the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
by Marjon Mayer
Review, readjust, reset, reboot – ready? Nothing will ever be the same, I hear so many people say. It may be true to some extent, but I think that many things may settle back to more or less where they were – perhaps we just would have learnt to appreciate these more. So, nothing will even be the same again, or closer to the expression – The more things change the more it stays the same?
Read moreby Claire Holden, Empowerment Coach
I was in a meeting yesterday where we all agreed that we’re sick and tired of the Covid-19 pandemic. We’re tired of talking about the need to ‘pivot’, the ‘new normal’ and the uncertain future. Our news feeds are filled with stories of loss, blame, uncertainty and recriminations. It’s exhausting. The constant anxiety and barrage of bad news shuts down our thinking and saps our energy. We need creative, innovative thinking and an abundance of energy to be successful entrepreneurs, so it’s imperative we change the conversation!
Read moreby Nomihlali Ntszunguzi
Robert H. Schuller says, “tough times never last, but tough people do.” This statement says it all for entrepreneurs especially during this time. This is our time, a time to grab the bull by its horns and show off our skills and gifts to this changing yet exciting new economy.
Read moreDiane Nsengiyumva, founder of Shamba Kahawa (Burundi)
by Martine Irakoze
The pandemic has proven that women leaders and health workers are managing these stressful situations better than the typical ‘strongmen’. At home, mothers are also holding families together while juggling online work, home-school, or businesses. Surely, behind these strong and successful women, there is a substantial amount of coffee. To inspire strength to fellow female entrepreneurs, this article will talk about an industry reputed to be strong and tough: coffee.
Read moreby Marta Roff, founder of Maputo Relocation Solutions, Mozambique
I was challenged to write about my view of the world after COVID-19. Since I have no capabilities to predict the future, I decided to rather change the wording and write about my view at the moment and what I wish COVID-19 would change in humanity.
Read moreby Sian Lovegrove, Director of the Open University of Tanzania, International Studies Centre
In this post, Sian shares how she finds light in the darkness of the coronavirus pandemic.
As I sit here in Dar es Salaam looking out across a flat Indian Ocean, quiet golden beaches, with a frothy coffee in my sweaty hands it feels like the calm before the coronavirus storm. This is a time of great concern for our global friends and family and people are dying in their thousands. However, I am an eternal optimist and I am turning this period of hibernation, stagnation and global frustration into a business and personal opportunity.
Read moreby Saajidah Esat
As we enter into the extended period of the lockdown here, some of you may have found a rhythm to your days and established a set of thoughts and processes to help you stay positive and productive. I would like to share a tool that I have been using that has helped me immensely through these challenging times.
Read moreby Tania Reid
The world has been caught up with a new challenge in the form of COVID-19, which has brought about a disruption in the way we do things. The old way of doing things has changed forever, and new things like social distancing, self-isolation, business unusual, church unusual, ‘everything’ unusual, have become the norm. The old saying, ‘The only constant is change’ has become so relevant in these ever-changing, uncertain times, and we have all realized that there is no room for anything as usual anymore.
Read moreby Gabrielle von Ille, Founder and Managing Director of Lifa Communications
In the world we used to know we measured a country’s wellness simply by its GDP; mother nature cried out for help giving us various signs we ignored; we worshiped the wrong heroes; mental issues and pills were on the rise; our food consisted of E numbers; we created only with the intent to monetize or go viral; we were materialistic beyond measure; and most importantly, our values seemed to be completely out of whack. Surely, we were connected through technology and social media but actually we were more disconnected than ever.
Read moreby Thato Mokhothu-Ramohlanka
The Corona Virus outbreak has quickly introduced a new way of living that most of us never imagined possible. While some people are better prepared for unknown eventualities such as the Covid-19 pandemic more than others, many others will find that they have not prepared adequately for the weeks ahead. Unfortunately, the playing field is not always level. In some instances life does not provide us with the tools to help us prepare for tough times. Unemployment is one of those brutally unfair conditions that deny people the opportunity to provide security for times such as these.
Read moreLioness Launch
What a strange world we are currently living in. The COVID-19 pandemic has created a new and challenging reality for us all. These are seriously tough economic times, and as women entrepreneurs it requires us all to think differently about how we do business. It is going to take courage (lots of it), patience (lots of that too), innovation and sheer determination to get through this new normal.
Read moreby Lori Milner
There is so much advice on how to tackle our new way of being. One of which is to ensure a well-organized schedule for your time as well as your kids. Now I am the preacher on using your calendar to schedule work and life tasks to ensure they get done. My mantra is – ‘If it gets scheduled, it gets done!’ There is a huge ‘however’ coming…HOWEVER….this philosophy has been tested to its limits in the last week. I planned the week ahead knowing exactly what outputs and deliverables I wanted to achieve and then sat down to make an ‘excellent’ schedule for my children ages 5 and 7. Day 1 did not work out too well….
Read moreby Alice da Silva
The global Covid-19 pandemic has forced us to live differently. I am noticing that many people are very distressed about changes to planned goals and activities. The social distancing and self-isolation is causing many to be apprehensive and frustrated at home. I have decided to share how I keep my spirits up, while adapting to a new reality. I’m no expert, and what works for me may not be everyone’s solution, but maybe some of this will inspire others with their own ideas.
Read more
