the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
Bih Adelaide, co-founder, African Initiative For Health and Research Promotion (AIHRP) (Cameroon)
Startup Story
For victims of conflict and low income people who cannot access affordable healthcare in Cameroon, help is now at hand, thanks to social entrepreneur Bih Adelaide, co-founder of African Initiative For Health and Research Promotion (AIHRP). Her venture is now providing pro-bono health care services to those who need it most.
Read more
Zara Kattiems, founder, Caroline 1942 (Nigeria)
Startup Story
The story of Caroline 1942, a Nigerian fashion brand created by Zara Kattiems, is one that encompasses uniqueness and also a relatable experience. Caroline 1942 is nicknamed after Zara’s grandmother, Caroline Miner, who unfortunately passed away, but her legacy took off in the spring of 2017 with the launch of a brand created ‘For The Timeless Woman.’ Today, Caroline 1942 tells the story behind the brand and still creates that sense of oneness with the women of the world with every design produced.
Read more
Bronwynne Wiehl, founder & CEO, Conversation Station (South Africa)
Startup Story
Bronwynne Wiehl is the founder & CEO of Conversation Station. Having worked in the corporate sector for over 20 years, she left to start her own social media consulting business. She focuses on giving small business owners and entrepreneurs strategic guidance with their social media brands and presence. Her strength is advising business leaders on content strategies and reputation management. She has a passion for social media engagement and content marketing strategy where she believes storytelling has the ability to change the world.
Read more
Betelhem Abebe, founder, ZEWD Design (Ethiopia)
Startup Story
Betelhem Abebe is the founder and creative director of ZEWD Design based in Ethiopia, a growing high street fashion brand. She studied electrical engineering at Addis Ababa University and also fashion design at SITAM Fashion and Design School in Addis Ababa to sharpen her skills in fashion design after having partially developed the ZEWD concept in her final year at the university.
Read more
Startup Story
Iolanda Almeida is the founder and CEO of INMA LIMITADA based in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado Province. She is a coffeepreneur and award-winning enterprise leader in Mozambique for the NEPAD SAN Bio Phase II BioFISA FEM BioBiz Programme. Iolanda’s business is focused on processing coffee from Ibo Island in Mozambique´s World Biosphere Reserve for the internal market. She founded the business in 2015 to support almost 150 Ibo Coffee farmers, for social inclusion and local development.
Read more
Yasmina Benslimane, founder, Women Empowerment Coaching Program (Morocco)
Startup Story
Yasmina Benslimane is a coach and the founder of the Women Empowerment Coaching Program in Morocco, guiding women to developing their skills for leadership. She is also the founder of Politics4Her, a feminist youth-led blog and is a young human rights activist with a multicultural background. Her professional experience involves national human rights institutions, non-profit organizations, and United Nations agencies.
Read more
Tshegofatso Tau, owner, The Catwalk Lodge (South Africa)
Startup Story
Visitors to the Pretoria area in South Africa who are looking for a luxury guesthouse but with a real personal touch, The Catwalk Lodge owned by entrepreneur Tshegofatso Tau, is just the place. Offering a combination of great accommodation and a wide range of event hosting facilities, Tshegofatso and her team are ready to extend the warmest of welcomes.
Read more
Zena Akuwa, founder Parachefs Tanzania
Startup Story
Parachefs Tanzania is the brainchild of entrepreneur Zena Akuwa, an impact-driven business that creates training and career opportunities for people who want to learn how to cook.
Read more
Bonolo Simon & Kefilwe Matake, founders, Fro’Niques (Botswana)
Startup Story
Natural haIr and beauty products are increasingly in demand, and in Botswana, entrepreneurs Bonolo Simon and Kefilwe Matake, founders of Fro’Niques, are building a natural haircare business to meet customer needs. The brand specializes in formulating homemade natural hair products for discerning customers who want to know they are using organic and plant-based ingredients.
Read more
Vivette Ayiaga, founder, Vee Crafts (Kenya)
Startup Story
Like any specialist craft that requires key skills, a fine eye for detail, and a wealth of creative talent, the art of crocheting demands all three, and Vivette Ayiaga, founder of Vee Crafts in Kenya, has them in abundance. She is passionate about craft and particularly crocheting, and has turned that passion into a business, whilst also continuing her studies in statistical economics at Masinde Muliro University-Kenya.
