the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
Pearl Tsheko, founder and ceo, Black Fabrick (Botswana)
Startup Story
Pearl Tsheko is the founder and ceo of Black Fabrick in Botswana. Through her company, she provides high-quality business imaging, marketing, and branding services, catering to a diverse clientele ranging from startups to multinational corporations.
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Sheillah Siima, creative head and founder, Sheillah Publications (Tanzania)
Startup Story
Sheillah Siima is the creative head and founder of Sheillah Publications located in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She is also a self-publisher, author, and is professionally an editor for print media. Her company publishes a range of resources, tools, and journals to help businesses and individuals manage their lives more effectively.
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Vuyolwethu Reoagile, founder, RR Comms (South Africa)
Startup Story
Vuyolwethu Reoagile is the founder of RR Comms, an aspirational communications agency in South Africa. With a passion for storytelling and digital innovation, Vuyolwethu has built RR Comms into a dynamic team dedicated to delivering creative and strategic communications solutions. Her expertise spans business writing, digital campaign management, and paid ads management. The business has created jobs for 4 people.
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Kutloano Skosana, Creator and Host, Shades and Layers (South Africa/USA)
Startup Story
Kutloano Skosana is a creative entrepreneur from South Africa, now based in the US. She is the Creator and Host of Shades and Layers, a podcast dedicated to the stories of Black and Other Women of Color entrepreneurs across the globe. Kutloano’s media career began in radio journalism after she graduated from Rhodes University shortly after the country’s first democratic elections in 1994. She worked at 702, Kaya FM, Metro FM and SAFM between 1996 and 2008. Alongside her radio career, she was sharpening her entrepreneurial skills with her business partners, Maria McCloy and Dzino at their groundbreaking multimedia company, Black Rage Productions.
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Palesa Mkhulisi, founder, The Link PR and Marketing Solutions (South Africa)
Startup Story
Palesa Mkhulisi is the founder of The Link PR and Marketing Solutions in South Africa, a business focused on helping start-ups to create value, build long-term sustainability, and bring positive changes to their communities through tailored marketing and PR solutions. She is a 24-year-old entrepreneur with a passion for social development and a commitment to solving real-world problems. Raised in Soweto a township in Johannesburg she developed an early appreciation for the power of community and the impact that businesses can have on society. Beyond her role as an entrepreneur, Palesa actively participates in various community outreach programs and advising young business leaders. She is dedicated to fostering the next generation of socially aware entrepreneurs.
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Omoyemi Akerele
Lioness Weekender Cover Story
Style House Files/Lagos Fashion Week, two powerful business platforms advancing Nigerian and African Fashion industries
Omoyemi Akerele is an experienced, renowned creative economy change agent and social entrepreneur with over 20 years of notable achievements in the areas of youth development, job creation, circular fashion development, showcasing and discovering talent and creating access to the market globally for Africa's evolving textile and apparel industry. Omoyemi drives change across the ecosystem through her current position as Founder and CEO at Style House Files, Lagos Fashion Week where she applies core economic development principles to connect the missing gaps that exist within the African textile and apparel ecosystem such as capacity-building, skills development, access to capital, infrastructural development, artisanal skills preservation and closing the loop.
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Masanda Peter, founder, Mineworker Magazine
Startup Story
Masanda Peter is a qualified, seasoned Marketing, Media and Communications Professional and a serial entrepreneur in South Africa who has launched a magazine publishing venture, Mineworker Magazine, focusing on sharing the untold stories of mineworkers. For a long time, mineworkers have not had their side of the story covered and through this magazine their stories will be shared. Masanda has a journalism background having embarked on her Journalism studies and completed her International Diploma in Journalism.
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Betty David, founder, Spot Africa Media (Kenya)
Startup Story
Spot Africa Media, a production house founded by media entrepreneur, Betty David, based in Nairobi-Kenya and a business which has been in operation since 2016. This highly reputable video production company has a track record and a great desire to tell remarkable stories. Betty and her team pride themselves in every shot, edit, and decision that is executed with a lot of care. Founder Betty David’s own journey is exemplified by her unyielding passion to serve humanity and to impact lives positively.
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Gemiene Mueni, founder, Click'd Age Consultancy (Kenya)
Startup Stories
Gemiene Mueni, a Kenyan PR communication consultant and the founder of Click'd Age Consultancy (CAC_PR), is passionate about helping remarkable brands tell their stories. As a consultant, she helps brands create great content that people choose to talk about. Her dedication to her work is evident in the outstanding results she has consistently achieved for her clients. CAC_PR is very dear to her heart for it's not only helping remarkable brands tell their stories, but it's the connection she has with her clients. They Click!
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Mignionette Fair, founder, EditA Services (South Africa)
Lioness Launch
South Africa’s EditA Services, a one-stop language shop for business, has announced the launch of its new product arm, Jomi Books! Founder Mignionette Fair says there is so much more to discover about her business under this new venture, with the first "discovery" being a children's ebook called ‘It's Time’. This colourful story is the perfect addition to bedtime and especially for families who are expanding. There are hopefully many more books to come from Jomi Books, so watch this space!
