The recently released Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Report for 2018/2019 states that entrepreneurship as a career choice is highly regarded in Africa. The continent, however, exhibits the highest imbalance between entrepreneurial intentions and the number of entrepreneurial ventures being started. It is for this reason that publicly celebrating entrepreneurship, such as in the media and on social media, is vital to inspire and motivate aspiring entrepreneurs to start their businesses and, in turn, contribute towards creating a thriving entrepreneurial eco system across Africa.
As such, Gugu Mjadu, Executive General Manager for Marketing at Business Partners Limited (BUSINESS/PARTNERS), says that they have launched the platform, “
Home of Africa’s Entrepreneurs”, which will be housed on Instagram. “We plan to use this space as a place where entrepreneurs can be inspired by each other, network with and learn from each other as well as about the diverse businesses and opportunities that the continent has to offer.
“Through this initiative we aim to further promote entrepreneurship as a viable career choice, showcasing the amazing work both our own clients and other entrepreneurs have been doing across the continent – making a difference to their communities as well as the overall economies of the countries where they operate,” adds Mjadu.
In order to preview what’s in store for followers, Mjadu shares some of the inspirational stories that will be featured on the Instagram page over the next month:
Nocwaka Mazaleni, owner of Kwantu guest house (Cape Town, South Africa): Nocwaka Mazaleni did not let her entrepreneurial flare get extinguished by apartheid policies. Emerging from informal trade into sophisticated corporate business, she started her first venture designing and making African fusion style clothes in Gugulethu, and today, she lives in her complex of three luxurious Kwantu guest houses in Milnerton Ridge, Cape Town.
David Emitu, owner of Inyamat Cafe and Restaurant (Kampala, Uganda): When David Emitu decided to open his restaurant in a brand-new shopping centre in the Ntinda district of Kampala, Uganda, he had no experience in the catering business. Although it was his Plan B, following a failed broiler chicken farm, there was no Plan C, and he was certainly not going back to the corporate world. Although it was daunting, David beat the odds and is now planning on opening a second branch.
Kgomotso Shiluvane, founder-owner of the Lunghile Nursing School (Johannesburg, South Africa): Kgomotso saw an opportunity for both upliftment and commercial gain when she noticed that many South African nurses were being recruited by overseas agencies, leaving a serious skills shortage. As a solution, she set up her own nursing academy to run alongside and complement her already established nursing agency.
Mjadu points out that these stories are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the amazing successes that should be both celebrated and used as a way to bolster entrepreneurial activity across the continent. “By celebrating entrepreneurial success, we hope it will have a ripple effect amongst aspiring entrepreneurs across Africa to start their own businesses, whilst providing a space for them to learn and grow.
“With this in mind, we are looking forward to an exciting journey of building a continent of entrepreneurs through inspiration, celebration and upliftment. We trust it will contribute to unearthing entrepreneurs that deserve to be celebrated and inspiring more people to pursue entrepreneurship as viable career path,” Mjadu concludes.
