LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY
Getting access to global markets and access to finance are two of the biggest challenges facing Africa’s growth-focused women entrepreneurs. The 2nd UK Start-Up Night! Africa showcase event, taking place in London on 16 January 2020, looks to create a solution. The UK government, in partnership with Lionesses of Africa (a 1 million strong community of African women entrepreneurs), will be hosting this impact driven event.
The 2nd UK Start-Up Night! Africa event forms part of a programme of activities in the run-up to the UK Africa Investment Summit on 20 January 2020 which aims to match African countries’ investment needs with UK investors. The event will showcase the extraordinary breadth of Africa’s women entrepreneur talent. It will connect high growth women entrepreneurs with potential UK investors, and provide access to important market opportunities and business partnerships for their exciting products and service offerings.
On the evening of 16 January 2020, in the heart of London, 250 investors and private sector/government decision-makers and influencers, will gather in the splendid surroundings of 8 Northumberland Avenue, a Victorian landmark building located only a stone’s throw away from Trafalgar Square in central London. The aim, to hear from women entrepreneurs from across the African continent who will be pitching and presenting their high growth businesses at the 2nd UK Start-Up Night Africa London event. Many of the women entrepreneurs presenting are actively looking for investment to fuel the future growth of their businesses; others are looking to access the UK market through local partnerships; and some are interested in exploring technical partnerships with UK companies to get new and innovative products into global markets.
The event will be hosted by Emma Wade-Smith OBE, Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Africa, together with Melanie Hawken, founder and ceo of Lionesses of Africa, both of whom will be giving opening and closing speeches at the event. The programme will feature eleven women entrepreneurs who will be pitching their businesses to the audience, representing a great cross-section of industry sectors and countries from across the African continent. A panel discussion will also feature three leading women entrepreneurs who have built highly successful and rapidly growing businesses on the continent, together with leading investment specialists from the UK. The women entrepreneurs to be featured at the event include:
Adenike Ogunlesi, founder of Ruff n Tumble, a leading Nigerian luxury children’s clothing manufacturer and store retailer.
Suzie Wokabi, founder of Suzie Beauty, Kenya’s leading cosmetics manufacturer and retailer.
Monica Musonda, founder of Java Foods, the specialist food nutrition processing manufacturer from Zambia.
Kerryne Krause, founder of Eye Slices, an innovative South African tech manufacturing company producing specialist beauty/healthcare products.
Flora Mutahi, founder of Melvins Tea, Kenya’s popular packaged tea producer and retailer.
Carmen Williams, founder of Trecento, a South African manufacturer and assembler and tester of electro magnetic cores for power distribution.
Lorna Rutto, founder of Eco Post, the Kenyan innovative and multi-award winning sustainable fencing post manufacturer using recycled plastics.
Pumza Ndlotyeni, founder of Gebane Investments, a specialist South African company providing electricity substation construction, electricity distribution services, railway signalling and maintenance expertise.
Eugenia Langa, founder of Nweba, a specialist procurement and logistics company for Mozambique’s growing oil and gas sector.
Temie Gewa Tuboson, founder of Lifebank, Nigeria’s Innovative tech company using drone technology to deliver lifesaving blood supplies to hospitals, clinics and patients.
Christelle Kwizera, founder of Water Access Rwanda, a high-impact, award-winning water processing and water access company in Rwanda.
Mariam Hazem, co-founder of Reform Studio, an innovative fabric manufacturer that turns recycled plastic into exciting durable fabrics for the production of a wide range of luxury and commercial products.
Nicola Luther, creative director and ceo of Lunar, a sustainable fashion design house, manufacturer and retailer.
Speaking about the aspirations for the 2nd Start-Up Night! Africa London event, Lionesses of Africa founder and ceo, Melanie Hawken, said:
“If we are going to find impact driven solutions to challenges such as investment and new market access for Africa’s high growth women entrepreneurs, we need to bring the key decision-makers and opinion-formers to the table. Our ongoing partnership with the UK government and the team at the UK Department of International Trade in particular, is making critical market and investment access events such as Start-Up Night! Africa London possible. We have high hopes for the impact that will be created by this event and our partnership with the UK government, and we hope this will be one of many such showcase events in the UK going forward.”
To read more about the 2nd Start-Up Night! Africa London event, look out for our event reports, photo galleries, and blog articles over the coming week on www.lionessesofafrica.com