the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
Lilly Alfonso
Award Winner
Malawi’s greatest fashion export and award winning design entrepreneur, Lilly Alfonso, has been honoured with a UMP Fashion Living Legend Award. The award presentation took place at the 2019 UMP Awards music and fashion blended event held on 14 December at the Crossroads Hotel, Blantyre, Malawi.
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Suzi Weiss-Fischmann
Book Review
Inspiring women to pursue their own colorful dreams, I'm Not Really a Waitress tells the story of how entrepreneur and co-founder of OPI, Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, transformed a small dental supply company into a #1 beauty brand around the world.
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by Brigette Mashile, founder of Roka Roko
The moment you decide to start a business, understand that taking a conscious break will be impossible. A business has so many aspects to it that need your attention each day; so much so that taking a Saturday off is a sin. Imagine, a weekend day! You will feel bad for doing nothing all day, people will definitely contact you on that very day you are off; and you will want to speak to them. So ideally, taking a break as an entrepreneur becomes a struggle to pretend you don’t have work all day.
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by Kathryn Main, founder of Money Savvy Kids
The most wonderful time of the year is also the most expensive. When the Christmas spirit takes over, that one crucial ability to save is conveniently misplaced. This loss of ability is seldom noticed, but will deal a detrimental blow to your bank account in the long run. Money Savvy Kids (MSK) is built on the foundations of saving and budgeting, just to name a few. And it is here to help you through the hardest time of the year by saving and budgeting your way to a worry-free January.
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by Alice da Silva
A case study based on my personal experience:
Despite a current difficult economy, business services are still needed. Customers are under strain and are more discerning when it comes to choosing a service provider. Sometimes it’s a grudge spend following an unplanned emergency. It’s bad enough being forced to spend money when survival and priorities must be carefully considered, so to have bad service on top of that is just too unpleasant. Customers still have choices, and they choose who gets the business.
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Lorna Rutto, founder of EcoPost (Kenya)
Shikha Vincent, founder of SHIKHAZURI (Kenya)
Seek out frank advice....
Shikha Vincent, founder of SHIKHAZURI (Kenya)
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Flora Mutahi, founder & CEO of Melvin Marsh International (Kenya)
Flora Mutahi, founder & CEO of Melvin Marsh International (Kenya)
Read moreLorna Rutto resigned her comfortable banking job in 2009 to start EcoPost in Nairobi. Every month, her company uses approximately 20 tons of plastic waste. Utilising dirty plastic to make a product that saves wood is not just an environmental plus; it also boosts employment.
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Event Report | LionessLeanInENTERPRISE
Bringing a close to a packed Lioness Lean In Enterprise schedule for 2019 in South Africa, hosted in partnership with ABSA, the final event the took place on 4 December in the innovative environment of the Equinox Centre in Sandton, Johannesburg. Over the past few months, these special Lioness Lean In Enterprise events have aimed to bring high growth potential women entrepreneurs together in one room to talk about how they address their challenges with access to funding, markets, and opportunities. And importantly, because of the impact partnership with Absa, also potential solutions to those challenges.
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Filipa Oliveira, founder of MIRA Market Intelligence Research Angola
Startup Story
Any successful business knows that getting access to accurate and timeous market research and data is essential to success. Entrepreneur Filipa Oliveira, founder of MIRA Market Intelligence Research Angola, is bringing world class market insights to her customers to help them to tap into and grow their customer bases.
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Vânia Ribeiro, founder of Assinebwe, Lda (Angola)
Startup Story
In Angola, individuals and companies spend vast amounts of time completing administrative tasks by hand that can be done in minutes by harnessing the power of digital technology. Entrepreneur Vânia Ribeiro, founder of Assinebwe, Lda, is bringing the necessary software solutions to make things faster and more efficient.
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Victoria L. Crittenden
Book Review
The role of women in business and society is beset with traditions and expectations that leave women's ambitious desires unfulfilled. And yet, with the rise of the female entrepreneur, this is changing. In her new book, Go-To-Market Strategies for Women Entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship expert Victoria L. Crittenden, along with a cast of first-rate global contributors, provides a lens into the power of women entrepreneurship.
