the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
Lorna Rutto, founder of EcoPost, Kenya
Source: Standard Digital News Kenya | December 27, 2014 | by Faith Ronoh
Lorna Rutto, the founder of EcoPost Limited in Kenya, has despite her tender age already attained a remarkable list of achievements in environmental conservation that has seen her garner several international awards.
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To kickstart 2015 off on a truly inspirational note, we are sharing our Top 50 Inspiring Quotes from some of Africa's leading women entrepreneurs. We found so much motivation and encouragement in their words and we hope they inspire you too as you continue on your own entrepreneurial journey to success in the year ahead.
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Kofo Akinkugbe, founder & CEO of SecureID Nigeria Ltd
SecureID Nigeria Limited, founded by Kofo Akinkugbe, a leading Nigerian digital solution provider certified by Visa, MasterCard, and Verve for Chip Embedding, Chip Encoding, Chip Personalization, Card Personalization, and Card Fulfillment, in partnership with Sterling Bank has provided a Biometric ID Card to enable ‘Financial Inclusion’.
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Lorna Rutto, founder of Ecopost, Kenya
Source: Standard Digital | December 27, 2014
Lorna Rutto has won the 2014 Green Award by the Transform Kenya Awards, a joint initiative of the Standard Group and Deloitte in recognition of her work. Her company, EcoPost, has saved over 250 acres of forests and withdrawn over 1,000,000 kilograms of plastic waste from the environment.
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A big LoA community congratulations to Swaady Martin-Leke, founder of Yswara the African luxury tea brand, who was recently nominated an Emerging Leader by the Aspen Institute France under the patronage of President François Hollande. Félicitations Swaady!
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Swaady Martin-Leke, founder of Yswara
Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, founder of soleRebels, Ethiopia
Source: AllAfrica.com | by Tsadenna Gebru | December 7, 2014
When Bethelhem Tilahun, co-founder of global brand soleRebels, spoke at a recent entrepreneurship conference she highlighted the challenges entrepreneurs face when protecting their intellectual property in Africa.
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Julian 'Mama Cheers' Omalla, founder of Delight Limited, Uganda
This inspirational woman entrepreneur from Uganda shows the power of grit and determination to succeed in business, despite the many hurdles encountered, to build a highly respected, multi-million dollar drinks and foodstuff empire in Africa.
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Deola Sagoe, founder of haute couture fashion house, Deola
Source: This Day Live | December 7, 2014
The Business Side of Fashion (BSoF) forum in Nigeria brings together successful fashion designers every year to serve as an inspiration to the upcoming ones. This year's Forum featured Deola Sagoe who shared with the participants some of her hard earned business knowledge of the industry.
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Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, founder of WeCyclers and winner of the 2014 Sustania Award
Wecyclers, founded by Nigerian entrepreneur and innovator, Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, has won the 2014 Sustainia Award, chaired by Arnold Schwarzenegger, for a solution that enables low-income communities to make money from waste piling up in their streets. By deploying a fleet of cargo bicycles to collect and recycle unmanaged waste in Nigeria’s capital Lagos, Wecyclers lets families exchange garbage for consumer goods via an SMS-based point system.
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Tara Fela-Durotoye (centre) at the Kenyan launch of House of Tara
Source: Capital FM Kenya | December 2, 2014
House of Tara International, a Nigerian beauty and cosmetics brand founded by Tara Fela-Durotoye launched its products in the Kenyan market as part of its continental expansion strategy. House of Tara has developed makeup products with international standards that are tailor made for the African woman by an African woman.
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Source: Financial Times | October 19, 2014
The fledgling business in Parkhurst, one of Johannesburg’s affluent northern suburbs, is the brainchild of Martin-Leke, who forged ahead with the project in spite of initial scepticism among her friends and peers. “I did my research, but no one believed in it,” she says, sipping a new blend she is testing at the elegant townhouse that has been transformed into a chic store....
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Divine Ndhlukula, founder of Securico, Zimbabwe
This year's Exceptional Entrepreneur Award at the 2014 EY Africa Chapter of the World Entrepreneur Awards has been awarded to the inspirational Zimbabwean woman entrepreneur, Divine Ndhlukula, founder of Securico.
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Divine Ndhlukula, founder and managing director of Securico
Source: The Zimbabwean | by Nelson Sibanda | November 11, 2014
Dynamic Zimbabwean entrepreneur, Divine Ndhlukula has been honoured by the United Nations for her success in business. She was runner-up in this year's UNCTAD’s Empretec Women in Business Awards and received her award from Tarja Halonen, the former President of Finland at a ceremony held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva. Here, she shares some of the secrets to her success.
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Monica Musonda, founder and ceo of Java Foods, Zambia
This inspirational and award-winning entrepreneur is a testimony to hard work, perseverance and a can-do attitude to building a major food brand, Java Foods, and also improving the nutrition of a country and a continent.
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Tabitha Karanja, founder and ceo of Keroche Breweries, Kenya
Source: Capital FM Kenya | published on November 23, 2014 | written by Margaret Wahito
The Founder and CEO of Keroche Breweries Limited Tabitha Karanja is one woman whom I can say has gone to ‘hell and back’ to be where she is now. She has had to withstand a myriad of challenges for her business to be worth the billions of shillings it is worth at the moment....
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Dr. Victoria Kisyombe, founder of SELFINA (Tanzania)
Source: Vital Voices | by Dr. Victoria Kisyombe | 19 November 2014
Since I founded my company SELFINA 20 years ago, I have seen the enormous impact a small investment can make in the life of a woman. And it doesn’t stop there — from one modest lease, a woman can create dozens of jobs, touching the lives of dozens more.
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Penny Pritzker, U.S. Secretary of Commerce
Marrakesh, Morocco, November 19, 2014 --- U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker delivered remarks to approximately 300 women entrepreneurs to kick off Women’s Entrepreneurship Day in Marrakesh, Morocco. Secretary Pritzker discussed America’s leadership in empowering entrepreneurs at home and abroad, addressed the importance of the Presidential Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship (PAGE) which she chairs, and touted how a strong entrepreneurial society can lead to greater economic growth, stability and security, and a rising middle class.
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Swaady Martin-Leke, founder and CEO of Yswara
The story of an Afropolitan entrepreneur building a unique global luxury brand by creating elegant, high-end products using the continent’s finest natural resources.
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This month, the Choiseul Institute of France has just published its inaugural list of Africa’s 100 Most Promising Young Business Leaders Under the Age of 40, and making the rankings are seven women entrepreneurs, our Lionesses of Africa.
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