Read more
Bright Asiimwe Wandera, founder and CEO, Plum Cafe and Restaurant (Uganda)
Startup Story
Bright Asiimwe Wandera is the founder and CEO of Plum Cafe and Restaurant in Uganda. She’s a serial entrepreneur with interests in retail chain and hospitality. She’s an alumnus of Africa Women Entrepreneurs Cooperative and Stanbic Bank Uganda Business Incubator. Bright runs two supermarkets and most recently a high-end restaurant with two branches. Bright founded Plum Cafe and Restaurant this year in February 2021 after testing a restaurant model in 2020 that was attached to one of her supermarkets.
Read more
Susan Nel , founder, Susan Nel Photography (Namibia)
Startup Story
There is nothing quite as powerful as a great photographic image that captures life and work’s key moments, and in Namibia, Susan Nel and the photography business that carries her name, is doing just that. Whether it’s recording on camera a beautiful wedding, or creating a powerful image of a product that can spearhead a marketing campaign, Susan knows just how to get the right shot for the occasion.
Read more
Andrea Massamba, founder, AM Support - Marketing and Publicity Agency (Mozambique)
Startup Story
Andrea Massamba is a founder of AM Support - Marketing and Publicity Agency in Mozambique, a business she started in June 2020, when she found an opportunity during Covid. She understood that some organizations had to close because of Covid, so she decided to start her business to help the organizations continue to be active on social media, supporting them with their communication, scheduling posts, producing content etc. And now she's growing step by step.
Read more
Startup Story
Frutee Belliez is a South African agroprocessing business founded by sisters Mbaliyethu(Lisa) Mthethwa and Masibonge (Lona) Mnguni. They have over 10 years’ experience as entrepreneurs, and their company focuses on processing fruits and vegetables and supplying them to industrial kitchens, as well as catering companies. They have won numerous awards with the most recent being Top Processor in KZN in the Department of Agriculture Female Farmer Entrepreneur Competition in 2018.
Read more
Shaquila Antonio, founder, Confeitando Com Amor (Mozambique)
Startup Story
For all those who have a sweet tooth and love to celebrate every occasion with a beautiful cake, Confeitando Com Amor in Mozambique, founded by creative confectioner Shaquila Antonio, has just what you need. Her cake brand has built up a great customer following in her city of Beira and is set to grow further over the coming years.
Read more
Lorna Mashiba, founder, Rangi Gallery (Tanzania)
Startup Story
Lorna Mashiba is the founder of Rangi Gallery in Tanzania, a virtual platform that connects African artists to Intercontinental art enthusiasts. As the founder of Rangi Gallery, she aspires to grow, empower and transform local talent beyond its borders.
Read more
Taíla Carrilho, co-founder, Ruum Gallery & founder, Atelier Taila Carrilho (Mozambique)
Startup Story
Many entrepreneurs are born to create, and in Mozambique, Taíla Carrilho, co-founder of Ruum Gallery and founder of Atelier Taila Carrilho, is one such person. Her design talent has led her to co-found a creative gallery to showcase handcrafted design objects, and also her own fashion atelier.
Read more
Rumbidzai Matemachani, founder, Rungano Rwedu (Zimbabwe)
Startup Story
For lovers of eye-catching luxury fashion accessories and footwear, look no further than Rungano Rwedu in Zimbabwe, founded by Rumbidzai Matemachani. Her creative talent, combined with some of the finest specialist training in footwear and accessory design and manufacture in Italy, led Rumbidzai to launch her own brand back in her home country of Zimbabwe.
Read more
Chaimaa Elghani, founder, GO4Work (Morocco)
Startup Story
The concept of co-working for entrepreneurs is not a new one globally, but in Morocco, Chaimaa Elghani, founder of GO4Work, there was a gap. Today, she is creating an inspirational co-working space for people to develop their entrepreneurial spirit and to network with like-minded people who are all on their own business building journeys.
Read more
Joan Mugenzi, founder, Imagine Me Africa (Uganda)
Startup Story
Joan Mugenzi is the founder of Imagine Me Africa, based in Uganda. She is an International Coaching Federation Professional Certified Coach with 385 hours of coach training and over 750 hours of coaching, with a focus on employment transition. Whether a person is getting into a new job, moving into the next opportunity within the organization, grappling with management and leadership transition role, or planning on exiting, Joan enjoys facilitating the conversations. Joan has trained in coaching up to the highest level of coaching (Mastery), and wholly believes in the need for people to experience professional coaching. She is the founding and current president of the International Coaching Federation Uganda Chapter. Her focus is building Africa's coaching hub of choice.
Read more