Learn from the stories of 25 entrepreneurs who've built thriving businesses.
* Be inspired by the experiences of Africa’s most dynamic entrepreneurs.
* Gain insight into the continent’s business opportunities.
* Find the courage to make your own dreams and ambitions become a reality.
Discover why Ken Njoroge is building a billion-dollar pan-African digital payments company (it is not because he wants to drive a Ferrari); Find out how Jean de Dieu Kagabo grew a Rwanda-based industrial group from a simple product: toilet paper; And be inspired by the extraordinary tale of Hassan Bashir who created a booming insurance company from nothing but grit and persistence.
Each entrepreneur’s story is told in an honest and sober manner, not shying away from the mistakes made and the considerable hurdles they had to overcome. And there were many tough times: from being betrayed by long-time senior managers to losing vast sums of money because of poor market research. Pursuing their business ambitions also had a toll on their personal lives: one entrepreneur was too broke to afford diapers for his baby, while another had to sell her house to keep the company alive.
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Meet the entrepreneurs
Tayo Oviosu, Paga (Nigeria)
The entrepreneur who traded in his Silicon Valley life to offer mobile money to unbanked Nigerians
Monica Musonda, Java Foods (Zambia)
Instant noodle pioneer
Addis Alemayehou, 251 Communications (Ethiopia)
Serial entrepreneur bringing the world to Ethiopia
Jennifer Bash, Alaska Tanzania Industries (Tanzania)
Adding value to everyday staples
Ken Njoroge, Cellulant (Kenya)
The long, hard journey to build a billion-dollar company
Ebele Enunwa, Sundry Foods (Nigeria)
A $50-million food and retail empire
Tseday Asrat, Kaldi’s Coffee (Ethiopia)
A modern twist on Ethiopia's coffee culture
Twapewa Kadhikwa, Kadhikwa Group of Companies (Namibia)
How one hair salon became a group of companies
Jesse Moore, M-Kopa Solar (Kenya)
Thinking out of the box to power over 600 000 homes with solar energy
Chijioke Dozie, OneFi (Nigeria)
Learning from past experiences to disrupt the banking industry
Sylvester Chauke, DNA Brand Architects (South Africa)
Marketer with a passion to take African brands global
Navalayo Osembo, Enda Athletic (Kenya)
How to make a running shoe in Kenya
Kasope Ladipo-Ajai, OmoAlata (Nigeria)
Nigerian cooking made convenient
Yoadan Tilahun, Flawless Events (Ethiopia)
Showing Ethiopia how to throw an event
Nelly Tuikong, Pauline Cosmetics (Kenya)
Kenyan beauty brand taking on global behemoths
Tumi Phake, Zenzele Fitness (South Africa)
Flexing his entrepreneurial muscles to exploit a gap in the health club industry
Jean de Dieu Kagabo, Soft Packaging (Rwanda)
Rwandan industrialist always hunting for the next big business idea
NJ Ayuk, Centurion Law Group (Cameroon)
A lawyer on the road less travelled
Polo Leteka, IDF Capital (South Africa)
The investor who spots opportunity where others see risk
Ashley Uys, Real World Diagnostics (South Africa)
Diagnostic hustler
Hassan Bashir, Takaful Africa Group (Kenya)
An insurance company created from nothing but grit and persistence
Dr Hend El Sherbini, Integrated Diagnostics Holdings (Egypt)
From a small Egyptian family business to a London-listed healthcare giant
Nana Akua Birmeh, ArchXenus (Ghana)
Architect breaking glass ceilings
Mossadeck Bally, Azalaï Hotels (Mali)
West African hotel group built on an appetite for risk
Jacques de Vos, Mezzanine (South Africa)
Growing a high-impact tech business one problem statement at a time
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