Adenike Akinsemolu - The startup story of a social entrepreneur in Nigeria building a new generation of environmentally conscious student leaders

February 20, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Adenike Akinsemolu, founder of The Green Campus Initiative (Nigeria) — **Adenike Akinsemolu**, founder of The Green Campus Initiative (Nigeria)

Like many parts of Africa, Nigeria has a number of environmental challenges that need to be addressed by innovative thinking and action. The Green Campus Initiative is entrepreneur Adenike Akinsemolu’s solution to getting young people in the country thinking green and becoming eco-conscious citizens.

Quote of the Day Anthea Ambursley

February 18, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Anthea Ambursley, founder of Anansi (South Africa) — **Anthea Ambursley**, founder of Anansi (South Africa)

"From a very young age I have realised that the only freedom you will have one day is to work for yourself and you can make a huge impact."

- Anthea Ambursley is the founder of Anansi in South Africa. Anthea is a mother, wife and phenomenal award-winning business woman and motivational speaker. She is the proud winner of several business awards.

Quote of the Day by Irene Ochem

February 17, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Irene Ochem, founder of ICO Conferences & Events Limited (Nigeria) — **Irene Ochem**, founder of ICO Conferences & Events Limited (Nigeria)

"These are exciting times for Africa, it is not mere rhetoric of Africa Rising; so much is really happening and so much is changing."

- Irene Ochem is the founder of African Women Innovation and Enterprise Forum (AWIEF) and the Managing Director of ICO Conferences & Events Limited, a full-service professional conference producing, event management and training company that operates across Africa and globally. Irene holds an MBA from the University of London.

Entrepreneur Advice from Margaret Hirsch: You've got to learn to be tough

February 17, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Margaret Hirsch, co-founder of Hirsch's Homestores (South Africa) — Margaret Hirsch, co-founder of Hirsch's Homestores (South Africa)

You need to learn to be tough....

"If you want to get ahead‚ you have to be tough. Sometimes toughness goes against what you have been taught as a little girl‚ but if you aren’t tough‚ people will walk all over you.”

- 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.

Angela Kamanzi - The startup story of a magazine publisher in Kenya passionate about women’s empowerment

February 16, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Angela Kamanzi, founder of Arkad World Limited & publisher of Mkazi Magazine (Kenya) — **Angela Kamanzi**, founder of Arkad World Limited & publisher of Mkazi Magazine (Kenya)

One woman entrepreneur is bringing her wealth of expertise and experience in the field of publishing to create an online magazine that celebrates enterprising African women and provides a great resource of homegrown solutions to Africa’s unique challenges. Arkad World Limited, the holding company behind Mkazi Magazine, is the brainchild of Kenyan entrepreneur, Angela Kamanzi, and creates information to inspire, motivate and improve the lives of African women entrepreneurs.

VIDEO: Ethel Cofie, one of the top 5 women changing the face of Tech in Africa

February 16, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Watch this fascinating interview with Ethel Cofie, one of the leading women in Africa's tech scene, in which she discusses her personal entrepreneurial journey and how she is also helping to propel more women in tech to be successful.

Entrepreneur Smarts: Position your product

February 16, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Imagine the confusion that the platypus caused for scientists - a mammal that lays eggs, has the bill of a duck, the tail of a beaver and otter feet. How to classify it? The same confusion cripples many startup products.

Quote of the Day by Ayoronke Tosin-Yeye

February 16, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Ayoronke Tosin-Yeye, founder of IMentorAfrica (Nigeria) — **Ayoronke Tosin-Yeye**, founder of IMentorAfrica (Nigeria)

"As a social entrepreneur, my greatest reward is in seeing people become happier, better and more successful because of my service."

- Ayoronke Tosin-Yeye is the founder of IMentorAfrica in Nigeria, a virtual platform for Africans to LinkUp and share the gift of “Mentorship”. This Nigerian-based Social entrepreneur and Human Resources and Business Strategist is on a mission to ensure that anyone who is willing and able to Mentor, or anyone who has a need to be Mentored, can find a platform to make it a reality.

Sandra Idossou - The startup story of a Rwandan media company committed to promoting service excellence

February 15, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Sandra Idossou, founder of The ServiceMag (Rwanda) — **Sandra Idossou**, founder of The ServiceMag (Rwanda)

Good customer service is so critical to success in all aspects of entrepreneurial life, and therefore the concept and ethos behind Sandra Idossou’s company, The ServiceMag, couldn’t have come at a better time in Africa. She is passionately committed to helping companies and organisations to improve their customer centricity and, as a result, helping to make the continent more customer focused in its entrepreneurial approach.

Quote of the Day by Marcia Mofokeng

February 15, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Marcia Mofokeng, founder of Alurcia Aluminium and Glass (South Africa)

"They did it, I'm doing it, you can do it, you will do it!"

- Marcia Mofokeng is the founder of Alurcia Aluminium and Glass in South Africa, a manufacturer and installer of customised aluminium windows and doors to both residential and commercial customers. After completing both the New Venture Creation and Metal Engineering learnership programmes offered by Wispeco, Marcia started out in business in 2011. Marcia went on to win grant funding from the SAB Kickstart competition and this provided the help she needed to get all the equipment and tools required to operate her business.

