Podcast
Journey continues
Season Three

Amb. Nimi Akinkugbe: Founder, Bestman Games – Navigating Pivots: From Corporate Success to Diplomatic Impact
Ambassador Nimi Akinkugbe's extraordinary journey from a Pan-African childhood to becoming an influential entrepreneur and diplomat is nothing short of inspiring. Raised amidst diverse cultures across East Africa, her unique upbringing instilled a passion for...
Jade Oyateru: Co-Founder & COO, Uncover – Beyond Skincare: A movement to Prioritize Melanated Skin
Join us for an inspiring conversation with Jade Oyateru, co-founder and COO of Uncover, as she shares her remarkable journey of creating a skincare brand that beautifully blends African botanicals with Korean beauty technology. Discover how Jade, influenced by her...
Anna Ekeledo: Executive Director, Afrilabs – Building Africa’s Innovation Ecosystem
Anna Ekeledo's journey is nothing short of inspiring. Born in Russia to Nigerian and Senegalese parents, Anna's path has been shaped by vibrant multicultural experiences in her formative years. From a childhood spent in Nigeria and Senegal, she carries a legacy of...
Lucy Msukwa: Founder & Executive Director Uchembere Wabwino Maternity – Beyond Birth: Bridging Gaps in Rural Healthcare
What if you could transform a small healthcare startup into a thriving clinic serving thousands, even amid a global pandemic? Hear from Lucy Msukwa, the inspiring Founder and Executive Director of Uchembere Wabwino Maternity in Malawi, who did just that. Motivated by...
Chipo Mabota: Founder & CEO Cooper & Jones Global Logistics – Breaking Barriers and Navigating New Frontiers
What if you could break barriers in a male-dominated industry while balancing the demands of single motherhood? This episode of African Business Stories brings you the compelling journey of Chipo Mabota, the Founder and CEO of Cooper & Jones Global Logistics in...
Ifeoma Uddoh: Founder & CEO Shecluded – Innovating Finance: The Journey of Africa’s First Female-Centric Fintech
What if the key to financial empowerment for women in Nigeria lies in one woman's journey from a police barracks to the boardroom? Join us as we welcome Ifoma Uddoh, the founder and CEO of SheCluded, a pioneering fintech credit company transforming the financial...
May Abdel Asim: Founder & MD HerStory Films – Empowering Women: Transforming Narratives, Inspiring Change
Ever felt like the existing media just doesn’t get you? That’s exactly how May Abdel-Essam felt, and instead of just complaining, she did something about it. Born in Egypt and raised in Germany, May returned to Egypt at 16 and turned her dissatisfaction with women's...
Agang Ditlhogo: Co-Founder the Clicking Generation – Training and Mentoring the Innovators of Tomorrow
Have you ever wondered how childhood curiosity can shape a career in tech entrepreneurship? Our latest episode features Ahang Ditoho, co-founder of the Clicking Generation, whose journey from a curious young girl in Botswana to a trailblazing tech entrepreneur will...
Sandrine Nzeukou: Founder & CEO Playbook – Sports Media, Driving Investment in Emerging Sports Economies
Ever wondered how to bridge the gap between sports and business in emerging markets? Join us as we chat with Sandrine Zoku, the inspiring founder and CEO of Playbook, who brings her unique journey from Cameroon to the United States and beyond to life. Sandrine shares...
Ndia Magadagela: CEO & Co-Founder, Everlectric – Driving the growth of electric vehicles as a service in Africa
Ever wondered how a young girl from a village in Limpopo could co-found a pioneering electric vehicle business in South Africa? Join us as we sit down with Ndia Magadagela, the visionary behind EverElectric, and unravel her inspiring journey from her roots in Africa's...
Welcome back to the Africa Business Stories Podcast
Welcome to Season 3 of the African Business Stories Podcast, a show dedicated to curating and sharing the stories of women building businesses in Africa. We took a short break but excited to be back with more stories of business success from across the continent. I...
Journey continues
Season Two

Dr. Martha Namundjebo-Tilahun: Co-Founder & Chairperson The United Africa Group – The Winning Mindset, Defying the Odds to Build a Multi-Billion Dollar Conglomerate.
On this weeks episode, I chat with Dr. Martha Namundjebo-Tilahun, Co-Founder and Chairperson of the United Africa Group, a privately owned multi-billion-dollar business conglomerate in Namibia that has been in operation since 1992. We talked about the enduring impact...
Zainab Ashadu: Founder & Creative Director, Zashadu – The Business of Self Care: From Handcrafted Leather Goods to Holistic Wellness
On this weeks episode, I chat Zainab Ashadu, Founder and Creative Director of Zashadu a leading sustainable luxury brand that specializes in handcrafted leather pieces all designed and manufactured in Lagos Nigeria. We talk about starting her career as an actor, how...
Ambassador Dr. Kema Chikwe: Founder, Women Leadership Institute – Lessons & Legacy, A Mother’s Day Special
On this weeks episode, I chat with Ambassador Dr. Kema Chikwe, a dynamic politician, distinguished public administrator, educationist, gender and social engineer and activist, writer and diplomat. She is the Founder and Chairperson of the Women Leadership Institute...
