Changing the narrative on Africa.
Bamba Édith Christine pulled on her biker gloves, adjusted her helmet over her distinctive blue-rimmed glasses and face mask and hit the start button on her Yamaha Ténéré. Then she headed out across town from her residence close to the Ébrié Lagoon, in Cocody, an upmarket suburb of Abidjan.
Nigeria’s growing natural hair industry includes enterprising professionals like Happiness Okorie, who recently styled Chimamanda Adichie’s hair. For years, Okorie suffered from burns on her scalp due to using harsh relaxers. Then one day, she said “no more” and turned her outrage into a thriving business.
When Kenyan nursing graduate Ruth Apondi Omondi created Smart Mama as a simple telemedicine platform in 2024, she knew she was bridging a critical gap in maternal care. The 24-year-old launched the m-Health service in Nairobi to give pregnant women the reliable information they need to make better health decisions on their journey to childbirth.
A knack for solving problems led pharmacy graduate-turned-venture-capitalist, Amanda Etuk into Nigeria’s bustling logistics sector to set up a firm that streamlines how businesses handle their supply chain operations.
When Yacine Mina Diouf, a social entrepreneur and community leader, established the Kayam Centre as a refuge for survivors of domestic violence in 2022, she knew she was filling a void.
Inside a workshop bordering her family’s rubber plantation on the outskirts of Abidjan, Ivorian designer Rebecca Zoro is busy tapping into her creative roots. Global celebrities such as Beyoncé have worn her clothes, under her label Yhebe Design. Currently, she is retreating from attending glitzy glamourous events to concentrate on her next collection.
Across Africa, women are more present than ever along agro-processing and food business value chains. It’s about more than farm work. An impressive 63 percent are now engaged in off-farm activities ranging from processing and packaging to marketing and retail. Expanding urban centres and a demanding middle class are behind the numbers.
The humid air of the Amazon hangs heavy as dusk settles over the sprawling city of Belem, a world away from the familiar heat of her native Kenya.
Anna Libana’s phone glowed persistently in the subdued light of the lobby as she scrolled through messages and notes, while the corridors of COP30 in Belém buzzed with delegates rushing between sessions.
Mwangala Lethbridge often pictures Zambia’s leadership spaces, cabinet rooms, boardrooms, and corporate meetings, as a table of ten seats, nine taken by men.