The real impact of women's entrepreneurship in Africa can be best understood when you look at the extended value chain that is integral to the businesses they are creating across the continent. For so many women entrepreneurs, it’s not just about building a business or a brand that can take care of their own economic futures. Instead, it’s also a question of the lives that can positively benefit through the creation of those businesses; the innovation of new products and services that can make a difference; the environment that can be improved through innovative new ways of doing things to protect our precious resources; and the businesses that can benefit through responsible supply chains that employ and support local people. I saw a great example of this philosophy during my visit this past week to Accra, Ghana, where I had the pleasure of meeting a young and dynamic entrepreneur, Kimberley Addison, cofounder of homegrown artisan luxury chocolate brand, 57 Chocolate. The company’s philosophy is based on a bean to bar approach to manufacture and distribution, adding value to everyone along the value chain, from cocoa bean grower to consumer. 57 Chocolate is a world-class brand that believes in not merely trading the country’s natural resources in their “natural” state, but instead using creativity to transform these resources by developing made in Ghana products of premium value. Africa needs more such women entrepreneurs who really understand the power of the entrepreneurial value chain in their countries.

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