“SA Women Making an Impact”: Three African Entrepreneurs Lead Change Across the Continent
- Three African entrepreneurs are changing how business is done on the continent by building companies rooted in culture
- South African Nwabisa Mayema from the Eastern Cape wants to create "zebra" businesses that work together like the animals in the wild
- Ethiopian entrepreneur Feven Tsehaye built Chakka Origins using ancient healing wisdom and natural ingredients
- Senegalese business leader Madji Sock left corporate boardrooms to help African women entrepreneurs through investment clubs
Source: Original
Three remarkable women are showing how SA women making an impact extends far beyond South Africa's borders, building businesses that change lives across the entire African continent. During Women's Month, these entrepreneurs prove that success doesn't have to mean forgetting where you come from.
South Africa celebrates Women's Month every August to honour the strength and achievements of women who have shaped the country. From struggle heroes like Winnie Madikizela-Mandela to today's business leaders, women continue breaking barriers and creating new paths for others to follow.
Africa leads the world in women entrepreneurs, with 26% of women involved in starting new businesses. Three of these game-changers recently shared their stories on the Dreaming in Color podcast, revealing how they're changing business rules to fit African values.
Source: Original
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SA women making impact through zebra businesses
Nwabisa Mayema grew up in the Eastern Cape and now works as strategic partnerships director at The Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship. She believes in showing up bravely even when you're scared, especially in spaces where people don't expect to see you.
Mayema has a different idea about successful businesses. Instead of trying to build billion-dollar "unicorn" companies, she wants to create "zebra" businesses. Just like zebras in the wild, these companies work together, help each other survive, and make their environment better. The best part? A group of zebras is called a "dazzle" - exactly what she wants women's businesses to do.
In Ethiopia, Feven Tsehaye started Chakka Origins to bring ancient healing wisdom into modern beauty products. Her company uses traditional Ethiopian knowledge about breathwork and natural ingredients that have been healing people for centuries. She works with rural women who grow and harvest the ingredients, making sure they earn good money while protecting the environment.
Meanwhile in Senegal, Madji Sock left big corporate boardrooms to help women back home. Through the Women's Investment Club and Haskè Ventures, she teaches female entrepreneurs how to get funding, find mentors, and work together for success. For her, the best businesses happen when women support each other instead of competing.
These three women aren't trying to copy Western business models. They're proving that African ways of doing business, focusing on community, healing, and helping each other, can create companies that make real change in people's lives.
Other stories of women breaking barriers
- Briefly News recently reported on a Cameroonian entrepreneur who built a massive braiding empire in America, but the scale of her 24-hour operation left people speechless about African excellence.
- A Cape Town woman shared her journey from domestic worker to IT technician, but the mistake she made that changed everything had people cheering for her determination.
- A woman was praised for building her parents a house with her own hands, but the stages of construction she documented showed just how much dedication was needed.
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Source: Briefly News
