Anne Nduati is a woman on a mission, working to make more people in her country, Kenya, and indeed across the African continent, aware of the sleep disorder Narcolepsy, a condition that her daughter was diagnosed with when young. The organisation she founded, Narcolepsy Awareness Kenya, aims to empower those who suffer from the condition to live their lives to the fullest, but she also hopes to inform and support the families and teachers who look after those children.
Read moreVideo: Juliana Rotich - what is next for African entrepreneurs after the 6th Global Entrepreneurship Summit has drawn to a close?
Source: CNBC Africa | Monday, 27 July 2015 06:09:49 GMT
Kenya successfully hosted the 6th Global Entrepreneurship Summit over the weekend. This saw a number of entrepreneurs and investors meet and share. However, with the conclusion of the summit, what is next for African entrepreneurs? What lessons can they learn? Juliana Rotich, co-founder of Ushahidi and Chair of World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Data Driven Development joins CNBC Africa for more.
Read moreJacqueline Kiage - The startup story of a social entrepreneur with a vision to tackle the issue of preventable blindness in rural Kenya
Africa has some truly dedicated and inspirational social entrepreneurs who want to make a real and positive difference to the lives of others. Jacqueline Kiage is doing just that in rural Kenya by starting a world-class social enterprise eye clinic, Innovation Eyecare Centre, to provide life-enhancing eye surgery and specialist eye care to patients that is affordable and accessible.
Read moreThe challenges for Africa’s women entrepreneurs in breaking into new markets
Guest Blog by Clare Kagimu, interior architect and designer and founder of Phoenix Design
In today's highly competitive marketplace, creating a unique differentiator in our businesses in order to get noticed, and doing what it takes to stand out from the crowd in the right way, has never been more important. This month, we share a few helpful tips on how to get your business to stand out from the crowd and get into new markets.
Read moreMaria Auma - The startup story of an African woman-owned investment management company looking to empower the continent’s entrepreneurs
At a time when access to funding and capital-raising for business start-ups in Africa is difficult and stressful at the best of times, one Ugandan woman entrepreneur is looking to forge a path where few African women tread. Maria Auma is taking her passion for economics and financial management and building her company, Blue Luxury Investments, as a platform for investment management solutions for entrepreneurial ventures that are environmentally conscious.
Read moreEntrepreneur Advice from Johanette van Niekerk - You have to believe in yourself and what you are doing
You need to believe in yourself and what you are doing....
"If you are going to be able to achieve success, and sell what you create, you have to believe in yourself and what you are doing. I know and understand what makes people look and feel good when it comes to jewellery and what connects with them emotionally. I love it when someone wears a piece of my jewellery and they get that incredible smile on their face when they put a necklace around their neck, or a bracelet on their wrist. People appreciate creative people who work with their hands to make beautiful things, so if you are a creative entrepreneur you should channel that emotion and that positive feedback into your work and use it as a source of inspiration."
- Johanette van Niekerk is the founder of Sew Good Handmade South Africa a company that designs and produces a unique range of jewellery and accessories. Johanette has worked for herself ever since she finished studying design at the University of Pretoria and has always been involved in the design and fashion industry. The inspiration for the pieces that Sewgood Handmade produces comes from the raw materials Johanette uses, which come from all over the world - whether that material is wood, glass or a semi-precious stone.
Read moreYolanda Methvin - The startup story of an inspirational wellness brand with a heart and in tune with indigenous African botanical health
The world already knows of the unique beauty of the Cape Floral Kingdom and the amazing indigenous biodiversity that exists there. Entrepreneur Yolanda Methvin is demonstrating through her LithaFlora African Botanicals company that it is possible to capture the essence of this unique environment as the source of her environmentally friendly and luxurious wellness products.
Read moreAfrica’s leading women designers, makers and crafters attract global interest
An emerging industry, design from Africa, is drawing increased global attention, and with it the success stories of women across the continent taking leading roles in the industry's development; from women-run cooperatives bringing together several hundred women, to university graduates taking their futures into their own hands by creating jobs for themselves and others.
Read moreEssential Finance Handbook for Business Owners By Precious MK Mvulane
Reading The Essential Finance Handbook for Business Owners could be one of the most helpful gifts you could ever give yourself as a business owner. It is a great companion for any entrepreneur who is venturing into the world of business, which can often be a daunting place for those starting out. This book has been written to provide expert, easy to understand guidance to business owners to help them to better manage and run their business financial performance, both effectively and efficiently.
Read morePODCAST: LoA speaks to Bilikiss Kola-Abiola, co-founder and CEO of WeCyclers about ecopreneurship
Interview on 23 July 2015 by Melanie Hawken, founder & editor-in-chief of Lionesses of Africa
Listen to our fascinating chat with Bilikiss about ecopreneurship in Africa and whether it is possible for a new generation of women entrepreneurs to operate financially viable businesses whilst remaining true to their core social and environmental values.
