the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
by Margaret Hirsch
Are you stuck in a job that pays well, puts a roof over your head and food on the table, but secretly, deep down, you really wish you could be doing something else?Something that would really fill your cup. I had this conversation with a friend recently. She has just turned 40 and is in a really good, well-paying job. She is top of her game but just feels that there is more out there. That’s exactly how I felt a few years ago and so I decided to make a change.
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Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa
This year, Lionesses of Africa marks another important milestone on our journey as social impact innovators. It is 10 years since we launched on the first Women’s Entrepreneurship Day in 2014 with a mission to empower Africa’s women entrepreneurs to fulfill their potential and drive economic growth on the continent. So much has happened since that launch, and our mission and vision has grown, as has the size of our Lionesses of Africa community - now 1.8 million women entrepreneurs strong, and still growing! We have much to reflect on and celebrate as we plan the next exciting phase of our entrepreneurial journey.
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Speech by Peter Derrek Hof, Ambassador Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, Director Social Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at Start-Up Night Africa on Tuesday 11 June 2024
Excellencies, representatives from the African Development Bank, the African Guarantee Fund, the ABSA Bank, the private sector, civil society, government, dear and esteemed guests, Welcome!
Welcome, on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, represented tonight by yours truly and by my colleague Wampie Libon, whom you will see later.
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L-R: Melissa Basque-Roux, Ag. Coordinator, AFAWA (Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa), African Development Bank; Melanie Hawken, Founder & CEO, Lionesses of Africa; Farshida Zafar, Director, Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship
Launch Announcement
The 2nd Start-Up Night Africa event held on 11 June 2024 in The Hague, The Netherlands, was the launchpad for an important new research project announcement by Lionesses of Africa, in partnership with AFAWA (Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa), and with the technical support of Lionesses of Africa’s research partner, Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship. The research aims to address identified gendered gaps in data and insights that are barriers to achieving greater, more equitable, funding and support for women entrepreneurs in Africa. The project aims to deliver better insights into Africa’s women entrepreneurs who have launched high-growth ventures ambitiously going after double-digit growth and creating scalable business models to significantly impact the market, and their communities.
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by Ntsoaki Sibiya
The entrepreneurial journey primes you with marks of strength and resilience. It is not an easy ride, but it is certainly a fulfilling labour of love when you walk in your authentic purpose and use your expertise, skills and talents to make a meaningful contribution in impacting the lives of others.
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by Lori Milner
What will it take to create your ideal average day? Notice I didn’t say your ideal day because that probably involves being on a beach somewhere sipping cocktails. Those are the exceptions throughout the year, but what if you could get better at creating your ideal average day with work commitments, school runs and the usual in-betweens?
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by Vuyelwa Gxakushe
As we reach the mid-year mark, the end-of-season sale frenzy is upon us. Customers are on the hunt for great deals, seeking quality products at unbeatable prices. For SMEs, this is a crucial period to capture attention and boost sales. Here's how to ensure your business stands out and thrives during this competitive season.
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by Kathryn Main
In an era marked by rising living costs and stagnant salaries, achieving financial stability and prosperity has become increasingly challenging for many individuals. In such a landscape, personalized financial coaching emerges as a beacon of hope, offering tailored guidance and support to navigate the complexities of personal finance. Let's delve into the tenfold benefits of individual financial coaching and why it's indispensable in today's world.
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by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
It has taken us almost two weeks to come down from the high and to make sense in our minds of what happened on June 11th 2024, but what we do know for sure is that before, during, and after our Start-Up Night Africa event where we showcased and celebrated ten truly inspirational Lionesses of (and into) Africa in our own particular way (more of that later!), lives were changed and people were impacted, links made and partnerships cemented on this memorable day.
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Victoria Holtz
Book Review
If you are ready to revolutionize your business strategy and achieve exponential growth, then Victoria Holtz’s book, ”Move To Great: 12 Strategies For Business Exponential Growth Leveraging AI” is a must read. Do you want to be at the forefront of AI and business transformation? Victoria’s groundbreaking guide will help you to unlock your business potential in the age of artificial intelligence.
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Sabine Lydia Müller, founder, Tchambalakate Comércio e Serviços Soc.Unip., Lda (Mozambique)
Startup Story
Sabine Lydia Müller is the founder of Tchambalakate Comércio e Serviços Soc.Unip., Lda in Mozambique. She is passionate about regenerative organic agriculture, agroforestry, Mozambique, and the decolonization of Africa. Through her self-employed work as consultant in Germany and Mozambique, her involvement in various publications, and in organic certifications, Sabine aims to share knowledge and best practices on how to improve the resilience and sustainability of food systems and ecosystems. She believes in the peaceful coexistence of nature and human beings, and strives to make a positive impact with her work. As a Communications Manager with over 17 years of experience in PR, social media, and brand marketing, Sabine leverages her skills and network to raise awareness and support for her clients’ projects and initiatives.
