Ady Namaran Coulibaly, an ardent promoter of African languages, facilitating language inclusion for the continent’s people

February 9, 2025 Melanie Hawken

**Ady Namaran Coulibaly, Co-Founder, Bolingo Consult**

Ady Namaran Coulibaly is Co-Founder and Quality and Compliance Manager of Bolingo Consult, a language services company established in 2019, which currently has offices in Ghana and Rwanda and a 10-person strong workforce. Through Bolingo Consult, Ady supports organisations and businesses looking to engage populations in Africa in their mother tongues and expand their reach within the continent. Ady is an ardent promoter of African languages, having co-founded the African Languages Conference.

Diana Dwamena, a telehealth and digital transformation company creating access to quality healthcare in Ghana and UK

October 6, 2024 Melanie Hawken

Diana Dwamena, founder and CEO, Mahiri-Telehealth Limited (Ghana/UK)

Diana Dwamena is the founder and CEO of Mahiri-Telehealth Limited, a telehealth and digital transformation company founded in 2014, employing 11 people, and headquartered in the UK. She was an original board member of the Healthcare Federation of Ghana (2017 – 2022) and part of the Telehealth Stakeholder Group setup by Ghana Health Services (GHS) in 2015. Diana is a trailblazing strategist and tech-savvy innovator who has been shaping the digital transformation landscape for over two decades. With her impressive track record of pioneering impactful technology solutions. In August 2023, Diana was featured in a Lionesses of Africa’ Startup Story for another of her companies in the digital learning and EdTech space, The Learning Nuggets Company Limited.

Diana Dwamena, a digital transformation strategist developing workforces for the future in Ghana

August 26, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Diana Dwamena, founder and ceo, The Learning Nuggets Company Limited (Ghana)

Diana Dwamena is the founder and ceo of digital learning and transformation company, The Learning Nuggets Company Limited, in Ghana. She is a trailblazing strategist and tech-savvy innovator who has been shaping the digital transformation landscape for over two decades. With her impressive track record of pioneering impactful technology solutions, she has been featured in the esteemed UK History of Parliament Trust's “300 Years of Leadership and Innovation” commemorative album. She launched her business in 2007 and it employs 5 people.

Emi-Beth Aku Quantson, a Ghanaian social entrepreneur creating impact through coffee

August 25, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Emi-Beth Aku Quantson, Founder & CEO, Kawa Moka Coffee Company (Ghana)

Emi-Beth Aku Quantson is the Founder, CEO and Chief Caffeination Officer at Kawa Moka Coffee Company, Ghana's leading social enterprise coffee company and roaster, where she drives investment and growth. She has raised over $200,000 in debt and equity investments; created over 250 jobs in coffee through farmer partnerships and employment of marginalized groups; and established Accra's largest roastery, supplying major supermarkets and cafes across the country and internationally. Emi-Beth has been recognized by the President of the Republic of Ghana, President Akuffo Addo. Prior to founding Kawa Moka in 2015, Emi-Beth worked as a tax consultant and transfer pricing expert at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in Ghana and Kenya.

Ama Brenya, a Ghanaian entrepreneur building a wholesale bakery products manufacturing business

August 12, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Ama Brenya, founder and ceo, LADL Patisserie Company Limited (Ghana)

Ama Brenya is the founder and ceo of LADL Patisserie Company Limited in Ghana. She has about 10 years’ experience working in the mining industry as a Chemical Engineer and three years working in the banking sector in supply and logistics management. She officially ventured in to entrepreneurship since 2017, operating a brick and mortar pastry shop and then added a mobile food truck from which she sold pastries along some streets in the business district in Accra. During the pandemic in 2020, it became necessary to rethink her business strategy in order to remain relevant and resilient. During the lockdown, the idea of producing frozen croissants and bread rolls was birthed.

Mawuse Christina Gyisun, a Ghanaian catalyst for transformative change in Agritech

August 12, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Sommalife, a social enterprise using cutting-edge technology to create transparency and traceability in West Africa’s shea value chain

Mawuse Christina Gyisun is an award-winning social entrepreneur and esteemed co-founder of Sommalife, revolutionizing the Agritech landscape with her unwavering commitment to rural development. She has become a leading force in driving positive change and empowering smallholder women farmers across West Africa. Within three years at the helm of Sommalife, Mawuse has spearheaded transformative initiatives that have reached over 60,000 women farmers in northern Ghana. Through her visionary leadership, these women farmers have gained easy access to financing, conservation tools, and international markets. As a result, more than 7,000 of these farmers experienced a 22.75% increase in their income in 2022, a testament to Mawuse's dedication and commitment to rural development.

