Entrepreneurship is seen as a powerful economic driver of the future growth of economies around the world, and in Africa in particular.
One of the most exciting developments is the increasingly important role of women entrepreneurs behind this new entrepreneurial spirit on the continent. The good news is that here in Africa, some countries are leading the way in this space, no more so than by the inspirational women entrepreneurs of Ghana, Rwanda, Nigeria, Uganda and here in South Africa.
One organisation which is looking to support the growth and development of Africa’s women entrepreneurs is Lionesses of Africa, which has partnered with Standard Bank to roll out a programme of events and initiatives specifically for women entrepreneurs over the next 12 months.
From late May, 2016 the latest in the series of highly popular monthly Lioness Lean In Breakfast events will be taking place at Workshop 17 on the Waterfront in Cape Town. One of 24 scheduled events taking place in leading African cities, including Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town in South Africa each month, the aim is to bring together between 50 and 70 women entrepreneurs at each event to share their entrepreneurial stories, inspire one another, and connect for greater business success.
Melanie Hawken, founder and CEO of Lionesses of Africa said: “I believe that we can make a difference by raising the profile of the truly inspirational women entrepreneurs building successful and innovative businesses across the African continent, in addition to getting more people talking about the many challenges that women in business face in Africa. By engaging with women entrepreneurs on a daily and monthly basis through events such as our Lioness Lean In Breakfast sessions, and sharing their stories and experiences on our various platforms, we can inspire a new generation of women entrepreneurs, stimulate discussion on the key challenges they face, provide possible solutions for others to replicate, and encourage those at the top of their fields to offer advice and guidance.”
This month’s Cape Town Lioness Lean In Breakfast Event promises to be a great one for all those attending, with three inspirational women entrepreneurs taking to the speaker platform to share their stories and to provide a wealth of inspiration and advice on building a successful company and brand in South Africa and globally.
These include leading socialpreneur Kristine Pearson, founder of LifeLine Energy, a company bringing access to communication and learning through the medium of wind-up radio, and transforming rural communities in Africa as a result. Also on the speaker platform will be a young woman who is making the creative ideas of young children a reality by transforming their drawings into soft-toys, whilst at the same time providing much needed skills development and employment to local communities.
Finally, sharing her experience and knowledge of building a hot new drinks brand and building on the current global love affair with artisanal gin, will be Lucy Beard, co-founder of trendy South African spirit brand, Hope on Hopkins. Hosting the event will be Lionesses of Africa founder and ceo Melanie Hawken, together with the Head of the Standard Bank Business Incubator Jayshree Naidoo, who will be sharing her insight into the bank’s support for the growth and development of women entrepreneurs on the continent.
Staff Writer