Chigozirim Otefe-Edebi: Co-Founder Gracehill Behavioral Health Services – Seizing Opportunities, The Journey To Enhancing Mental Health Care in Nigeria
On this weeks episode, I chat with management consultant and author Chigozirim Otefe-Edebi, Co-Founder Gracehill Behavioral Health Services providers of comprehensive mental health and wellness solutions in Lagos Nigeria. We talked about her 12 year career in...
Bunmi Olunloyo: Founder & Creative Director, Bailamos Dance Company – Challenging Perceptions and Empowering Women Through Dance
On this weeks episode, I chat with lawyer, dancer, actress and choreographer, Bunmi Olunloyo the Founder & Creative director Bailamos Dance Company a professional dance training fitness and wellness centre in Lagos Nigeria. She is also the creative and managing...
Saray Khumalo: Executive Coach & Founder, Summits With a Purpose – Lessons From the Mountain, First Black African Woman to Summit Mount Everest
On this weeks episode, I chat with award winning Mountaineer, philanthropist and Executive Coach Saray Khumalo. Saray is the Founder of Summits With a Purpose an initiative that has raised funds and built physical and digital libraries in disadvantaged African...
Nkemdilim Uwaje Begho: Founder & CEO Futuresoft Nigeria – Driving Digital Transformation in Africa.
On this weeks episode, I chat with serial entrepreneur Nkemdilim Uwaje Begho Founder & CEO Futuresoft Nigeria a leading digital & technology solutions company, Co-Founder SkillupAfrica focused on training and helping Africans launch their tech careers and...
Jumoke Dada: Founder & Creative Director Taeillo – Building an E-Commerce Furniture Business in Nigeria
On this weeks episode, I chat with award winning entrepreneur, Jumoke Dada the Founder, CEO and Creative Director of Taeillo a tech enabled business that leverages mixed reality to sell furniture in Nigeria. We talk about how her love for the creative process led...
Hetty Boachie-Yiadom: Co-Founder P&H Boutique – Empowering African Entrepreneurs Through Mentorship.
On this week's episode, I chat with Hetty Boachie-Yiadom, an award winning entrepreneur and Co-Founder of P&H Boutique, South Africa's largest African print retail brand. While working for a leading South African bank, Hetty and her husband Papa started a fashion...
Fatmata Binta: Founder Fulani Kitchen – Promoting Fulani Cuisine to the World
On this weeks's episode, I chat with Fatmata Binta - popularly known as Chef Binta. She was born and raised in Freetown, Sierra Leone, to Fulani parents of Guinean descent. Binta is the Founder of Fulani Kitchen - the first African nomadic pop-up dining experience...
Emalohi Iruobe: Founder Tribe XX Lab – Creating Safe Spaces For Women
On this weeks's episode, I chat with Emalohi Iruobe Founder of Tribe XX Lab the first and only co-working, wellness and incubator space exclusively dedicated to female entrepreneurs and female led startups and companies in Lagos - a place where women are able to...
Lucia Bakulumpagi-Wamala: Founder & CEO Bakulu Power – Providing Off-Grid Power in Uganda
On this week's episode, I chat with Lucia Bakulumpaji-Wamala Founder & CEO Bakulu Power a renewable energy company in Uganda. Born in Kenya to Ugandan parents who fled during the Luwero War, she grew up mostly in Canada. The idea for her company first emerged...
Special Episode: International Women’s Day with Temitope Iluyemi, Senior Director, Global Government Relations for Africa, Procter & Gamble
To celebrate International Women's Day , I chat with one of my mentors Temitope Ilyuemi. Tope is Senior Director, Global Government Relations for Africa at Procter and Gamble (P&G), she rose from a graduate entry position to become one of the most senior leaders...
Chidinma Emodi Chukwuemeka: Co-Founder, The Footwear Academy – Building Africa’s Largest Footwear Hub
On this week's episode, I chat with award winning entrepreneur Chidinma Emodi Chukwuemeka, Co-Founder of The Footwear Academy in Nigeria. Chidinma was named Network Start-Up Woman of the Year 2019 and received the Star of Business & Entrepreneurship Award at...
Siba Mtongana: Celebrity Chef, Restauranteur and Co-Founder, The Siba Co.
On this weeks episode, I chat with award winning chef and restauranteur, Siba Mtongana CEO & Co-Founder of The Siba Co, a food solutions and innovations company in South Africa. From aspiring home cook in the semi-rural Eastern Cape to restaurateur in one of the...
Akaego Okoye: Founder and Host African Business Stories – What to Expect in Season 2.
Welcome to Season 2 of the African Business Stories podcast!African Business Stories is your insight into female innovators and entrepreneurs building and running businesses in Africa. In this new season, we will continue our journey across the continent learning more...
First installment
Season one
Akaego Okoye: Founder and Host African Business Stories – Reflections on Season 1 of The Podcast
We made it to the end of season 1! Yay!!!