Baaba Ankrah, a passionate champion of Ghana's Indigenous handwoven Kente

June 18, 2023 Melanie Hawken

GOBA Kente Limited, a proudly Ghanaian company producing bespoke Kente, one of Africa’s most universally recognized fabrics

Baaba Ankrah is the founder of GOBA Kente in Accra, Ghana, a company specializing in bespoke Kente, one of the most universally recognized of all African fabrics. Her business produces highly authentic, handcrafted Kente products to a wide range of clients, thereby contributing to the promotion of indigenous handwoven Kente and the work of craftsmen in Ghana. On a personal level, Baaba is a determined woman with a dream to succeed. Calling herself a bona fide hustler, she says she is passionate about learning and consistently strives to position herself to receive all the blessings God and life has to offer, one day at a time.

Blessed Agyemang, a Ghanaian industry leader in Brand Management, Personal and Professional Development Training and Consulting

May 21, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Blessed Agyemang, founder Herrada (Ghana)

Blessed Agyemang is an award-winning entrepreneur, key note speaker and management consultant, and founder of Herrada in Ghana. Blessed has her areas of expertise in supply chain management, business and operation strategy, operational and business development after she had already made an exemplary professional career climbing up the corporate ladder in what is one of the top multinational oil and gas firms within the Europe, Eurasia and Sub- Saharan (EESSA) and Africa Other (AO) regions.

Gwen Addo, a Ghanaian entrepreneur passionate about hair processing

April 23, 2023 Melanie Hawken

The Hair Senta, a leading human hair processing and wig manufacturing business in Africa

Gwyneth Gyimah Addo, often called Gwen by many, is the ceo of one of the leading Human Hair processing/manufacturing companies in Africa, The Hair Senta, headquartered in Ghana and shipping across the globe. The business was started in 2012 and today employs 40 people. Gwen is also a wife, a mother, a philanthropist, and a business strategist.

Vera Osei-Bonsu, a Ghanaian children’s nutrition focused entrepreneur

November 20, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Eat smart Foods and Start Right Nutrition Ltd, a food business putting baby and children’s nutrition first

Vera Osei-Bonsu is the founder and CEO of Eat Smart Foods and Start Right Nutrition in Ghana. Back in 2012, she was looking for a vibrant local business that made nutritious local food products for babies that are naturally fortified. Seeing the lack of healthier local baby food options in the area, she saw an opportunity. Start Right Nutrition was created in 2012 to advocate for healthy balanced foods for children from the ages of 6 months to 5 years and Eat Smart Foods was created in 2021 with the goal of bringing and manufacturing naturally fortified local baby food options. Currently, the business has over five products selling across the retailing sectors in Ghana, and has created jobs for 10 employees.Vera was awarded as the Emerging Star in Agribusiness in Africa in 2022, and the International Business Award in Africa in 2022 by Women in Agribusiness and Guzakuza.

Lioness Launch / New event venue launched in Ghana focused on customer relaxation needs

October 2, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Patience Maame Mensah, founder, Self Indulgence Company Limited (Ghana)

For customers looking for an event venue in Accra, Ghana for that special occasion, then Patience Maame Mensah, founder of Self Indulgence Company Limited, the multi-faceted home maintenance and property management agency with specialist nanny services and events offerings, has launched an exciting new venue.

Mary Aboagye, a Ghanaian agritech entrepreneur helping cereal farmers to thrive

October 2, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Mary Aboagye, co-founder, aiScarecrow Technologies (Ghana)

Mary Aboagye is a co-founder of aiScarecrow Technologies (Ghana), an Agritech startup focused on crop protection, helping cereal farmers successfully ward-off pest birds from consuming their crop. With her background as an environmental scientist, she established the environmental change agency, an organisation dedicated to environmental preservation. Her efforts got her enlisted as one of the top 540 women in Africa involved in the Agritech or Agribusiness space. She co-founded aiScarecrow Technologies in 2019 and has since then won several awards including the KIC Agritech challenge 2019, the ingenuity cup 2021, the Israeli green innovation competition 2022.