Meet 20 African women EcoWarriors building companies and community projects to save the planet

February 14, 2016 Melanie Hawken

The world is facing more environmental challenges today than ever before, and Africa is feeling the harsh impact of many of these problems, from environmental degradation and deforestation, to shrinking water supplies, threats to biodiversity, lack of affordable green housing, and waste management issues. Innovative and effective solutions are needed and increasing attention is now being paid to the role that women entrepreneurs are playing on the continent in helping to provide possible solutions to many of these environmental problems, whilst at the same time creating jobs and opportunities for communities to thrive.

Essential Read: Elegant Entrepreneur: The Female Founders Guide to Starting & Growing Your First Company by Danielle Tate

February 14, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Danielle Tate, author and entrepreneur — **Danielle Tate**, author and entrepreneur

“As a young female founder I noticed that there were very few business guides offered step-by-step advice to smart but inexperienced women. I wrote this book to fill a void—this is a fully-encompassing resource on how to build a business and become an entrepreneur from a woman's point of view.” - Danielle Tate, author and entrepreneur, founder of MissNowMrs.

Flying Doctors Nigeria, founded by Ola Orekunrin, wins Consumersng Award

February 13, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Flying Doctors Nigeria, founded by Dr. Ola Orekunrin, have been recognised by this year's Consumersng Awards for being one of the top 20 brands in Nigeria adopting high tech innovations in delivering services to people. Flying Doctors Nigeria, a medical emergency service that specializes in air ambulances, and other remote site medical solutions services, won the health start-ups category.

Valentine's Day celebrated in true #WomanMadeinAfrica style

February 12, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Every lioness needs a little love in their lives, and also to share a little love, so this Valentine's Day weekend, we are celebrating the power of romance and suggesting a few fabulous gift ideas, created by the talented women entrepreneurs and artisans in the Lionesses of Africa community. From the smallest of gifts in the form of handmade confectionery, to the extravagant gestures of love expressed in jewellery, our fabulous women entrepreneurs have something for everyone.

Is Ankara the new black?

February 11, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Photo Credit: www.myinnerfashionista.com

On a recent Saturday morning in Brooklyn, New York, women and a few men jostled to select from rows of racks of brightly coloured clothes designed in African print. There was barely any elbow room as people squeezed past each other; and the shop assistants could barely keep the racks stocked fast enough. The long lines at the checkout registers were evidence people were spending lots of money. This was the scene at a recent pop-up store hosted by online store Zuvaa.com, which brands itself as ‘A Global Marketplace for African Design’.

Anthea Ambursley - The startup story of a South African entrepreneur passionate about the hospitality industry and empowering women to start businesses

February 11, 2016 Melanie Hawken

The most successful businesses tend to be led by entrepreneurs who are not only passionate about what they do, but those that have a vision of how to empower others to follow in their footsteps. Anansi is one such multi-faceted company, and the brainchild of its talented founder, Anthea Ambursley, who is passing on her wisdom and experience through a number of platforms in her business.

Quote of the Day by Juliana Rotich

February 11, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Juliana Rotich, technologist and social entrepreneur (Kenya) — **Juliana Rotich,** technologist and social entrepreneur (Kenya)

"Passion makes you approach a task with childlike pleasure and zeal - it ensures that you give it your all."

- Juliana Rotich is a Technologist, MIT Media Lab Director's Fellow, TED Senior Fellow and currently serves as Chair of World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Data Driven Development. She is co-founder of Ushahidi Inc, a non-profit tech company, born in Africa, which specializes in developing free and open source software for information collection, interactive mapping and data curation. Ushahidi builds tools for democratizing information, increasing transparency and lowering the barriers for individuals to share their stories. She leads a team that is expanding its global footprint and making crowdsourcing tools available and useful, and catalyzing entrepreneurial initiatives like iHub in Kenya. In 2011 The World Economic Forum named Juliana 'Social Entrepreneur of the Year'.

Ayoronke Tosin-Yeye - The startup story of a Nigerian entrepreneur on a mission to mentor others in Africa

February 10, 2016 Melanie Hawken

IMentorAfrica is the brainchild of Nigerian entrepreneur Ayoronke Tosin-Yeye, and is a company focused on helping entrepreneurs find mentors in their key areas of expertise and interest. Her online solution provides instant access to both experienced mentors and information, and brings an entrepreneurial network together.

Emily Pienaar - The startup story of a South African perfumier, inspired by traditional French perfume-making but celebrating Africa’s unique flora

February 10, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Emily Pienaar, founder of Rose en Bos (South Africa) — **Emily Pienaar**, founder of Rose en Bos (South Africa)

Perfume is very evocative of time and place and a very personal experience for the wearer. In the case of South African perfume house, Rose en Bos, founded by entrepreneur Emily Pienaar, the inspiration comes from the spectacular and world-renowned Cape Floral Kingdom. To wear these perfumes is to be transported to this beautiful, unspoilt and unique part of the world.