Cover Feature / Jules Ngankam, Group CEO, African Guarantee Fund (AGF)

On a crisp evening in The Hague on 17 September 2025, the 3rd Start-Up Night Africa event in The Netherlands took place, hosted by Lionesses of Africa in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The event served as a rallying point for improving access to finance, supporting women entrepreneurs building high-growth businesses in Africa. Taking the stage, African Guarantee Fund (AGF) Group CEO Jules Ngankam delivered a message that resonated long after the applause: women are the backbone of Africa’s economies - and when their financial potential is unlocked, the continent’s growth story is rewritten.

Lioness Pitch Profile / Start-Up Night Africa, The Hague, 2025

Inez van Oord is the co-founder of Fiber Foods Group, a company that creates economic, social, and sustainable value for all stakeholders. Fiber Foods develops clean-label, whole-food ingredients in Africa that help food producers meet the growing consumer demand for healthier, more sustainable products. Fiber Foods is the inventor of PrimeJack® — a premium dehydrated jackfruit ingredient designed for large-scale food manufacturers.

Lioness Pitch Profile / Start-Up Night Africa, The Hague, 2025

Marthe Paauwe is the founder of Money Phone BV, a Dutch Fintech founded in 2018 that provides fast, affordable, and transparent loans to MSMEs, students, and smallholder farmers. Using AI credit scoring and mobile platforms, they empower the unbanked with inclusive access to credit; anytime, anywhere. Through MoneyPhone Africa, they aim to provide access to finance through their advanced technology, empowering rural communities in Rwanda and beyond while keeping costs minimal.

Podcast Interview

Following his powerful opening address at the 3rd Start-Up Night Africa event in The Hague, the Netherlands, on 17 September 2025, Mr Jules Ngankam, Group Chief Executive Officer of the African Guarantee Fund, was a guest on the Lioness Radio Podcast speaking about the journey from Bias to Bankable - AGF’s Case for Financing Women Entrepreneurs.

Feature

In Africa’s dynamic entrepreneurship landscape, the conversation around access to finance for women-led enterprises has never been more critical. At the Lionesses of Africa Start-Up Night Africa 2025 in The Hague, leading women entrepreneurs and investors came together to explore how capital, when thoughtfully structured, can unlock exponential growth. The event, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, showcased real-world success stories of African women founders scaling beyond borders and redefining the continent’s investment narrative.

Lioness Pitch Profile / Start-Up Night Africa, The Hague, 2025

Nkem Okocha is the founder of Mama Moni, a fintech company that provides inclusive digital financial services tailored for women in Nigeria. The company’s advanced female-only agent network helps to drive financial services to financially excluded women and the last mile.

Lioness Pitch Profile / Start-Up Night Africa, The Hague, 2025

Claudia Castellanos, co-founder and CEO of Black Mamba Foods in Eswatini, is passionate about The Black Mamba Manifesto: Building a Better World Through Good Food. Black Mamba is an African brand that makes bold, award-winning condiments with organically grown ingredients sourced from small-holder farmers. Exported to 12+ countries, the brand’s products deliver flavour with impact, uplifting 1,000+ people while proving food can be good for you, farmers, and the planet.

Lionesses of Africa Event

Welcome address by Peter-Derrek Hof, Ambassador Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, Director Social Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at Start-Up Night Africa on Wednesday 17 September 2025.

Lionesses of Africa Event

Finding solutions to closing the continuing gender finance gap for high-growth women entrepreneurs in Africa and the Netherlands was the key focus of discussion at the 3rd Start-Up Night Africa event on 17 September 2025, in The Hague, The Netherlands. The event was once again hosted by Lionesses of Africa, a fast-growing social impact organisation with 1.8 million women entrepreneurs across the African continent, in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Netherlands. 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 a special address was given by African Guarantee Fund Group CEO, Mr Jules Ngankam.

Lionesses of Africa Event

As a key driver of Lionesses of Africa’s ‘Access to Markets and Investment Programme,’ Start-Up Night Africa in The Hague aimed to connect Africa’s high-growth women entrepreneurs to European investment opportunities, and women entrepreneurs in The Netherlands looking to expand their current businesses in Africa. We showcased 10 inspirational women entrepreneurs in growth-mode at the event on 17 September 2025, all looking for new investment, markets, and collaboration opportunities. If you didn’t get to meet each of them on the evening, then take a look at their pitch videos, which have all been published on the Lionesses of Africa website, and make those all important connections now.

by Melanie Hawken, Founder & CEO, Lionesses of Africa

On 17 September 2025 in The Hague, we gathered for Start‑Up Night Africa — our third time hosting this event in the Netherlands, in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Netherlands, and the seventh event of its kind around the globe. It remains clear why the Netherlands serves so well as our European HQ: it is a hub of innovation, a champion of gender equality, and a bridge for African women entrepreneurs seeking to access new markets and investment.

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.

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.

Startup Night Africa, The Hague 2024

As a key driver of Lionesses of Africa’s ‘Access to Markets and Investment Programme,’ Start-Up Night Africa in The Hague aimed to connect Africa’s high-growth women entrepreneurs to European investment opportunities, and women entrepreneurs in The Netherlands looking to access African markets and partnerships. We showcased 10 inspirational women entrepreneurs in growth-mode at the event on 11 June 2024, all looking for new investment, markets, and collaboration opportunities. If you didn’t get to meet each of them on the evening, then take a look at their pitch videos below, which have all been published on the Lionesses of Africa website, and make those all important connections now.

