How African women are leading the continent to a new future
The achievements, impact and sacrifices of African women are woven into every major milestone on the continent, so much so that every August, South Africa pauses to honour them during Women’s Month. Africa has long been the home of powerful women – from Winnie Madikizela-Mandela to Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti and beyond – and a new generation is carrying that legacy forward.
Africa also has the highest rate of women entrepreneurs in the world, with around 26% engaged in early-stage entrepreneurial activity. Among them are Nwabisa Mayema, Madji Sock and Feven Tsehaye, who all appear on the latest season of Dreaming in Color, an inspiring podcast presented by The Bridgespan Group and hosted by Darren Isom and Elisabeth Makumbi. Each of these leaders is reimagining what business can be when it’s rooted in culture, community and care.
Born in the Eastern Cape, Nwabisa Mayema has built a life and career defined by her presence in spaces where she wasn’t expected. Now the strategic partnerships director at The Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship, which partners with business to build an economy that enables thriving people and a healthy planet for all, she leads with intention.
For Mayema, challenging norms doesn’t mean being fearless – it means showing up bravely despite fear. She sees herself as a reflection of that mindset, pointing to her appearances on global stages, international podcasts, and in rooms where she once felt she didn’t belong.
That spirit also shapes how she thinks about entrepreneurship. On the podcast, Mayema describes her goal of creating “zebras” – collaborative, medium-sized businesses that endure for a long time – rather than chasing billion-dollar “unicorns.” She evokes the image of zebras in the wild: plentiful, cooperative animals that graze in groups and form symbiotic relationships. Most importantly, they leave the veld or savanna better than they found it.
“So how can we do that?” she asks. “The most delightful part is that the collective noun for zebras is a ‘dazzle.’ What does it look like if women can create businesses that dazzle, really?”
In Ethiopia, Feven Tsehaye, founder of Chakka Origins, is doing something similar. By creating naturally sourced beauty products and highlighting the ancient healing power of breathwork, she is reinfusing ancestral wisdom into an industry often dominated by Western ideals. Her business bottles centuries of Ethiopian healing traditions, imbuing each item with intention, memory and meaning. Chakka Origins honours biodiversity through responsible harvesting, uplifts rural women and places them at the centre of production. It’s regenerative beauty in every sense: healing people, ecosystems and economies.
In Senegal, Madji Sock has returned from global boardrooms to rebuild at home. Through the Women’s Investment Club and Haskè Ventures, she has helped women shift from survival to strategy, creating spaces where female entrepreneurs can leverage capital, mentorship and collective power. For Sock, business isn’t about individual brilliance – it’s about interdependence.
These women aren’t chasing scale for scale’s sake – they’re cultivating depth. They are building supply chains that nourish communities, investing in businesses that restore and creating legacies that don’t just break ceilings, but build new floors. They know healing doesn’t have to be a luxury. And that being grounded in your identity isn’t a weakness but a great strength.
Catch each of their stories on Dreaming in Color, available on all major podcast platforms.