Read moreLynette Hundermark - The startup story of a South African techpreneur looking to push the boundaries of mobile technology
The mobile technology space is probably one of the most rapidly changing and dynamic sectors, and for businesses and organisations that can often prove a challenge, finding the best solutions to meet their needs. Lynette Hundermark’s company, Useful and Beautiful (U&B), is looking to breakthrough the clutter and find the right mobile technology solutions and develop the right strategies to fit each client’s specific objectives, and add real value to the business.
Read moreRwanda: Janet Nkubana, a Woman Transforming Lives of Rwandans Through Weaving
Source: All Africa | 22 July 2015 | By Richard Mugarura
Janet Nkubana is co-founder of Gahaya links, a company that has empowered and supported Rwandan women through job creation. Nkubana's company is committed to restoring hope and dignity of women who were affected by the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. From a humble beginning under a tree in the remote village of Byimana in the Southern Province, Gahaya Links started organizing women in associations that were later transformed into cooperatives.
Read morePODCAST: Launch your startup on the AMPION Venture Buses - Hit the road and apply now!
The deadline is nearing for applications for the third edition of The Ampion Venture Bus Africa initiative which will take over 200 Ampioneers on 5 buses in 2015. LoA had the opportunity to chat to Ampion Founder and MD, Fabian-Carlos Guhl and he gave a greater insight into how women entrepreneurs in Africa could benefit from this amazing initiative. Listen to the interview here, and apply now!
Read moreConstant innovation drives Keroche CEO, Tabitha Karanja
Tabitha Karanja does not boast about being a woman in an industry dominated by men; rather, she asserts that an entrepreneur is defined by his or her innovation. “When I began Keroche Breweries in 1997, I did not believe in copying other brands that were in existence. Instead, I carried out research to understand the gap in the market,” she says. Her findings, a little savings and acres of land jointly owned with her husband formed the foundation for a thriving alcoholic beverages business worth billions today.
Read moreTsungie Ncube - a talented, aspirant young Zimbabwean techpreneur designs a new app to help vendors connect better with customers
Zimbabwe’s first entrepreneurship and innovation Hub, Muzinda, provided the opportunity and the platform for aspirant techpreneurs and app developers in the country to come together on 17-18 July for a StartUp Weekend aimed at developing and pitching new app ideas for potential future funding and commercialisation. The aim, to identify viable new tech ideas that investors might look to provide funding to in order to achieve commercialisation in the future. One young aspirant woman techpreneur, Tsungie Ncube, was one of the winners at the event.
Read moreSuzie Wokabi - The startup story of an entrepreneur with a vision to create Kenya’s first homegrown make-up brand
The growing market and need in Africa for an authentic, affordable and high quality make-up brand created specifically for African women, inspired Kenyan entrepreneur, Suzie Wokabi, to launch a new trailblazing cosmetics brand, Suzie Beauty Ltd. The result is a world-class product range that understands the needs of today’s African women who want bespoke make-up products that work perfectly on African women’s skin-tones and creates a stunningly beautiful look.
Read moreSibabalwe Sesmani and Zuziwe Mkhwanazi - The startup story of a South African PR company that takes a pioneering approach to industry positioning
The all-woman entrepreneurial team behind South African niche PR company, Unorthodox, live up to their name as they take a unique approach to the corporate public relations, communications and partnerships they undertake. The dynamic duo of Sibabalwe Sesmani and Zuziwe Mkhwanazi work exclusively with corporates and differentiate themselves in the marketplace by dealing with "firsts" in their industry. They strive to create their own genre of public relations, one that specializes in corporates and thought leaders of industries.
Read moreSocial entrepreneurship venture, Help A Child Grow Foundation, is building school libraries for disadvantaged children, one book at a time
The challenge of inspiring young, underprivileged and orphaned children in South Africa to learn to read and develop a love of books and learning, is one that social edupreneurs Matilda Sekoakoa and Lerato Kadiaka, have embraced. Their inspirational Help A Child Grow Foundation is positively and tangibly changing the lives of these children each day by collecting books and building libraries for schools in need.
Read moreEssential Read: 'Contemporary Design Africa' by Tapiwa Matsinde - Africa’s flourishing contemporary design scene revealed for the first time
In her beautifully presented and insightfully written new book, Contemporary Design Africa, British/Zimbabwean designer, writer and blogger, Tapiwa Matsinde, showcases the work of some of the most creative, inspirational contemporary designers, artisans and cooperatives from across the African continent. Many of the talented women who are leading the way in developing Africa’s contemporary design industries take centre stage.
Read morePriscilla Makundi & Daniela Barajas - The startup story of a Tanzanian social enterprise on a mission to prevent poverty and empower women’s innovation in emerging markets
The challenge of addressing poverty and empowering women in emerging markets through entrepreneurship empowerment, is one that the Sote Tunaweza Initiative has risen to. Co-founders Daniela Barajas and Priscilla Makundi, together with their inspirational team, are on a mission to foster a global network of strong female leaders who will have the skills, confidence, and creativity to address some of the most pressing issues in their communities.
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