Startup Night Africa, The Hague / Lionesses in Profile

As a key driver of Lionesses of Africa’s ‘Access to Markets and Investment Programme,’ Start-Up Night Africa in The Hague aimed to connect Africa’s high-growth women entrepreneurs to international markets and investment opportunities. We showcased 10 inspirational women entrepreneurs in growth-mode at the event on 11 July 2023, all looking for new investment, markets, and collaboration opportunities. If you didn’t get to meet each of them on the evening, then take a look at their start-up stories below, which have all been published on the Lionesses of Africa website, and make those all important connections now.

Start-up Night Africa - The Hague

The Start-Up Night Africa event in The Hague on 11 July 2023 will celebrate the opening of the European office of Lionesses of Africa. The focus of the event will be on the critical role of investment and the power of partnerships to address the gender finance gap for women entrepreneurs in growth mode in Africa.

Lioness Business Agility Series / Live Webinar / In partnership with Absa

This has been a tough 18 months for business, and there is still so much uncertainty to deal with. So how do you now make the move from just trying to survive the current ups and downs as a business and instead fast-track your success? It’s all about harnessing the power of digital transformation. That’s the topic for the latest in the series of Lioness Business Agility Webinars taking place on Wednesday 22 September at 9.45am.

Absa Lionesses Xpo

A wealth of opportunity is open for corporate buyers, CEOs and other decision-makers to connect and engage with 117 leading women entrepreneurs from a range of industry sectors in South Africa at the web-based Absa Lionesses Xpo, a sophisticated virtual exhibition platform, which went live on 29 October.

Absa Lionesses Xpo

Doing business with women entrepreneurs has never been more vital, as South Africa grapples with the ripple-effect of the extended lockdown and economic crisis. The challenge is to connect women business owners with potential corporate buyers. Against this backdrop, the Absa Lionesses Xpo has been developed to showcase a diverse array of products and services from 117 of South Africa’s exciting women-owned businesses on a sophisticated virtual platform that will be launched on 29 October. The initiative is a partnership between Lionesses of Africa and Absa.

VW Lionesses Den Competition

Volkswagen South Africa in partnership with Lionesses of Africa, are thrilled to announce the winners of the VW Lionesses Den competition. The panel of judges have selected the top three pitches after calling on women-owned businesses all over South Africa to share a two-minute pitch to win a total of R175,000 cash injection for their businesses. The winners will use the capital to invest in their businesses and in turn, help drive the South African economy forward.

Event Report

Many businesses are trying to relaunch following the recent lockdown in South Africa, and importantly ensure their brands are visible in an increasingly competitive marketplace. However, without having the luxury of big ad spend budgets to achieve that visibility and customer connection, some innovative thinking and reinvention is required. The 2nd Lioness Business Agility Webinar, in partnership with Absa, took place on 19 June 2020 - the aim was to bring together leading women entrepreneurs with years of experience in brand building, to share their very personal insights and experiences on how to build a brand to last, post the COVID pandemic.

Event report / Lioness Enterprise

At Lionesses of Africa, we know how tough this lockdown has been on women entrepreneurs in our community across the African continent. It’s more critical now than ever that we remain agile to survive and thrive - and importantly to stay connected with each other. So it was exciting to launch the first in a series of special Lioness Enterprise Webinars on Thursday 30 April in partnership with Absa.

Event Report

A packed audience of passionate, ambitious women entrepreneurs with growth on their minds gathered together in Johannesburg on the morning of 6 March for the second Lioness Lean In event of the year - and what an inspirational morning it was. The event provided the perfect early celebration of International Women’s Day, and what better way of marking the occasion than with a gathering of 150 amazing women entrepreneurs, all looking to share, inspire and connect.

Event Report

The first Lioness Lean In event of the year is always a special one, and this was certainly the case for 2020. On 7 February, women entrepreneurs came out in force in Johannesburg, gathering once again in the familiar surroundings of Volkswagen South Africa’s Sandton headquarters. The venue was the perfect spot for the event, with one of the best views of Sandton for attendees to enjoy.

Event Report

The UK-Africa Investment Summit on 20 January 2020 laid the foundations for new partnerships between the UK and African nations based on trade, investment, shared values and mutual interest. Billions of pounds of new commercial deals were announced highlighting the strength of the UK’s offer and existing relationship with Africa. The UK also announced new initiatives and funding which will: strengthen the joint trading relationship, support African countries in their ambition to transform their economies, launch a major new partnership with the city of London, turbo-charge infrastructure financing, and enable Africa’s clean energy potential. Women’s economic empowerment through entrepreneurship was also high on the agenda. The UK’s ambition is to be the investment partner of choice for Africa, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and ensuring the mutual prosperity of all our nations.

Event Report

On 17 January, Lionesses of Africa Founder & CEO, Melanie Hawken, joined other senior business and government leaders at a High-Level SDG Investment Roundtable in London, hosted on the margins of the UK-Africa Investment Summit. The focus of the roundtable was to discuss how to unlock private investment across the African Continental Free Trade Area to realize Sustainable Development Goals. 

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

Women entrepreneurs from the Lionesses of Africa community took part in a special business event on 16 January in London designed to champion African women in business, ahead of the UK-Africa Investment Summit next week. Start-up Night Africa! London saw 11 women Founders, CEOs and entrepreneurs pitch their businesses to a room of UK investors, buyers, influencers and media as one of a number of focused events organized in the lead up to the summit.  

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.

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.

Event report 

On 11 November, in the heart of New York City, an audience of around 70 US asset owners and investment advisors gathered together for an event hosted by Morgan Stanley and the United Nations Capital Development Fund. The topic of discussion was how these asset owners could gender their portfolios and support women entrepreneurs through investing. Lionesses of Africa Founder and CEO, Melanie Hawken, was one of the guest speakers sharing her insights on the subject at this prestigious event.