Will the next innovative, globally important consumer brand for women emerge from Africa?

By now you will probably have heard that this has been declared the Decade of the African Woman Entrepreneur. What makes it important is that women across the continent are becoming empowered to launch and build sustainable companies capable of producing the products and services that women actually want in their day to day lives. Instead of simply being passive consumers, tenacious women entrepreneurs in Africa are listening to other women, designing and manufacturing products that can positively change lives. Not only that, these women groundbreakers are tapping into an increasingly connected continent and a millennial generation that understands the power of taking products and services viral. Africa is a continent that is changing and women are at the forefront of driving that change because they are powerful consumers, not simply a niche market to pay lip service to. Women control household spending, education spending, clothing and medical care spending, to name but a few. They have a say in the types of products and services they need, and women entrepreneurs are listening to that voice and providing the solutions. So who knows, maybe the next innovative globally important consumer brand focused on women will emerge from Africa? There has never been a better time than now.