Across the African continent, particularly in rural areas, promoting good community health and wellness to local people remains a challenge. Life-saving products and services don’t do any good unless they get into the hands of the people that need them and know how to use them. Social entrepreneurship venture, Living Goods, is helping to solve the “last mile” problem by recruiting, training, and managing the performance of Community Health Promoters. Monica Masiga in Kenya, and Justine Kiwanuka in Uganda, are two such Living Goods micro-entrepreneurs who are making a difference.
Read moreThe fourth edition of the E4Impact Innovation Challenge, one of the largest university business plan competitions in East Africa, took place on 29 August 2015 at Tangaza University College in Nairobi, Kenya - and, the winner was an inspirational woman entrepreneur, Lucy Mayer.
Read moreShare your vision with the world....
"Believe in your vision, share it with the world and never give up. Put aside all your fears - if your dreams don’t scare you they aren’t big enough!"
- Nkemdilim Begho is a Nigerian serial entrepreneur. She is the founder and Managing Director of Future Software Resources Limited, an IT solutions provider focused on online solutions, e-learning and IT security. She is also a co-founder of 'Always Me by Anne Li', a company producing baby and maternity products in Nigeria. Nkem has been the recipient of many awards including the Jim Ovia Prize for Software Excellence, and the Etisalat Prize for Innovation. She regularly volunteers for mentoring and empowerment programmes often sharing her experiences with young Nigerians and less privileged children.
Read moreMy top 3 tips for women entrepreneurs....
"1. Look after your health. Your wealth is no good if you are not healthy. 2. You can have anything you want in life if you are willing to pay the price. 3. If you can't afford it, don't have it."
- Margaret Hirsch is one half of a dynamic husband and wife duo that founded Hirsch's Homestores. Back in 1979, as a secretary, together with her husband Allan, then an appliance repair man, they unwittingly became entrepreneurs who went on to build an appliance, electronics and furnishing retail empire. Today, Hirsch's Homestores is the largest independently owned appliance and electronics business in Southern Africa, with seventeen branches and concept stores spread throughout South Africa.
Read moreTake it one step at a time....
"Anything is within anyones reach. You have to stand up to take it. It is within yourself. Set achievable goals and do it one step at a time.”
- Wendy Ackerman is one of the founders and an Executive Director of Pick n Pay Stores. Together with husband Raymond Ackerman she helped build up one of South Africa’s pre-eminent FMCG retailers, consisting of over 450 stores including 121 supermarkets and 14 hypermarkets. Operations are in food, clothing, and general merchandise sectors as well as financial services. The company operates throughout South Africa, southern Africa and Australia and employs around 49,000 people. Today, much of Wendy's boundless energy is devoted to her family's philanthropic endeavours and her personal work for the underprivileged.
Read moreCompanies in the IT sector have long built a reputation for finding solutions to many of the business challenges we face today, but Niche Integrated Solutions is an IT company with a difference, thanks to its founder Nisha Maharaj. It has genuinely found a niche for itself in a highly competitive sector, and as a result, is not just building a rapidly growing and successful business, but it is also positively impacting on the lives and businesses of others.
Read moreFor many woman-owned business startups, the early days can be tough and challenging in so many different ways. In particular, the challenge of trying to build a new business, build a new brand, and perhaps launch a new product or service, all with very little capital to play with. There have been many books written on the subject, but few with as much empathy as Beverly Sallee Ophoff shares in her book A Woman’s Guide to Bootstrapping a Business.
Read moreTop advice for aspiring women entrepreneurs trying to make it in Africa....
"Before you start anything, my advice is to find your passion and pursue it passionately. In addition, as an entrepreneur, you need to be able to create a compelling vision, to passionately own the vision, to define the roadmap to execution, and to bring together and relentlessly drive the energies, the talents and the values necessary to ensure success. You need to become an execution machine. Building a venture from scratch is not for the faint-hearted, you need to be courageous, tenacious, have perseverance and resilience. Never take no for an answer and be solution-oriented, constantly."
- Swaady Martin, is founder of YSWARA, a growing African luxury brand that creates elegant, high-end products using the continent’s natural resources, all produced by African artisans. Complimenting their hand-selected tea blends, Yswara also offers a range of luxury tea accessories. Swaady aims to capture a true spirit of African luxury by reviving Africa’s endangered cultural heritage and unique ancestral craftsmanship.
Read more"The biggest thing that has enabled women entrepreneurs is technology and the internet. You can find customers and get publicity without massive amounts of money."
