In July, Meta announced changes to how it charges for usage of its WhatsApp Business API. From October, the free-form replies that make up most day-to-day customer conversations on WhatsApp will no longer be free. This shift affects every business using the platform regardless of their provider, and highlights the importance of multichannel communication strategies….
For Lusanda Meje and Sesethu Dingaan, entrepreneurship is about more than building an income. It is about independence, creating opportunities and proving to themselves – and to others – what is possible when determination meets opportunity. The two Cape Town women are among the young people who completed Engen’s New Venture Creation Learnership, an 18-month…
Ibrahim Sagna, executive chairman of investment firm Silverbacks Holdings Our new book, How we made it in Africa II: Real stories of entrepreneurs turning opportunity into profit, is available here. The book was recently shortlisted for the Business Council for Africa (BCA) African Business Book of the Year Awards 2026. In a recent interview with…
We highlight five entrepreneurs building businesses in West Africa across sectors ranging from retail and footwear manufacturing to fitness. 1. Ghana: From side hustle to 16 stores – a retail entrepreneur’s story In 2012, Charles Antwi-Boahen was scraping by as a commission-only salesman at an air-conditioning company in Accra, often struggling to cover his own…
Partner Content: Africa’s Business Heroes The Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) Prize Competition, a philanthropic initiative of Alibaba Philanthropy, has announced the 20 entrepreneurs who will advance to its 2026 Semi-Final, taking place in Nairobi, Kenya, on 21–22 August. The Top 20 were selected from an expanded Top 100 cohort drawn from more than 24,000 applications…
Swahili Honey is the retail brand of Central Park Bees, a Tanzanian business based in Dodoma that aggregates, processes and sells honey sourced from a network of rural smallholder beekeepers. How we made it in Africa editor-in-chief Jaco Maritz spoke to co-founder and CFO Christopher Kadendula to find out more. Topics discussed during the interview…
Wandia Gichuru Interview with Wandia GichuruCO-FOUNDER & CEO, VIVO FASHION GROUP Lives in: Nairobi “I don’t come from a fashion background, so I tend to approach things purely from a business perspective,” says Wandia Gichuru, founder and CEO of Vivo Fashion Group, a Kenyan clothing manufacturer and retailer. “We try to focus on what the…
SOUK Farms’ main export markets are Europe and the Middle East. Our new book, How we made it in Africa II: Real stories of entrepreneurs turning opportunity into profit, is available here. The book was recently shortlisted for the Business Council for Africa (BCA) African Business Book of the Year Awards 2026. Entrepreneur Seun Rasheed…
JSE-listed fintech group Lesaka Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: LSAK; JSE: LSK) is consolidating its merchant-focused businesses under the name of Lesaka. The new brand signals how Lesaka has brought together leading fintech companies into a single platform that mirrors how merchants run their businesses. The move follows Lesaka acquiring the Connect Group in 2021 and Adumo…
The short answer? Around the middle of the year. While many businesses only start thinking about corporate gifts in the final few months before the holidays, that’s often when product choices become limited, production schedules tighten and unnecessary compromises creep in. The strongest year-end gifting campaigns don’t begin with a last-minute product search. They begin…
