This year we will be launching our new series of special feature articles which focus on leading women entrepreneurs building great businesses and brands in each country across the African continent. The month of February sees us highlighting Ghana, a country which is seeing some real women entrepreneur game-changers who are making their mark with their business ventures, not just at home, but across the African continent and the world.
So, to get the ball rolling we are showcasing just some of those women entrepreneurs in Ghana who we have featured on our platforms over the past couple of years since Lionesses of Africa was launched. They are all at different stages of their entrepreneurial journeys, and represent a wide range of industry sectors from IT to cosmetics, from fashion to business consulting. However, what they all share in common is a passion for business and a desire to put Ghana on the map when it comes to showcasing not just their own companies and brands, but also the depth of creative and specialist talent in the country.
Introducing 15 leading women entrepreneurs of Ghana....
Ruka Sanusi, founder and CEO of Alldens Lane
in Ghana, a boutique business strategy, consulting and coaching services firm. With two decades of international consulting experience, Ruka has worked in 16 countries across Africa in senior management positions with two global corporations (PwC and Crown Agents) as well as with the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Corporation, the development assistance vehicle of Commonwealth nations. Ruka brings a deep knowledge of matters pertinent to business management, strategy development, and organisational transformation and is passionate about creatively and dependably supporting women entrepreneurs and growing businesses across the continent. www.alldenslane.com
Winnifred Selby and Bernice Dapaah, co-founders of Afrocentric Bamboo
Like many other countries in Africa, Ghana is battling to find sustainable solutions to a number of socio-economic problems, not least of which is the need for affordable transport, effective ways of fighting poverty and unemployment, and the need to create more sustainable social entrepreneurs. Winnifred Selby is one young entrepreneur with a vision and an innovative approach to start solving such problems. She was just 15 when she co-founded Afrocentric Bamboo with Bernice Dapaah, a company that manufactures and markets bicycles made from, of all things, bamboo. Today, she is heading what has become a growing brand and one that is struggling to keep up with demand. Designed in-house, Afrocentric Bamboo bikes are sturdy, affordable and made to tackle the high terrain and rough roads of rural Ghana. Winnifred actively demonstrates through her positive approach to sustainable entrepreneurship that young people can improve their own economic futures through such projects. www.ghanabamboobikes.org
Anne Amuzu - Nandimobile
Anne Amuzu is co-founder and lead product developer of Nandimobile Ltd., a young and vibrant technology startup based in Ghana and founded in 2010. Nandimobile’s objective is to leverage the high mobile penetration rates in Africa to create customer service technology that enables businesses to easily connect with their customers on the mobile platform. Anne is a graduate of Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology, which was established to train and mentor young entrepreneurs in Africa. www.nandimobile.com
Magel Suglo - Eco Shoes
Mabel Suglo is a rising star on the African footwear scene. Her company, Eco Shoes, offers an assortment of shoes and accessories that are fashionable and Afro-themed, using recycled materials. Her employee-base is made up of predominantly disabled individuals and she aims to increase their economic participation through real job opportunities. Mabel believes that disability is not inability and employs people with a variety of disabilities to create products that she sells into wholesale and retail markets. “There are millions of discarded car tyre stockpiles and waste materials in Ghana which pose an environmental and health hazard,” says Mabel. Eco-Shoes rescues some of the millions of tyres and other material waste creating an environmental nuisance, to make fashionable and comfortable shoes. The company seeks to build a community of conscious consumers with a forward thinking team who believe re-using and recycling can turn trash into treasure. www.ecoshoesgh.com
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.