Women Entrepreneurs: Driving Change and Overcoming Challenges in Africa (Part 2)

An inspirational story of successful women entrepreneurship is that of Feza Rongorongo of Rwanda. She is the founder of Precious Dishes Rwanda. Feza Rongorongo is among the women entrepreneurs who have benefited from business financing through business loans. She got funds through Business Partners International (BPI) and also benefited from the technical assistance offered by BPI.

Feza Rongorongo’s story of Precious Dishes is that of celebration. She broke the odds and made it to the top. Follow her YouTube story here. Also in Rwanda, we find Ernestine Uwamahoro. She is Lamane Bakery’s founder and CEO. Thanks to BPI, she is prospering in the hospitality sector. She has profited from business financing through business loans. The capacity to finance her enterprise has seen her venture grow. She also got support for staff training.  Watch her video here.

Still in Rwanda, we find Gloria Kaligirwa. She is a flexible, driven, and accountable HR professional. Her work and experience include professional development of more than 10 years of practical HR experience.

Rose Koros in Kenya also carries a success story in business. Her passion for the education sector can be felt through her story. Her school was running well and earning proper income. However, getting a bank loan became an issue. She felt her being a woman was probably why she was denied loan access. Gladly, she came across BPI. She got her business financing and that is how her business thrived.

In Malawi, we have Chifundo Mmane, a horticultural expert. She features as one of the women entrepreneurs in the Agricultural sector.

The region where she runs her business used to be poor. She says most of the homes were thatched with grass. Mmane can now boast that each member has made enough money from the horticultural industry to purchase iron sheets for their home’s roof.

She has greatly benefited from business financing. It has helped her business to sprout.

What about women entrepreneurs in the fashion sector? Let us now visit Namibia. Shopping for one’s children may be a thrilling experience for any proud parent. Finding the ideal piece of clothing that is both fashionable and functional can be challenging.

That is the point we meet Fierdow and Jamilla Sah.

The two are sisters and women entrepreneurs based in Windhoek, Namibia. The two have filled the kids’ fashion industry void. They founded their lovely retail establishment- Kids Emporium Namibia. It carries a wide variety of essential items. Its focus is to meet the needs of infants and young children. It meets the demands of mothers and soon-to-be parents. Their business has benefited greatly from business financing through business loans. Kids Emporium stocks the latest in maternity, children’s wear, essentials, travel systems, décor, toys, and gifts.

We also get to meet Bianca Muller in Namibia. She has over 20 years of experience as a seasoned HR expert. She has a plethora of experience and understanding in several business-related fields. She has extensive expertise in in particular. She worked in human resource management as an executive in the fishing sector for several years.

Muller began her career in human resources in the banking industry. She was exposed to all the conventional HR functions. These encompassed remuneration, training and development, industrial relations, recruiting and selection, and remuneration. She fully understands the need for business financing.

Let us also meet Gloria Kaligirwa in Rwanda. She is a flexible, driven, and accountable HR professional. Her work and experience include professional development of more than 10 years of practical HR experience.

Let’s meet Josephine Luutu in Uganda. She resides in the Wakiso district of Naalya village. She operates a little commercial flower farm. She started cultivating flowers in February 2012. On a plot of land about 50 by 40 feet, she was initially supporting herself by cultivating yams. She did, however, realize that she wasn’t making much money from this venture. She took a chance on floriculture. Through the use of business financing, she now thrives in floriculture.

Can women overcome the said challenges?

Funding women entrepreneurs is critical. It is one method to give women more financial power. Women’s empowerment objectives can be quickly achieved. To assist the efforts of the private sector, favourable policies must be proposed. It is possible to increase opportunities for women to thrive in business. The private sector should provide the necessary technical assistance. Financial institutions have a role in growing women entrepreneurs. They ought to offer financial assistance to women entrepreneurs. Business Partners International is already supporting women entrepreneurs.

The value chains of corporations should include more women-owned SMEs. What about the business value chain? It should encourage more women-owned SMEs year after year. Hence, it is a deliverable monitored at the highest level of the corporation. To help the advancement of gender equality, SDG 5 is to be supported by each corporate firm. Investors need to increase funds for women entrepreneurs when this growth occurs.

The stories of these remarkable women entrepreneurs highlight their ability to pioneer change, embrace opportunities, and contribute to Africa’s economic growth. By providing financial support, technical assistance, and promoting gender equality, businesses, financial institutions, and policymakers can create an enabling environment for more women to succeed as entrepreneurs. Celebrating and empowering women entrepreneurs in Africa will lead to a more inclusive and prosperous continent for all.

Simply put, women are to be celebrated each day, each time, in every way!