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Nomsa Mdhluli, founder, Tishala Communications (South Africa)
Startup Story
Nomsa Mdhluli is the founder of Tishala Communications in South Africa, a boutique Digital Marketing and Public Relations agency. She is an award-winning broadcaster who has a knack for storytelling, and translated this skill into Public Relations through her business. In 2018, Nomsa established Tishala Communications to serve corporate clients who deserved to have their ground-breaking business ideas, innovations and successes brought to public and business attention.
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Thuli Zikalala, founder, Yellow Owl (South Africa)
Lioness Launch
Regular attendees at Lionesses of Africa webinars will recognize the inspirational name and face of Yellow Owl founder, Thuli Zikalala, the pioneering entrepreneur creating inspiring digital content for both Deaf and Hearing audiences. Her latest innovation is the launch of a first-of-its-kind in South Africa silent 10 episode podcast series which captures the stories, experiences, culture and shared values within the Deaf community. Deaf presenters Lerato Maake ka Mncube & Daline 'Crazy D' Maasdorp engage with guests, both Deaf and hearing from different backgrounds, to shape a new narrative about the Deaf community. The name is a word play that invites audiences into the silent world seen through the eyes of Deaf people. Taking a spin on the audio nature of podcasts - ours is visual: the hands become a voice. Expect intimate, informative, inspirational and entertaining conversations shared by influential people within the Deaf community.
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Florence Achado
Lioness Weekender Cover Story
Vee69, a Nigerian communications agency dedicated to utilizing media and communication for positive social change.
Florence Achado is the founder and managing director of Vee69, a growing media and communications agency in Nigeria, established in 2015 and today employing 15 people. Through her business, she has worked on numerous projects and campaigns that have served to raise awareness and promote positive change in local communities. She is deeply committed to making a difference and improving the lives of others, harnessing her passion and the power of the media to drive positive change. Florence believes that effective communication is the key to bringing about positive change in communities, and she is committed to utilizing her skills and expertise to make a significant and long-lasting impact. Florence is also the Chairman of the Yvonne Achado Foundation (YAF), a non-profit organization committed to combating gender-based violence.
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Angela "Camille Storm" Kariuki, founder of CNC Distro and Camille and Company Limited (Kenya)
Startup Story
Angela "Camille Storm" Kariuki is a dynamic music executive with a passion for East African talent and the founder of CNC Distro and Camille and Company Limited. Her career started with the founding of "The Camille Way" music blog and grew to include Camille & Co., a boutique talent and PR agency that represents ground-breaking artists such as Blaqbonez and Lojay. Camille's latest venture, C&C Distro, is a digital music distribution and market platform for emerging artists. She has gained recognition from publications such as The Fader and Apple Music, and became an official juror at the AFRIMA Awards in 2022, solidifying her status as a leading force in the music industry, and elevating African music to new heights.
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Nelly Paulser, co-founder, Graphic House Zim (Zimbabwe)
Startup Story
Nelly Paulser is an Events Branding Designer and the co-founder of a graphic design, printing, branding and events business in Zimbabwe called Graphic House Zim. She is an Alumni of the Academy of Women Entrepreneurs, a Geneza School of Design Scholar, a recipient of a Tony Elumelu Foundation grant, one of the 503 African Women Entrepreneur Finalists selected by Women In Africa for training and mentorship, and now a UPG Biashara Candidate - Class of 2023. She is also a winner of the 100 Voices For Our Planet Award and was nominated for Women Changing the World Awards presented by Dr Tererai Trent. She is also an ImpactHer Ambassador for Zimbabwe. Above all this she is a wife and a mother to three beautiful children.
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by Felicity Cowie, author of Exposure
In my earlier blog for Lionesses of Africa, What Exactly is Media Relations, I said there are at least eight mega benefits of media relations for any business to consider:
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Dirce Vicente, founder, Fly Eagles LDA (Mozambique)
Startup Story
Fly Eagles LDA is a digital magazine publishing venture, founded by experienced agripreneur, Dirce Vicente in Mozambique. Passionate about Agriculture, she has already developed many solutions to improve the agricultural ecosystem in Mozambique. Dirce is the founder of Dfruit, Agri impact, and is currently letting her passion emerge with the launch of an agribusiness magazine called Fly Eagles Agribusiness. The magazine aims to provide the reader with unique experiences, inspiring them to reach their purpose and unlock their maximum potential. It shares stories of overcoming and persistence in Agriculture from people who are making it happen, and excelling in this field.
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by Felicity Cowie, author of Exposure
In my earlier blog for LoA, What Exactly is Media Relations, I said there are at least eight mega benefits of media relations for any business to consider…
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by Felicity Cowie, The Media Relations Coach
In my earlier blogs for Lionesses of Africa, What Exactly is Media Relations, I said there are at least eight mega benefits of media relations for any business to consider…
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by Felicity Cowie, author of Exposure
In my earlier blog for Lionesses of Africa, What Exactly is Media Relations, I said there are at least eight mega benefits of media relations for any business to consider: Gain exposure with zero to low financial investment; Build credibility; Build pipeline faster; Get highly valuable shareable content; Find product-market fit; Become a thought leader and ‘category queen’; Get funding and more funding; Gain external validation.
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