Lioness Spotlight

Africa needs great educators, committed people who are passionate about helping children and young people to learn and fulfill their potential, equipping them to make a positive difference in the world. At Lionesses of Africa, we are celebrating women entrepreneurs who are creating leading-edge technologies and new approaches to education to make a real difference to the lives of new generations of children and young people across the African continent.

Meet 12 truly inspirational women edupreneurs whose commitment to changing the educational landscape of the African continent is creating an exciting learning future, full of possibilities, for Africa’s children and young people. Through their highly innovative companies and ground-breaking new products and approaches, they are making a significant difference to the way that Africa’s education challenges are being addressed, and in the process giving hope and inspiration to so many who represent its future.

Featured

Wiem Ben-Mahmoud, a change-making Tunisian EdTech entrepreneur

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KidzRise, a business harnessing the power of AI combined with personalized learning to uncover and nurture each child’s unique talents

Wiem Ben-Mahmoud is the CEO and Founder of AI-powered Child Talent Detection platform, KidzRise, in Tunisia. She holds a Global MBA in Impact Entrepreneurship and a Master's Degree in Digital Management and Information Systems. Wiem began her career at Vermeg where she led international negotiations with Central Banks across Europe and Asia in the digital financial sector. Driven by her vision to impact children's lives, she left her stable career to launch KidzRise in 2023. Recognized as Most Promising Entrepreneur of 2024 by AfricArena, her EdTech startup has gained validation from MIT and MIT Solve in the USA , making a significant impact in Africa and beyond. The company has created jobs for 10 people to date.

Marwa Soudi, an EdTech pioneer empowering people through technology

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Ideasgym, a multifaceted business dedicated to fostering innovation and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education in Egypt

Marwa Soudi is the co-founder of IdeasGym, leading initiatives to enhance STEM education across Egypt. She is a dedicated researcher and social entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in the EdTech industry. Currently a doctoral student at Tallinn University, she specializes in Digital Transformation and Responsible AI, focusing on creating tools to help SMEs comply with international AI standards. Marwa is passionate about empowering women in technology and has received numerous awards for her contributions, including the InspiringFifty Africa, IEEE Entrepreneurship Impact Award, Women in Business Innovation Award, "ICT for Women" award and the Tony Elumelu grant for entrepreneurship in Africa. She actively engages in various professional organizations, promoting ethical AI practices and fostering innovation in education. Her business was launched in 2011.

Avashna Ramnarain, a South African edupreneur creating innovative learning experiences for children

Startup Story

Avashna Ramnarain, visionary founder and CEO of Mindful Masterminds in South Africa, is dedicated to transforming children's lives through innovative learning experiences, initiatives, and resources. She is a seasoned, award-winning marketing expert with over 15 years former corporate, Africa Marketing experience at one of the continent’s largest PC and Printing manufacturers where she earned recognition for initiatives in the education sector. She belonged to their leadership team, Sustainability team, as well as the Women Impact Network for Africa. With her esteemed career in Technology Marketing and a foundation in Psychology & Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Avashna initiated an undertaking to redefine the approach to enhance mental and emotional resilience in children.

Nelly Cheboi, a Kenyan edupreneur changing lives through technology

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Techlit Africa, a social impact business enabling children to fulfill their potential through digital skills development in Kenya

Nelly Cheboi is the founder of TechLit Africa, an organization that teaches digital skills in rural primary schools, and the winner of the 2022 CNN Hero award. Nelly grew up in the rural village of Mogotio in Kenya. She received a full scholarship to study computer science at Augustana College in Illinois in 2012 and graduated in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and computer science. Nelly built a school in Kenya, called Zawadi Yetu, during her junior year of college in 2018, and started to transport donated computers from the United States to Kenya. In 2019, she founded the nonprofit TechLit Africa with another software engineer, Tyler Cinnamon, after quitting their jobs. The organization, headquartered in Kenya at Zawadi Yetu, teaches 4000 students aged 5–14 basic computer skills and redistributes recycled technology to enable the creation of computer labs in African schools. They have built 10 computer labs in rural Kenya and have plans for 100 more. In 2022, Nelly was named as one of the 30 under 30 on the Forbes list for social impact and in the same year was also the recipient of the CNN Hero award.

Bertha Kgokong, a serial techpreneur from South Africa developing software applications and platforms

Startup Story

Skhokho is a software development company based in South Africa and launched by tech entrepreneur Bertha Kgokong. Bertha is a self taught developer who graduated with an Engineering degree in 2003 and has spent over 15 years in corporate. Her entrepreneurial journey started in 2017, where she founded Tati Software. Since then she has created numerous software applications, and also runs an online tech learning platform called Skolo https://skolo.online - where she provides free programming lessons on Youtube, and some paid courses on her website skolo.online.

Lauren Anderson, a passion-driven entrepreneur making learning accessible

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Koa Academy, a South African online learning business helping children learn and fulfill their potential

Lauren Anderson is the co-founder and CEO of Koa Academy Online School in South Africa. She founded the business with her husband in January 2021 and today it employs 21 people. Her background is in nursing and health systems, which she credits to teaching her much needed skills in the startup world. Lauren is driven to provide high quality education that is easily accessible and engaging, while creating a work culture for staff that is inspiring and conducive to growth.

Faraja Nyalandu, a Tanzanian social entrepreneur passionate about education

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Shule Direct, developing cutting edge educational programs to empower youth and children

Born and raised in Tanzania, Faraja Nyalandu, founder of Shule Direct, is a resourceful social entrepreneur passionate about developing cutting edge social and educational programs that empower youth and children. What inspires her the most is working collaboratively in social development and educational industry to develop and deliver innovative resources and solutions that prepare children and youth for a sustainable future. With over 15 years’ experience in engaging young people, she has dedicated her professional career and personal life to empowering them to achieve their full potential.

Sarah Morrow, a South African edupreneur creating an accessible, affordable preschool experience

Startup Story

In South Africa, for many parents finding a preschool for their children to attend that is both accessible and affordable can be a hugely challenging experience, often with little reward. But one passionate, impact driven woman entrepreneur is changing that reality. Sarah Morrow, founder of Little Leaders Preschool is making quality, affordable preschool education available to parents and their children from all walks of life.

Tshegofatso Dludla, a South African techpreneur bringing maths and science to life for children

Startup Story

In a world where technology is changing so many aspects of our daily lives, it is so important that children get the opportunity to grasp and embrace maths and science at an early age. Tshegofatso Dludla, founder of RoboSTEAM Train in South Africa, is making a huge difference to the lives of underprivileged children in the country by making robotics and coding fun and accessible.

Meg Faure, a South African entrepreneur and author reimagining early childhood education

Startup Story

Any parent with young children knows just how critical it is to encourage early emotional development as the basis for a strong learning journey. In South Africa, well-known author and entrepreneur, Meg Faure, founder of Play Sense, has created a unique business focusing on unique play-based learning programmes for 2-4 year olds.

Kirsty Savides, a South African entrepreneur turning her passion for music into a great learning tool for children

Children instinctively love music, but one South African entrepreneur is harnessing the power of music to give children’s brains a full workout. Wriggle and Rhyme, the brainchild of Kirsty Savides, is a business teaching children to embrace music and movement as part of their development.

Angela Franklin - The startup story of the bookseller of Senegal with a passion to promote the writers of the Diaspora

Many bookstores claim to be so much more, but in the case of Angela Franklin’s business, Chez Alpha Books, this is certainly the case. She has taken the concept of a bookselling business and elevated it into a truly multi-faceted learning and resource centre for those with a love of the English language and a need to access learning materials and language training resources in English.

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