Despite the odds

Africa's women entrepreneurs are stepping into the international arena, writes Faith Baloyi

The odds are stacked against women entrepreneurs in Africa. According to the University of Pennsylvania's African Studies Centre: "Women in Africa constitute 52% of the total population, contribute 75% of the agricultural work and produce and market 60% to 80% of the continent's food."

But regardless of the potential contribution from this market segment, efforts to increase the economic empowerment of women in Africa are falling short.

Even though there are signs that more women in Africa are becoming entrepreneurs, the report says "limited access to credit, property, technology and technical skills" restrict them to micro-enterprises.

But some women still manage to become entrepreneurs.

Every year the Cartier Women's Initiative Awards selects three finalists from each of five regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America. A laureate is chosen from each of the regions.

This year the three African finalists are Anne Githuku-Shongwe (South Africa), Sarah Katebalirwe (Uganda) and Ann Kihengu (Tanzania).

The finalists are days away from presenting their business models to panellists from all over the world at the annual global meeting in France on October 14.

The winners from each region get start-up capital, access to a global network and long-term economic opportunity.

AFROES

The aim of Afroes is to get inside the heads of kids

GITHUKU-Shongwe of Afroes, a cellphone games development company, spent most of her working life in social development.

Afroes was formed in 2008 to encourage awareness of the social challenges which have faced and still face Africans today.

Targeting the youth, Afroes focuses on using the entertainment platform to drive home key messages to, and foster life skills in, children of the most vulnerable age in our communities.

"The whole aim of Afroes is to get inside the heads of kids. Teach them about strategic decision making and what I like to call possibility thinking," says Githuku-Shongwe.

The idea came to the former United Nations Development Programme official when she was with her children one afternoon. Her eight-year-old son was busy playing a game on his computer and speaking his thoughts aloud.

"I realised that kids actually spend as much time getting their learning from PlayStations and games as they do sitting behind desks at school. The commitment to achievement was astounding, and I thought: why not use this tool?"

Her idea merged with her long-held desire to educate her children about their cultural heritage: she had always worried the youngsters would grow up alienated from their sense of responsibility to their continent.

"Our kids grow up with so much Western media, which is everywhere in traditional media, that you worry how you can connect them with their roots ... I believe gaming can do that," says Githuku-Shongwe.

But, because most children in Africa do not have access to computers, PlayStations or the Internet, she modified her idea.

To involve more children, she developed a model where games could be downloaded onto cellphones.

Githuku-Shongwe said: "At the moment we have two games: TekaChamps, a township soccer game, which we developed for the World Cup, and Mobichamps, which we developed for the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund."

Both games help promote children's awareness in an effort to curb the abuse of minors.

Mobichamps is a part of the larger "Champion for Children" campaign run by the Nelson Mandela Fund, to build a national movement to protect youngsters.

"The game is marketed by kids themselves, which is added value in that it helps with identification and gives them a chance to gain leadership skills, not forgetting developing entrepreneurial skills," Githuku-Shongwe says.

ROYAL BARK CLOTH

The aim is to promote and protect the bark-cloth heritage of Uganda

SARAH Katebalirwe, of Royal Bark Cloth Designs in Uganda, has built her business on the revival of the skill of using bark from the Mutuba tree as cloth - a practice which pre-dates weaving.

After having spent a decade experimenting with bark fabric, Katebalirwe decided to use the cloth in modern design. "My aim is to promote and protect this heritage at the same time," she says.

Her designs range from clothes to household accessories, and all bear some of the rich symbolism of the material - which was used for money and in coronation robes - as well as a new approach to the fabric.

Through a partnership with a Dutch design firm as well as local farm workers, her company covers everything from initial design through to labelling and packaging.

Katebalirwe, who was always interested in design, began her business 20 years ago with a sewing machine that kept breaking down.

Her struggles were made harder by the death of her husband 15 years ago, but she managed to pick up the pieces and train herself in Western design practices.

"The difficulties I have faced helped me galvanise other women and involve them in entrepreneurship groups," she says. The company employs 60 artisans, most of whom are single mothers.

PRIAN

The aim is to transform the mentalities of entrepreneurs as far as possible

ANN Kihengu of Prian is a 27-year-old entrepreneur from Tanzania, whose aim is to try to cut poverty in rural areas by making and selling solar-powered lamps and cellphone chargers.

She says that, in a country where only 11% of the population has access to electricity, "kerosene lamps are hazardous yet they persist, with 92% of our population spending 30% of their income on kerosene".

In an effort to encourage entrepreneurship, Kihengu gets youngsters to sell the solar-powered devices.

"Prian monitors the young entrepreneurs, and works closely with them to provide skills development and the basics of business. My aim is to transform mentalities as far as what is possible ... and at the same time enlighten young entrepreneurs."

CARTIER

The motive behind Cartier's initiative is to help aspiring businesswomen, not only with funding, but with media visibility, networking opportunities and coaching

THE Cartier Women's Initiative Awards is a partnership between the luxury jewellery maker, The Women's Forum for the Economy and Society, the highly ranked business school Insead, and management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

The intention is to build businesses in the first and third worlds through mentorships of women wishing to become entrepreneurs.

The initiative began five years ago to help aspiring businesswomen, not only with funding, but with media visibility, networking opportunities and coaching. The competition is just one aspect of the process.

Since 2005, the project has helped 57 start-up businesses and given awards to 15 businesses - five each year.

This year's 15 finalists come from an applicant pool of 600 projects. They will have to present their business plans to a jury of 27 experts in economics and business.

The winner of the 2010 Cartier's Women's Initiative Awards will receive coaching support for a year in North America, $200000 and make key contacts at the annual global meeting of the Women's Forum for the Economy and Society, which runs from October 13 to 16 this year.