Yvette Tetteh, a Ghanaian entrepreneur building an impact driven agribusiness

May 14, 2022 Melanie Hawken

The Pure and Just Company, trading under the Yvaya Farm brand of tropical dried fruit, adds value to Ghana’s agribusiness sector

A Stanford University graduate, Yvette Tetteh is the co-founder and ceo of the Pure and Just Company, a rural-urban business transforming fresh fruit into natural, tropical dried fruit products. Yvette brings analytical thinking and academic rigour to team leadership and business development in the business which, founded in 2018, today employs 18 local people. In 5 years she has raised over US$170k in various personal and business awards and grants. Born and raised internationally, Yvette moved to her native Ghana in 2015. Her passion is to catalyse African potential in order to help create a world where all Africans have the economic capacity to achieve their dreams.

Tutuwa Ahwoi, a Ghanaian beauty brand-builder empowering women

May 1, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Nokware Skincare, a modern day, sustainable, African skincare company

Tutuwa Ahwoi is the 31 year old founder and CEO of Nokware Skincare. She was born in Accra, Ghana where she currently resides. She founded the business in 2017. Today, Nokware is a modern day African skincare company that has 11 female employees, 8 product lines (and counting) and a successful event gifting business.

Violet Amoabeng, a passion-driven natural skincare innovator in Ghana

February 13, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Skin Gourmet, a raw handmade skincare brand inspired by the West African bush

Violet A. Amoabeng is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Skin Gourmet Limited, a Ghanaian innovation that creates Raw handmade skincare sourced from the Wilds of Ghana and so pure you can eat it. Violet created Skin Gourmet on 9th October 2014 when she realized there was need for unadulterated high quality body and skincare that was safe for human consumption. In other words, the rawest, purest and wildest skin care sourced from the heart of the West African bush – Raw edible skincare!

Meghan McCormick, a fintech entrepreneur in Ghana equipping entrepreneurs to make data-driven decisions

February 6, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Meghan McCormick, co-founder & ceo of OZÉ (Ghana)

Currently, Meghan is the Co-founder & ceo of OZÉ, a fintech company in Ghana that equips African entrepreneurs to make data-driven decisions to both improve their business performance and access capital. Meghan McCormick started her work as a Community Economic Development Volunteer in the Peace Corps in Guinea. During her service, she founded Guinea’s first business accelerator, Dare to Innovate, and scaled it to be French-speaking Africa’s most active small business accelerator. Meghan previously worked as an Innovation Strategist at Monitor Deloitte. She has an MBA from MIT and an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Salma Abdulai, a visionary agribusiness entrepreneur changing lives in Ghana

September 5, 2021 Melanie Hawken

AMAATI Co. Ltd, an agri-business processing Fonio to empower small-scale women farmers

Salma Abdulai is the Co-Founder and CEO of AMAATI Company limited, a company that reflects her experience and passion for agriculture and social consciousness. She has her background in Agricultural Economics and has 10 years of experience working on different projects with International non-profit organizations. Her extensive experience in the agriculture sector is particularly focused on working with small scale rural farmers and women groups across Africa. She has managed AMAATI CO. Ltd since 2013 to become profitable, an agri-business company she co-founded which is into the processing and marketing of Fonio for local and export market.

Ruka Sanusi, a growth driven entrepreneur empowering women business leaders

August 22, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Alldens Lane, a business advisory company supporting women entrepreneurs in Africa’s small and growing business sector.

Ruka Sanusi is a highly accomplished business management consultant with 26 years of international consulting experience in Europe and across sub-Saharan Africa. Her career to date has been built around her abilities to both provide advice on matters of business/organisational strategy, operations and transformation, and organizing resources and facilities to implement recommendations – she has strategic and operational ability. An astute professional, through her work at Alldens Lane and her consulting work, Ruka supports enterprise leaders in the small and growing business sector. She particularly works with female business leaders to support them with their business transformation needs. Ruka previously served in senior management at PwC Ghana and PwC Nigeria. She has advised governments, public sector organisations and private corporations on international projects and assignments in 16 sub-Saharan African countries.

Keren Pybus, an ethical apparel manufacturing visionary in Africa

July 11, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Ethical Apparel Africa, an impact driven company based in Ghana and Benin, manufacturing at scale

Ethical Apparel Africa is a company co-founded by Keren Pybus based in Ghana and Benin, working with international brands who are interested in growing a manufacturing base in Africa with a positive social and environmental impact.

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