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Puleng Kgosiesele, Founding Director, MindGYM (Botswana)
Startup Story
Puleng Kgosiesele is the Founding Director of MindGYM in Botswana. A Mindset Coach, Facilitator, and Speaker, her business is focused on empowering others to show up and participate in work and life in new ways, making new choices, and practicing new behaviours needed for lasting change in the area of personal growth. She offers solutions based on elevating mindsets, to strip away misguided self-beliefs that hinder and thwart people at every turn, helping them mature into a more complex understanding of themselves and maximizing their full potential.
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Sasha Knott and Kelly Louw
Lioness Weekender Cover Story
Job Crystal, growing small to medium business by giving them the ability to hire in seconds, by using AI, while helping the cash flow!
Sasha Knott, the CEO of Job Crystal, started her career in IT and moved quickly in her career finding her passion for entrepreneurship and combining this with technology that works for the customer and often disrupts industries. Kelly Louw, the COO of Job Crystal, started her career in Recruitment and has become a well-known professional in the Recruitment space. Their current plan is to grow small to medium business by giving them the ability to hire in seconds, by using AI, while helping the cash flow! The vision is to make a dent in unemployment in Africa, while working on the SDG goal 8 of Decent work and Economic Growth worldwide. The business started in 2009, but Sasha and Kelly bought it in 2015, and today it has created jobs for 18 people.
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Media Release
Highlighting the critical role of investment and the power of partnerships to address the gender finance gap for high-growth women entrepreneurs in Africa and the Netherlands, were the key focus of discussion at the 2nd Start-Up Night Africa event on 11 June 2024, in The Hague, The Netherlands. The event was once again hosted by Lionesses of Africa, a fast-growing social impact organization with 1.8 million women entrepreneurs across the African continent, in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Netherlands, African Guarantee Fund, AFAWA, and Absa. Opening remarks were delivered by Lionesses of Africa founder & ceo, Melanie Hawken; Peter Derrek Hof, Ambassador Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, Director Social Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Nishdeep Sethi, Group Director, Structured Finance, African Guarantee Fund. Also providing a welcome address was Erik Parigger, Programme Coordinator Orange Corners.
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Tuduetso Kereeditse Tebape, co-founder, Nubian Seed (Botswana)
Startup Story
Tuduetso Kereeditse Tebape is the co-founder of Nubian Seed in Botswana, a business that produces natural and organic personal care products using indigenous African botanical and bio-derived ingredients. Tuduetso is passionate about educating on the benefits of these natural ingredients and showcasing Africa's natural wonders for personal care. Tuduetso supports holistic, sustainable living and strives to teach Nubian Seed product users that 100% natural products benefit not only the skin but also foster a connection to the Earth, promoting mindfulness about holistic well-being and a state of Oneness with Mother Earth.
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Kgomotso Twagirayezu, founder, Shedol Group (Botswana)
Startup Story
Kgomotso Twagirayezu is the founder of Shedol Group, a natural cosmetics manufacturing company founded in 2015 and which commenced its operations in 2018. She has an extensive background not only in the cosmetics industry but also as a businesswoman with broad experience in varied industries. The company is passionate about the use of sustainable indigenous botanicals from across the African continent while paying special attention to Kgomotso’s homeland, Botswana, by continually incorporating and researching the natural plants that are beneficial not only for ingestion but also for healthy skin. She not only caters for individual personal care but also serves the hospitality industry by manufacturing sustainable and eco-friendly hotel amenities. The business has created jobs for 10 people.
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Barbara Gwanmesia, Founder, President & CVO, Batazia (Netherlands)
Lioness Weekender Cover Story
Batazia, a business building language technologies enabling authentic translation of content into, from, and across African languages.
Barbara Gwanmesia is the Founder, President & CVO of Batazia – a Netherlands-based edu-tech startup that is dedicated to making reading, writing, and learning possible in all African languages, and to using AI and Machine Translation technologies to enable authentic translation of content into, from and across African languages. Barbara is also the creator of the Afribol snack that became a bestseller in The Netherlands' biggest food retail chain Albert Heijn to-go – raising thousands of euros for the maternity bills of women in Africa who could not pay their hospital bills. With a background in anthropology, journalism, and social entrepreneurship, Barbara has dedicated her life to seeking ways to change the African narrative in knowledge dissemination and poverty alleviation. She is also an author and a singer; and holds Masters and MPhil degrees in International Relations and African Studies, as well as a Higher Diploma in Journalism.
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Book Review
In her new book, Think Like a Brand. Act Like a Startup: Drive Growth and Innovation by Balancing Stability and Agility, Lauren Perkins helps you to transform your business with a hybrid approach to achieve revolutionary innovation and long-term success.
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by Lori Milner
Are your New Year's resolutions going strong, or are they a distant memory, and the year feels like it's running away without you? You may also feel that your resolutions are irrelevant because circumstances have shifted beyond what you'd expected, and they seem immaterial in the scheme of things. To recalibrate, consider booking off time for a mid-year annual review. An offsite planning day just for yourself; it doesn't have to be a full day, even a few hours.
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by Jenny Reid
CV Reference Checks are a valuable part of the pre-employment screening process as these days, it is incredibly simple to falsify prior employment, references, and education. A CV reference check verifies all the information provided by a candidate in their CV and either confirms the information is factual or proves that the information is false or exaggerated.
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