the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
Melanie Hawken, LoA founder and editor-in-chief featured in Leadership Magazine (August 2015 Issue)
Leading South African business publication, Leadership Magazine, interviewed Melanie Hawken, founder and editor-in-chief of Lionesses of Africa on how her online platform can connect women entrepreneurs around the world.
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Daniela Barajas (L) and Priscilla Makundi (R), co-founders of Sote Tunaweza
Don't fall into the trap of putting things off until 'Tomorrow'. Tomorrow never comes!....
- Priscilla Makundi is the co-founder of Sote Tunaweza (formerly known as the Pamoja Tunaweza Initiative) a Tanzanian social enterprise she co-founded with Daniela Barajas in 2014, with the support of Middlebury College and the Clinton Global Initiative University. Priscilla has been a member of CGIU for two consecutive years and has committed herself to helping to prevent poverty and promote women’s innovation in emerging markets by empowering them through entrepreneurship and leadership training institutes.
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Juanita van der Merwe, co-founder of Little Green Number (South Africa)
Little Green Number is the brainchild of a passionate young social entrepreneur, Juanita van der Merwe, who is aiming to change the world for the better by not only creating unique, really funky handmade bags from up cycled advertising billboard posters thereby helping the environment, but also creating much-needed local jobs for young people in her community.
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Nozuko Teto, opera singer and founder of Adesso Enterprises (South Africa)
It's about finding your purpose and working hard to fulfil it....
- Nozuko Teto is a gifted South African opera singer who is showing the world’s connoisseurs that she is a musical and entrepreneurial force to be reckoned with. Nozuko has founded Adesso Enterprises through which she markets and manages her performances and concerts. Born in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, Nozuko obtained her BMUS (Mus.ED.) degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, graduated with a PGDIP (Opera Performance) from the University of Cape Town, and then moved to Italy in 2011 to perfect her performance skills at the Center for Belcanto in Modena.
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Guest Post by: Karen Wessels, co-founder and COO of VA Connect
Being an entrepreneur, particularly a solopreneur, is not for the faint of heart. It takes a certain kind of persistence, determination and whole lot of caffeine to be a successful solopreneur! As a woman entrepreneur myself, I understand only too well the challenges faced by women in the business world, particularly those involving time management.
This month, top South African business television programme, Leading Opinion, invited Melanie Hawken, founder and editor-in-chief of Lionesses of Africa into the studio to discuss the high impact made by 'gazelle' entrepreneurs and their potential inspiration in driving a new wave of innovative women entrepreneurs across the continent.
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Ally Angula, Co-founder & Managing Director of Leap Group of Companies (Namibia)
Right on the heels of Namibia’s emergence as the third most entrepreneurial country in sub-Saharan Africa by the GEI ranking, the southwest African country is celebrating yet another global success in entrepreneurship. Serial entrepreneur, Ally Angula’s clothing company – My Republik was crowned the best woman-owned business at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit GES 2015 in July.
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Every month at Lionesses of Africa, we shine a spotlight on a particular industry sector where Africa’s women entrepreneurs are making a real impact, through their businesses, their innovation, their products, services and craftsmanship, and their passion for what they do. This month (August), we are turning our attention to the women who are changing the PR, media and communications landscape in Africa.
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Kerryne Krause Neufeldt, founder of eyeSlices® (South Africa)
Many of us with busy entrepreneurial lives, heavy travel schedules, and lots of late nights will probably have experienced the effects of tired puffy eyes, with increasingly dark circles and redness, exacerbated by staring at computer screens and smartphones all day long. However, one innovative South African entrepreneur, Kerryne Krause Neufeldt, thinks she has found the solution - eyeSlices®!
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Tetsi & Lynn Bugaari and Nuba Elamin, founders of Buqisi-Ruux (Kenya)
Starting your own business can be a bumpy road....
- Tetsi & Lynn Bugaari and Nuba Elamin are the co-founders of Buqisi-Ruux, a shoe brand from Kenya that designs and produces high-heeled shoes covered in bold and colourful African print material. The Buqisi-Ruux brand also celebrates the success of the African continent and its women, as each shoe is named after an inspirational African woman and her story is shared with the world.
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Thokozile Mangwiro, founder of Nyla Naturals (South Africa)
Africa is seeing a growing interest in natural skin and haircare products, utilising indigenous ingredients and demonstrating an ethical and more environmentally friendly approach to production. South African based Nyla Naturals is the brainchild of founder Thokozile Mangwiro, who is taking the renowned native Marula oil and using its natural properties to create a whole new product range that is both sustainable and specially formulated to care for African women’s skin and hair.
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Tiisetso Skosana, founder of Lotjhani Branding (South Africa)
Strategic networking and making the right connections is essential....
- Tiisetso Skosana is the founder of Lotjhani Investments, a South African company specialising in brand strategy, copywriting and design. Tiisetso achieved her degree in Communications Management specialising in Creative Brand Communications and a postgrad in Business Administration. She has experience in a variety of creative disciplines: as a copywriter and brand strategist in advertising agencies to magazine and online writing as well as digital and public relations management.
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Laura Reynolds, founder and CEO of RecruitGroup (South Africa)
Laura Reynolds, founder and CEO of RecruitGroup in South Africa, has been named Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the star-studded Rising Star Awards 2015 sponsored by Standard Bank. The RecruitGroup is a leading recruitment agency that specialises in finding and placing top talent for South African firms through innovative products and services. The company's specialized divisions, personalized service, dedicated consultants and one of a kind recruitment methodology was recognised by the award judges.
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Alana Bond and Lana Lovasic, directors of Simanye Group
The Simanye Group is on a mission to help South Africa, and the African continent as a whole, find sustainable solutions to positive transformation and to support new economic development and growth in the communities that most need it to grow and thrive.
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Anne Nduati, founder of Narcolepsy Awareness Kenya
Anne Nduati is a woman on a mission, working to make more people in her country, Kenya, and indeed across the African continent, aware of the sleep disorder Narcolepsy, a condition that her daughter was diagnosed with when young. The organisation she founded, Narcolepsy Awareness Kenya, aims to empower those who suffer from the condition to live their lives to the fullest, but she also hopes to inform and support the families and teachers who look after those children.
Read moreSource: CNBC Africa | Monday, 27 July 2015 06:09:49 GMT
Kenya successfully hosted the 6th Global Entrepreneurship Summit over the weekend. This saw a number of entrepreneurs and investors meet and share. However, with the conclusion of the summit, what is next for African entrepreneurs? What lessons can they learn? Juliana Rotich, co-founder of Ushahidi and Chair of World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Data Driven Development joins CNBC Africa for more.
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Jacqueline Kiage, co-founder of Innovation Eye Centre (Kenya)
Africa has some truly dedicated and inspirational social entrepreneurs who want to make a real and positive difference to the lives of others. Jacqueline Kiage is doing just that in rural Kenya by starting a world-class social enterprise eye clinic, Innovation Eyecare Centre, to provide life-enhancing eye surgery and specialist eye care to patients that is affordable and accessible.
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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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