5 Black African Leader and Entrepreneurs Making their Mark in 2022

Apart from the likes of some renowned black entrepreneurs like Aliko Dangote, the continent is seeing the birth of new breeds making their mark in various fields. Through grit, these entrepreneurs have proved that anything is possible if you’re relentless.

Their contributions have impacted society and contributed to the continent. Invariably increasing the participation of black people in the entrepreneurial space. An NBC News report highlights that American Black business owners surged 38% from February 2020 to August 2021. 

Here are some black African entrepreneurs making their mark on the continent.

Young Paris – Congo

Young Paris is a Congolese singer ad songwriter. Though from an African background, he was born in Paris and grew up in New York.

Due to his unique singing style, he became a member of Jay-Z’s record label (ROC Nation) in 2016. While there, he collaborated with African artistes such as Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Olamide, Skales, Jay Park, and Trinidad James.

Apart from being an artiste, Paris is also a diversified artist and entrepreneur known in the art, fashion, real estate, and NFT space. 

In the NFT’s space in early 2022, he launched his NFT collection, the Syndicated Cat Club. It has thousands of distinctive digital art pieces of customised creatures. 

Yetnebersh Nigussie – Ethiopia

Yetnebersh Nigussie proves that where there is a will, there is a way. Despite being visually impaired, she inspires change as a human rights lawyer in her country, Ethiopia. She supports women and girls’ child rights and inclusive education.

Her contribution to what she believes in earned her the Right Livelihood Award in 2017. She also serves as the senior inclusion adviser for Light for the World.

RELATED:

6 African Entrepreneurs Who Have Built Transgenerational Family Businesses

Vimbayi Kajese – Zimbabwe

Vimbayi Kajese is an African entrepreneur to the heart. Due to the shortage of black people images for advertisements, she started #Adtags. It is an African-based marketplace that provides black people images to brands for advertising.

With her 15 years of experience in the media, she knows the power of visual representation. Since it is her forte, she also has a theory of  “Can an Image Save a Life”?.

This earned her a spot on the TED show, where she further explained the theory behind her idea. Through her business, she creates a new storyline for Women, people of colour, and the continent. 

Ashifi Gogo

The idea behind the Ashifi Gogo company was to reduce the rate of missing items. With this, he developed the first anti-counterfeiting label for products and founded Sproxil in 2005.

It helps detect and reduce counterfeit items. It also helps lessen product losses and saves lives and millions of dollars yearly.

Dara Aaron Kennedy

Dara Aaron Kennedy doubles as a broadcast journalist and an entrepreneur. As an on-air personality, she has been to over fifteen countries and anchored prime-time events and shows. This way, she gives voices to people of colour.

As an entrepreneur, she is the founder of the Sports Finance Summit. It helps aspiring and young entrepreneurs to make wealth decisions. She believes in mentorship and inclusion. This made her a part of the Global Citizen for the Nelson Mandela: 100 initiatives in South Africa.

She is also an exceptional writer. She authored “Your Roadmap Starts Here: The Young Entrepreneur’s Guide to Starting Your Own Business”. It aims to help aspiring entrepreneurs in their teens and twenties.

NEXT:

How to Buy Anything from Amazon and Ship to Nigeria