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