Mozambique’s women entrepreneurs are continuing to make the world sit up and take notice as they take their business and brands to the next level. Some are beginning to capture global market attention, giving them exposure to new and exciting opportunities, and helping to raise awareness of the depth of entrepreneurial talent emerging from the country. A new generation of young women is also being inspired to follow in their footsteps in the country. So to celebrate the achievements of all those women entrepreneurs who are putting Mozambique on the global map, and to further inspire this new generation to build successful businesses of their own, Lionesses of Africa and Standard Bank will be hosting the 4th in a series of highly popular Lioness Lean In Breakfast events in Maputo during the month of October.
The event will start promptly at 8am on the morning of Friday 6th October, once again powered by Standard Bank in partnership with Shell and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The venue will be the exciting new Standard Bank Incubator, located at Rua dos Desportistas, No 119, 1st Floor, Maputo, Mozambique, which is fast becoming synonymous with the successful development and nurturing of the city’s women entrepreneurs.
The hugely popular Lioness Lean In Breakfast Series brings together three inspirational and successful women entrepreneurs from Mozambique to share, inspire and connect with the next generation of great women-led startups. The Lioness Lean In Breakfast Series is based on a breakfast networking and speaker presentation format that is highly popular with women entrepreneurs in Africa, and which has been organized in different city locations across the African continent for the past year by Lionesses of Africa in partnership with Standard Bank. The morning commences with breakfast and networking, followed by an introduction by Lionesses of Africa founder and ceo, Melanie Hawken; three inspirational guest speakers sharing their own entrepreneurial journeys and experiences; a presentation by Sasha Vieira, Chefe de Incubadora, Standard Bank Moçambique; and rounded-off with an open Q&A session, then more networking.
The line-up of three guest speakers at this Lioness Lean In Breakfast event in Maputo promises to make for a hugely inspirational and enjoyable event, and includes:
Evandra Cossa, CEO at Ezee Money Mozambique Lda, is a leading entrepreneur and acts in the oil and gas industry through the provision of services, interior design and payment systems technologies for Mozambique.
Daisy Mogne, founder of Daisy Mogne Studio, is a professional make up artist who is building a reputation and a successful business for her specialist work for film, tv and the corporate world.
Iria Marina, is a renowned environmental portraiture/documentary photographer who has built her business using the power of photography and photo-reportage to document political, cultural, economic and social issues, and specifically the empowerment of women.
Commenting on this latest Lioness Lean In Event in Maputo, Melanie Hawken, Founder and CEO of Lionesses of Africa said:
“Each one of the Lioness Lean In Breakfast events we have held so far in Maputo have been truly inspirational and really memorable. Women are building not only great businesses and brands, and producing world class products with genuinely global appeal, but also demonstrating that no business or industry sector is out of reach in the country when it comes to starting a woman owned business venture. The next generation of aspirant young women entrepreneurs in the country have some great role models to look up to and to help guide them on their own business building journeys.”
Sharing her thoughts on this latest Lioness Lean In Breakfast Event in Mozambique, and the unique partnership between Lionesses of Africa, Standard Bank, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Shell, Sasha Vieira, Head of Incubator, Standard Bank Mozambique, said:
We are so delighted to see the level of interest in the Lionesses of Africa LEAN-In breakfasts held to date. It is encouraging to see how the businesses showcased on the Lioness platform have resulted in further exposure across the globe as well as commercial pipeline leads. The network in-country is expanding rapidly and Standard Bank is fully committed to the journey supporting Mozambican female entrepreneurs to ensure their businesses get visibility, networking opportunities and linkages both within Mozambique and across borders. It strongly aligns with our purpose that “Africa is our home and we drive her growth”.
The Embassy is thrilled by the remarkable experiences shared by the female entrepreneurs. The Lean-In Breakfast is a safe space for the female entrepreneurs to share their stories, successes and challenges of their business’ journey. The Uniqueness of it comes from each of the participants who dares to start their own business.
’We are proud to support Lionesses of Africa in Mozambique’’ said Alex Battaglia, Country Manager Shell Mozambique. ‘’Female entrepreneurs are a driving force behind a diversified and growing Mozambican economy, benefiting the country and society.’’
Lionesses of Africa has been rolling out its popular Lioness Lean In Breakfast Event Series for women entrepreneurs in different locations across the African continent over the past year, all in partnership with Standard Bank, and more are planned for the remainder of the year.
For more information on the Lioness Lean In Breakfast Event in Maputo, or on the forthcoming Africa roll-out programme, contact Melanie Hawken via email melanie@lionessesofafrica.com or Sasha Vieira via email Sasha.Vieira@standardbank.co.mz