- Deborah B. Jackson is the founder and CEO of Plum Alley, a crowdfunding platform for women entrepreneurs founded in 2012 to increase the economic strength of female founded companies and to provide greater access to capital. Deborah's expertise comes from a two decade long career raising capital for companies, governments and other issuers in both the public and private markets starting at Goldman Sachs in 1980.
Read moreKeyara Organics is a natural skincare company with a soul and a real passion for African ingredients. Founder and serial entrepreneur, Terryanne Chebet, has a vision to grow the company to be among the world’s leading natural skincare brands, understanding that everyone needs a natural skincare routine.
Read moreIf there is one word that could best describe PR entrepreneur, Damaris Nyabuti, the founder of Dharkemmy Corporate Communications in Nairobi, Kenya, it is tenacious. Despite all the challenges that have faced her throughout her career, she has remained true to her passion for PR and communications and been determined to realise her vision of starting her own company. She is a force to be reckoned with and understands the power of sheer hard work to make things happen.
Read more“I’ve lived my life by one simple motto: Do the right thing. It’s the right thing to do.”
- Pam Golding is one of Africa's most successful women entrepreneurs and an icon of the real estate industry. She founded Pam Golding Properties in South Africa in 1976 with no start-up capital and just a single sales assistant. The company now has over 300 offices in Africa as well as international offices in the UK, Germany, France and Mauritius. It is one of South Africa’s largest independent property trading companies with 2010 turnover of US$1.7 billion. Pam is now retired from active management, but remains the Life President of the company she founded.
Read more'Use your business to do good' are the profound words of Zimbabwe's leading woman entrepreneur, Divine Ndhlukula. And, she has made sure to live up to them. Through her company, Securico, she has always delivered on her strong desire to empower previously disadvantaged women in Zimbabwe who were not able to access opportunities for formal employment. She recognized that the security sector had the potential to be a large-scale employer of women. Today, Divine is the single biggest employer of women in her country outside of government. She is a real changemaker!
Read moreIt's always a thrill to watch a master craftsman at work! This enthralling video showcases the unique fabric weaving craftsmanship of Aissa DioneTextiles. Aissa Dione, a renowned Senegalese painter and textile designer, founded the company that bears her name, Aissa Dione Tissus back in 1992. Her mission: to revive Senegal's traditional and unique fabric weaving craftsmanship and build a production chain that is truly '100% Made in Senegal'.
Read moreLionesses of Africa had the pleasure of meeting the inspirational Achenyo Idachaba at the Cartier Women's Initiative Awards Nominees Sub-Saharan Press Conference in Johannesburg this month. She took time out of her busy schedule to share some of her insights on the challenges for women entrepreneurs in Africa. Listen to our interview.
Read moreYou need to focus on a strong vision....
"A start-up can be challenging to women who do not have a vision of what they are trying to accomplish. My advice to fellow entrepreneurs is to focus on their vision. Focusing on a strong vision will pull you through the emotional roller-coaster; it will pull you through the fear and doubt that will surely come. A strong vision will lead to the success of your business."
- Thokozile Mangwiro is the founder of Nyla Naturals a South African company that is focused on manufacturing personal hair and skin care products. Their 100% natural cosmetic products use a fusion of natural ingredients with premium oils, such as the Southern African indigenous Marula oil for skin and hair nourishment. Thokozile's mission is to produce products that are natural, nourishing, healing and that pamper hair and skin of all types.
Read moreSouth Africa is a country with its fair share of challenges, and particularly amongst its youth, but the way to address those challenges is to empower a new generation of proactive citizens to lead a new way of thinking and to find the much needed solutions for change. Social entrepreneur Amanda Blankfield-Koseff and her Empowervate Trust has a vision to help these new young citizens to be the changemakers of tomorrow.
Read moreAfter scouring the country in search of the top and most deserving female entrepreneurs, on 19 August in Johannesburg, popular South African women’s glossy magazine FAIRLADY announced the winners of their inaugural FAIRLADY Women of the Future Awards, in partnership with Santam.
Read moreAmerican women are starting businesses at nearly twice the rate that men are, but only three percent of female business owners have revenues of over one million dollars. Most women entrepreneurs are stuck at the “mom and pop” level, just getting by, or in many cases, running out of cash. In her book Million Dollar Women, Julia Pimsleur shares her inspiring story of building her own company and raising millions in capital in a guide for women like her who have a great idea and need to find the resources to take it into the big leagues.
Read moreLoA had the pleasure of meeting with Thato Kgatlhanye at the Cartier Womens Initiative Awards finalists press conference recently in South Africa and spoke to her about the challenges for women entrepreneurs on the continent.
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