In the spirit of the last International Women’s Day, SME360 is celebrating five women in business in Africa. Continue reading this post to know who they are and their achievements.
Africa is blessed with many women who are into one business or the other. This continent leads the world in terms of the number of women who are entrepreneurs. It is only right for an aspiring entrepreneur to know a few of these women. Women in Africa are more likely to become entrepreneurs than men. This is because women make up to 58% of the continent’s self-employed population.
Women in business in Africa have paved the way for other young and aspiring entrepreneurs either male or female. They have laid a solid foundation in the business and paid their dues in the business world.
Women in Business in Africa You Should Know
These women in business all started from the lowest rungs and have become reputable and recognized African entrepreneurs. The women on our list include:
Folorunsho Alakija
Alakija is the richest woman in Nigeria, a self-made billionaire, and a philanthropist. Her path to greatness started in 1974 when she worked as a secretary at Sijuade enterprises. She moved on to become a banker, went into the fashion world (supreme stitches), and finally into the oil industry where she became very successful.
Alakija is one of the few world’s black female billionaires and she is in partnership with several other lucrative businesses. She is known for promoting the Nigerian culture through her fashion and style. She is also a trustee and a member of the fashion designers association of Nigeria (FADAAN).
Folorunsho Alakija applied for an oil license after her prowess in the world of fashion and she was granted the license. She became the owner of FamFa oil limited which has become her major source of wealth as well as investments in real estate. She decided to give back to society by having a foundation(rose of Sharon foundation) that caters to the needs of the less privileged (widows and orphans).
Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu
She grew up on the streets of Ethiopia, she came from a poor background. In her community, some people were artisans and she had the desire to turn those artisan skills into a business that could change the lives of her people. She founded SoleRebels in 2004, Africa’s leading footwear company. The company manufactures eco-friendly footwear. It also helps to reduce the rate of unemployment by providing employment opportunities to locals.
Her brand grew tremendously and became a very successful world-class venture. Today, it has many stores in different parts of the world. Bethlehem received a lot of awards because she empowered the Ethiopian youths and also reduced the rate of unemployment in her community. Some of the awards are;
- Young Global Leaders by World Economic Forum.
- World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.
- 20 Youngest Powerful Women in Africa By Forbes.
Bethelem is a patriotic African who always believes anything is possible if you put your mind to it. She is a very tenacious woman who loves to take risks and also expand her brand as far and wide as possible.
Mosunmolu Abudu
She is popularly referred to as Mo Abudu. Mo is a Nigerian and a serial entrepreneur with work experience in several reputable firms before eventually pursuing her dreams. She is known for encouraging and motivating the youths.
Mo believes that as Africans, nobody can tell an African story better than we Africans. She always encourages Africans to learn to accept our culture instead of letting the Western world dominate us. Thus, she gave Africans the platform ”Giving Africa a voice”.
Mo became a Media Proprietor through Ebonylife TV from being a talk show host. Ebonylife TV is an N2bn worth 1st global Pan-African television network which began broadcasting in July 2013. She is also known for the famous saying ”if you think it, you can do it”.
Rebecca Enonchong
She is a Cameroonian who founded AppsTech in 1999. AppsTech provides app solutions and has grown across 40 different countries on 3 continents. This success made Rebecca earn a spot on Forbes’ list of 10 Female Tech Founders to Watch in Africa.
She is someone who loves to take risks. Rebecca always wants to do more, try out new things, and never settle for less. She always looks for newer technologies that can help to foster the growth of her tech company.
AppsTech also offers other services aside from its software functions like implementation, training, and application management. She also advises entrepreneurs either young or old that when you experience success always remain humble. So far, she has contributed to the economy by creating job opportunities to reduce the rate of unemployment in Cameroon.
Nicky Newton-King
She is a cooperate finance lawyer by profession. Nicky is also the first woman to become the CEO of the continent’s biggest stock exchange market in Johannesburg South Africa.
Her journey at the JSE began in 1996 and became the executive director in 2000. She was appointed to the board in 2005 and later became the first woman CEO of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in 2012. Nicky was acquainted with the introduction of affirmative action policies and also an employment equity plan.
She was responsible for other administrative roles in the JSE. Nicky has received awards based on her prowess in the stock exchange world. Some of these awards include:
- Businesswoman of the year 2003.
- Yale World Fellow 2006.
- One of eight South Africans at the Young Global Leaders Forum 2005.
She described her path to success as a matter of ”determination and her clear-sighted sense of the direction that her career would take.”
Conclusion
Women are the backbone of the African economy. Many of them have made efforts to be present in the world of entrepreneurs. This post has shown you some important women in business in Africa. Kindly check out other posts on SME360 to help you establish and grow your business.