Ogbonna, and Grace Akpoiroro, representing Team Charis from Nigeria, have been selected as winners of the 2015 Technovation Challenge held in San Francisco. These talented girls developed a mobile app to tackle the waste disposal challenge in Nigeria. Their app, called, ‘Discardious’, was pitched against 400 other apps that were submitted to this year's Technovation Challenge from 28 countries. The girls managed to triumph over the competition and their innovation won them the High School section.
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Tetsi & Lynn Bugaari and Nuba Elamin, founders of Buqisi-Ruux (Kenya)
Beautiful shoes and women have long been synonymous with one another. In the case of the three talented women entrepreneurs behind the wonderfully creative Kenyan shoe design brand, Buqisi-Ruux, their design inspiration comes directly from the personal stories of the women around them. Nuba Elamin, Lynn Bugaari and Tetsi Bugaari are taking the art of African storytelling to new heights, creating wearable art for the feet, and individual shoe designs that are named after the African women whose stories inspire them. Genuine inspiration for the soul or make that sole!
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