Ventures Woman

VENTURES AFRICA – In an era where innovation and technology seem to drive organisations’ strategic plans, Aletha Ling, Chief Operating Officer of Fundamo, is on the cutting edge. Fundamo, a subsidiary of Visa Inc. is an industry pioneer, leading the charge of “Mobile Money”. Since 2000, the company has developed and provided the most innovative [...]

VENTURES AFRICA – Branding, communications, events planning and creative solutions all have one thing in common: Gloria Buckman Yankson. The young and talented Yankson is an award-winning event planning and brand communications professional and one of the brains behind PlanIt Ghana – one of Ghana’s most popular and fastest growing events firms. PlanIt Ghana’s roots [...]

VENTURES AFRICA – Someone once wrote, “You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation” and these words couldn’t be more true in Africa. Globally, it is estimated that seventy five million children do not have access to education, of which fifty million are girls. Of the seventy [...]

“Ten years and counting…and each day is different from the next. What an exciting industry this is” ~ Alima Atta VENTURES AFRICA – 10 years ago, Alima Atta sat in a room in her mother’s office and began Sesema PR, a public relations and marketing communications consultancy that provides services to its West Africa clientele. 10 [...]

VENTURES AFRICA – There are several talented young leaders in Africa and Diaspora making positive change and making mama Africa proud. One of them is Yetunde Odugbesan, a young African business leader seeking positive leadership change especially for Africa and its female folks. Although she is based in the diaspora, Yetunde has been involved in several [...]

VENTURES AFRICA – What a year it has been! Since its launch in March, Ventures Woman has shared stories of inspiring women making headway in Africa’s dynamic economic environment. Despite significant economic and political upheavals in many African countries, these women, and many more unnamed, have strived, pushed and broken down barriers to succeed in [...]

VENTURES AFRICA – Heralded as one of Nigeria’s richest businesswomen, Bola Shagaya, CEO Bolmus International Limited has interests in several sectors, ranging from oil and gas, banking, cash crops export, real estate, fast moving consumer goods (FCMG) and photography. The serial confidant of Nigeria’s First Ladies has been a recognizable figure in Nigeria’s corridors of [...]

VENTURES AFRICA – In the months since the beginning of the Arab Spring in the Middle East and Northern Africa, much has changed on the political and economic landscapes of affected countries. Riots and revolutions that began December, 2010 in Tunisia make entrepreneurship in the North African country more important than ever in repairing the [...]

VENTURES AFRICA – Ten years as a pioneer event planner has earned Funke Bucknor-Obruthe a place amongst Nigeria’s industry leaders and innovators. Zapphaire Events is Funke’s flagship event planning, management and consulting company born out of her passion for planning events. The lawyer-turned-entrepreneur was branded “Entrepreneur of the Year” in 2006 by Nigeria’s most prestigious [...]

VENTURES AFRICA – In the last decade, Africa has experienced an unprecedented influx of private equity (PE) investments. The Emerging Markets Private Equity Association (EMPEA) estimates that PE investments in Africa rose from $151 million in 2002 to $1.5 billion in 2010. Although a significant proportion of these funds are managed by largely male-dominated private [...]

“I watched as the standard of living in my household and that of my friends drastically declined in the span of 20 years even though my mother invested in two houses, was promoted at work and got raises in her salary. We quit eating breakfast as bread, butter and milk became too expensive…I knew that [...]

VENTURES AFRICA – There is no doubt that the past year has been incredible for African women in leadership. More African women, than ever hold powerful national and international offices; we have a second female president, women at the helms of the African Union and the International Criminal Court and many more. This development is [...]

VENTURES AFRICA – The Gambia, known for its gorgeous landscape, incredible beaches and most recently its premium destination wedding spot. is not only known for its beauty. As this West African jewel has also produced its fair share of globally recognised intellectuals. An example is the first African woman, and second person overall to hold [...]

VENTURES AFRICA – Eighty and seven years. That is how long it took for a Kenyan to break into the beer brewing industry – one of East Africa’s most lucrative. In a field traditionally dominated by powerful multinational companies and men, one Kenyan woman broke the mould to become the country’s first home-grown beer manufacturer. [...]

VENTURES AFRICA -Females, in the animal kingdom, are more lethal than their male counterparts. This is also the case with species of spiders and other insects, and everyone knows that few things are more dangerous than a mama bear whose cubs have been threatened. In a pride of lions, the lionesses have the specialised task [...]