In Season 1, i interviewed 20 incredible female entrepreneurs from 10 different African Countries and in this final episode i reflect on my 3 main takeaways: why women start businesses, building a legacy business and the challenge of access to finance. I also reference some episodes to highlight my points. In addition, i talk about the special series we ran in honor of Fathers Day – Lessons and Legacy which is available on our website www.africanbusinessstories.com and coming soon to all podcast platforms.
Aisha Ayensu: Founder & CEO Christie Brown – Retelling The African Story Through Fashion.
Aisha Ayensu is the Founder, CEO and Creative Director of Christie Brown a fashion house based out of Accra, Ghana. An award winning fashion designer, Aisha started Christie Brown in 2008, in her final year of university, naming the company after her grand mother who was a seamstress and her inspiration. Christie Brown has grown to become an internationally recognized fashion brand manufacturing women’s apparel and accessories primarily inspired by African art and culture.
Barkue Tubman-Zawolo: Founder & CEO, MBL Intl. Group – Liberia’s Boss Lady, A Serial Entrepreneurs Journey To Impact and Results.
Barkue is the Founder and CEO of MBL International Group – a boutique International consulting and creative agency. The grand-daughter of the late President Williams V.S Tubman Liberia’s longest serving President, she left Liberia for the United States following a coup. Between 1997 and 2007, Barkue, working in a male dominated industry, set up and ran one of the few female led artist management companies – Miss Boss Lady Entertainment – she managed and worked on the management team of some of the most successful international artists at the time.
Nokwazi Mzobe: Founder & CEO Matoyana – Supporting Survivalist Entrepreneurs, From Consulting to Content Creation.
Nokwazi Mzobe is the founder and lead consultant at Matoyana, an entrepreneurship & sustainability focused consulting firm in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is also an author, coach and adjunct lecturer. Her first book, The Small Business Handbook, is a guide created for start-up and early stage businesses. It is available in English and isiZulu. She also creates content for her business blog, as well as other platforms.
Ehime Eigbe-Akindele: Founder & CEO Sweetkiwi – Pioneering Frozen Yoghurt in Nigeria and Taking The Brand Global
Ehime started making her own frozen yogurt when she realized most available brands weren’t as healthy as they claimed and created her clean-label recipe which brought about the birth of Sweetkiwi in 2011. This journey took her from Texas to Nigeria, where she opened 3 physical store locations.
She has created flavors for and led partnerships with many exciting brands such as Moet & Chandon, Pepsi, Guinness, Baileys to name a few. In 2017, Ehime moved to the DC area and was accepted into the Union Kitchen food accelerator to launch her delicious Whipped Greek Yogurt in grocery stores, most recently she launched in Whole Foods Market.
Joycee Awosika: Founder & CEO ORÍKÌ – The Path to Impact, From Agro-Beauty to Business Process Guru.
Joycee Awosika is the Founder and CEO of ORÍKÌ. In pursuit of purpose, Joycee left her job with Constellation Energy, a Fortune 100 company in New York and moved to Nigeria in 2011. She held a few roles in the power sector including serving as the Technical Adviser on Research, Analysis and Informatics (Performance Monitoring) to the Honorable Minister of Power. Working in the public sector wasn’t all she had imagined it to be so she decided to pursue her passion and launch an agro-beauty company. She launched ORÍKÌ in 2015, the first and only all natural farm to skin brand to operate a fast-growing premium product & wellness spa on the Continent. ORÍKÌ has developed 6 spas in four years and distributes products globally. Based on her experience and success, she has set up a new business called SOAR. SOAR is an operations and business process consultancy that works closely with businesses and individuals for sustainability, consistency and standards.
Petua & Joseline Kateeba: Crest Foam Limited – Second Generation Business, A Successful Succession Story
On the show I interview a mother-daughter duo. Petra and Joseline Kateeba. We talk about executing an effective succession, bouncing back from loss and what scaling means to a second generation Ugandan business.
Mrs Petua Kateeba is the Co-founder and a shareholder in Crest Foam Limited. She trained as a midwife and co-founded the company with her late husband in 1984. Following her husband’s death in 1992, she stepped into the leadership role and led Crest Foam from a small market player to a #1/#2 market leader. During her tenure, Crest Foam was named one of the Top 50 Brands in Uganda by Private Sector Foundation in its Proudly Ugandan campaign; she also won the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from UWEAL. In 2015, she handed over the reigns to her daughter Joseline.
Flora Mutahi: Founder & CEO Melvin Marsh International – Creating a Niche in the Kenyan Tea Market
Flora Mutahi is the Founder & CEO of Melvin March International owners of Kenya’s largest flavored tea brand. In 1995, Flora heard about the planned deregulation of the tea industry in Kenya. She saw this as an opportunity and with very little industry knowledge and resources, she decided to go into the tea business. While enjoying a cup of tea one day, she had a light bulb moment and discovered a gap in the market. This led her to create Kenya’s first flavored tea brand – Melvins Teas. Today, the product range has expanded to include not only flavored teas but herbal and fruit infusions.