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by Lizl Naude, founder of Lilly Loompa
I was watching the after-show of the Rugby World Cup 2019 in Tokyo on TV recently, and I experienced goosebumps as I watched South Africans from all walks of life sing “Shozoloza” in unity outside the stadium. It was electrifying and heart-warming. Sometimes we focus so much on what makes us different from each other, that we tend to forget how similar we actually are, and what makes our country so unique.
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by Lori Milner
Think about the last time you took leave. Was it filled with a slight sense of dread and the self-talk went ‘this is the worst possible time to take leave’. And then you take the leave and spend the time with a heavy cloud of guilt hanging over your head worrying about the ‘stuff’ that can’t possibly get done without you. Eventually you get to the end of the period and you return to work possibly more highly strung than before you left. If this resonates or sounds familiar…I encourage you to continue reading….. The truth is there is never going to be a time where it feels like it’s finally the perfect opportunity to take leave. So knowing this universal truth, I encourage you to plan your time off in advance before you reach near burnout or breaking point.
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by Sylvia Walker, author of SmartWoman
It’s that time of the year again when we are bombarded with messages enticing us to spend money, and the heat is on in terms of spoiling those nearest and dearest to us. So much expectation is created around this season - entertaining, socializing, gifting and more. While it’s a wonderful time to connect with family and friends, it’s also a very easy time to fall into the trap of over-spending, leaving a financial hangover to deal with as you enter the new year.
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Event Report
The topic of how to unpack constraints to gender equality was the primary focus of the Global Gender Summit held on 25 to 27 November in the beautiful city of Kigali in Rwanda. The event got underway with a glittering Opening Ceremony at the Kigali Convention Centre, featuring welcoming remarks from Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank, and His Excellency Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda. The morning’s programme set the tone for the event as a whole, with a high level panel discussion featuring both opening speakers, and including His Excellency Sahle-Work Zewde, President of Ethiopia; His Excellency Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission; and Ms Lerato Motsamai, Founder and CEO, Petrolink.
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FinDev Canada, Managing Director, Paul Lamontagne (centre) congratulates winners of the Invest2Impact Awards, from left: Climate Change and the Environment award winner, Lucy Mutinda of Ecocycle Ltd from Kenya; Women’s Empowerment award winner, Blandine Umiziranenge of Kosmotive from Rwanda; Social Innovation award winner Yvette Ishimwe of Iriba Water Group Limited from Rwanda; and Youth Employment or Entrepreneurship Award winner, Beryl Anyiti Walubengo of Crystal Africa Cleaning Service Limited from Kenya.
Award Winners
On the evening of 25 November 2019, the city of Kigali in Rwanda played host to a very special event, coordinated to recognize the achievements of one hundred East African women entrepreneurs. These impact driven women were announced as the winners of the inaugural 2019 2X Invest2Impact. The event was part of the Global Gender Summit 2019. 2X Invest2Impact was organized and launched by the development finance institutions (DFIs) of Canada (FinDev Canada), the United Kingdom (CDC Group plc), France (Proparco) and the United States (OPIC), in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.
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Arese Ugwu
Essential Read
When it comes to making, keeping and growing money, if anyone knows about the challenges facing Africa’s women entrepreneurs, and women in general on the continent in this regard, it’s Arese Ugwu. In her latest book, The Smart Money Tribe, she continues her novel approach to storytelling and educating on financial literacy by sharing the experiences of five young women in Nigeria. Arese’s latest book follows hard on the heels of her previous best-seller, The Smart Money Woman.
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Sam Blake, founder of Skinadore Holistic Skincare (Zimbabwe)
Startup Story
As more and more people are becoming conscious about the type of products they put onto their skin, the desire to find more natural solutions is growing. In Zimbabwe, Sam Blake, founder of Skinadore Holistic Skincare and an experienced Aesthetician herself, has the solution.
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