How Africa News
The globe is witnessing an extraordinary growth in the number of African women taking up the business gauntlet. Women are boldly venturing into previously male-dominated economic sectors and wealth-creation zones across Africa, establishing profitable and scalable company enterprises in a variety of industries.
Women have recently gained attention and funding from investors who are astute enough to sift through and identify the potential and profitability of many women-owned enterprises.
Despite their unwavering desire to build great enterprises, women continue to fall behind, facing obstacles due to a variety of business hurdles, including, but not limited to, insufficient capital. Despite an increase in funding rounds spanning from pre-seed to Series E, female-owned firms are receiving less attention than male-owned startups.
According to the article “Africa: The Big Problem,” which studied and examined the gender discrepancy in startup financing raising, female-single founders and female-alone founding teams raised only 0.7% of all money raised by companies in Africa in 2021. This amounted to $18 million out of nearly $2.7 billion raised, implying that female founders and female-only founding teams raised fewer than 1% of total capital raised on the continent.
We feature ten indefatigable female founders who are preparing for the rigors of the business world and producing profitable and scalable successful companies in acknowledgment of the hard work and fortitude of black women in business.
1. Ore Runsewe (Nigeria)
Ore founded Arami Essentials, a beauty care company situated in Lagos, Nigeria. Arami provides a peaceful practice of a simple skin care routine aimed to beautify the skin and boost self-esteem and dignity. The company was formed in 2016 with the goal of providing genuine quality improvement and making a visible and dazzling influence in Africa’s beauty and wellness market. The products are manufactured authentically using African resources.
2. Sethebe Manake (Botswana)
Sethebe is an entrepreneur, innovator, and real estate investment and management expert. She is the Founder and Director of GoSmartValue, an online real estate valuation platform that connects clients to valuation expertise and accurate information to help them make sound decisions. It has a pool of surveyors who provide excellent service and are armed with market insights, trends, data, and statistics.
3. Jihan Abass (Kenya)
Jihan is the Founder and CEO of Lami, an insurance As-a-Service platform that digitalizes the entire insurance process and allows for the rapid creation and distribution of digital insurance products. Lami received $1.8 million in startup funding in 2018.
4. Neema Iyer (Uganda)
Neema is the Founder and Director of Policy, a group of technologists, data scientists, creatives, and academics who work at the confluence of data, design, and technology to provide a better life experience through the use of more accurate and reliable data.
5. Tao Laine Boyle (South Africa)
Tao Laine is the Co-Founder of Foonda Mate, an online learning platform that leverages artificial intelligence to provide 24/7 smart and friendly study support via popular platforms like as Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger. It responds quickly, answers educational-related queries, and provides extensive step-by-step solutions to challenging issues in any subject. The platform just received $2 million in seed funding to grow its personnel and coverage and deliver education services to more students around the world.
6. Nadege Bolingo (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Nadege is the Co-Founder of the Connecticut Institute for Social Entrepreneurship, which supports the next generation of changemakers while also encouraging local communities to thrive. The firm is committed to building a diverse set of services and products to assist and provide chances for young leaders in addressing the majority of the world’s critical issues in accordance with the SDGs.
7. Selma Ndi Ekfvei (Cameroon)
Selma is an award-winning multi-skilled Fullstack Web Engineer, STEM entrepreneur, and the Founder of DataGirl Technologies, a tech firm that provides young women in Africa with access to coding, coaching, and networking opportunities.
8. Prisca Magori (Tanzania)
Prisca is an engineer and project management expert who focuses on accomplishing development by balancing the three project constraints of time, space, and budget. She is also the Co-Founder of Tenten Explore, an online travel marketplace that provides answers to travelers while also reinventing how they plan vacations and find places.
9. Fisayo Longe (Nigeria)
Fisayo is the Founder and CEO of Kai Collective, a luxury clothing brand situated in London. She began by sewing outfits using textiles she bought at markets, and the attention and praise she received from people who appreciated her clothing styles led to the formation of Kai Collective. She began the business with a $11,000 loan from her mother and has grown it to an annual revenue of more than $550,000.
10. Thato Schermer (South Africa)
Thato Schemer is an independent strategy and digital consultant, as well as the Co-Founder of Zoie Health, which he co-founded with Dr. Nonie Sitole. Zoie Health is an all-in-one women’s health clinic dedicated to enhancing the lives of women via customized health and wellbeing services.
