Africa’s women entrepreneurs are a force for social and economic change

Much has been written about the impact that women entrepreneurs can make to the social and economic future of the African continent, but the scale of that impact is often underestimated. Consider these facts: as women entrepreneurs we typically reinvest 90% of our revenues back into our communities — by investing in education, in nutrition, in household expenditure, and in caring for our children and the elderly. This is not us saying it about ourselves — this is what the World Bank tells us is happening. Women entrepreneurs typically invest 90% back into their communities, whilst at the same time creating jobs and opportunities for other micro-entrepreneurs along their value chain. This significant impact is being recognised by governments in the region, with South Africa, for example, now acknowledging through its National Development Plan that 90% of the approximately 11 million jobs that need to be created by 2020 will be created through small businesses. There are women game-changers on the continent who are practically demonstrating that individuals with vision and the right skills can be a force for positive social and economic change in Africa, such as entrepreneur Victoria Kisyombe. Through her company SELFINA, she has financed 27,000 women micro-entrepreneurs, created 150,000 jobs, and economically impacted over 250,000 Tanzanians. Now that’s impact!