BUSINESS AFRICANS

Mrs Toyin Amadi always had love for the fashion industry. She is a trained clothier. But never ponded on the potentials of making clothes for a living. Hence, after bagging a diploma in Accountan­cy, she waltzed off to kickstart life as a career woman. She got a job in a bank. Starting out as a banker, the smart dress sense of bank workers made many in her neighbourhood to envy Mrs Amadi. Whenever she leaves her house for the of­fice, many in the figment of their imagi­nation believed that she is having it rosy working in a bank, where money rolls endlessly into her bag. But inside the heart of this woman lies deepseated dis­satisfaction. The job is not making her happy because she yearns to spend qual­ity time with her family. But her job is denying her that. She kept making plans to leave the job, yet kept procrastinating on when she would do that. However, the tragic loss of one of her children made her say ‘enough is enough’. “I worked for about three years in a mer­chant b

It didn’t take Atomode Jide Benjamin to deter­mine his focus in life, but he knew that he was not destined to be a banker and hence he left his plum banking job for the music industry and has made a success of it. In this interview with  Sunday Sun , he reveals his journey through life and how he succeeded. Excerpts: Tell us about your­self My name is Atomode Jide Benjamin but my fans and friends call me Lord Bishop. I’m from Kabba town in Kogi State and the second child of my parents. I’m a gospel artist and businessman . I grew up in Kaduna. I speak Yoruba, Hausa and of course English. I obtained my HND in Accountancy from Kogi State Polytechnic, had my BSc in Economics from Joseph Ayo Babalola University(JABU) and my PGD/MBA from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Ogbomosho. Why did you resign from the banking in­dustry? Banking is an awesome and interesting industry and same goes for entertainment indus­try. They both require time and commitment. You don’t ch

SOUTH AFRICA - Desmond Mabuza, born and raised in the relatively poor neighbourhood of Soweto, is the only black South African who owns and successfully operates high-end restaurants that serve his country’s rich, famous, politically and socially-connected people. Originally trained as a civil engineer in the United States, Desmond returned before the end of the Apartheid era to start a small civil engineering firm. After some years of practice, he abandoned his engineering practice and invested the money he had made into the fine dining restaurant business, an industry only white South Africans were known to dominate and succeed in. Despite his lack of experience in this market, Desmond was neither discouraged by the colour of his skin or the daunting challenge ahead of him. He went on to open his first restaurant in 2001 (at age 28) and currently owns two remarkably profitable and well-run restaurants –  Signature  and  Wall Street  – both situated in Johannesburg. I

It’s true there are lots of   amazing business opportunities in Africa . However, it can get very confusing if you don’t know where to look. In this article, I’ll show you ten of the hottest business opportunities in  Africa that will create more successful entrepreneurs and millionaires in 2015. ‘The best place to find gold is to look where it has been found before.’ The opportunities in this article have created some of the biggest successes Africa has ever seen. If you want to increase your chances of building a successful business in 2015, these opportunities could make your dream come true. Let’s meet them… 1.    Media and Entertainment Africa’s film industry has become a global and cultural phenomenon that enjoys a huge following within and outside the continent. The industry serves an audience that’s hungry for African stories of love, drama, intrigue, comedy, redemption, action and more. It’s no surprise that Africa’s film industr

When Christine Mbabazi started designing clothes in her bedroom in the Rwandan capital of Kigali, she had big ambitions. Now the owner of her own store -- Christine Creative Collections -- she has even bigger plans: turning her fashion boutique into a household name. "The brand is promoting African fabric and African designs, with my creativity, and developing it to the rest of the world," says the young entrepreneur. Launched last March, Mbabazi's startup produces and sells a wide variety of eye-catching fashion items, including bags, shoes and clothes. Mbabazi says Rwanda is at the very heart of her brand, so every creation in her store is handmade with locally-sourced materials. "I love the African fabric," she says. "[Growing up] I liked looking unique, [so] I used to cut my clothes in different ways -- I used to change them, I used to sew with my hands. It all inspired me to come up with what I have today." Mbabazi, who is also a radio

Muthomi – The Kenyan lawyer who built a successful business from a simple ‘banana idea’ Photo credit: katakiri.com KENYA - Africans consume up to 40 percent of bananas produced in the world every year. Like maize, rice and wheat, bananas are one of the most important and widely eaten food staples in East Africa. Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi are among the world’s largest producers and people in these countries eat up to 400 kilograms of bananas every year – the highest consumption rate in the world! Despite this huge demand and market, many smallholder banana farmers in Kenya do not make enough money from their harvests due to poor storage, wastage and exploitative middlemen. In just three years, Eric Muthomi, a 27-year old law graduate has built a successful business from solving the banana problem in Meru, his Kenyan hometown. This article tells the inspiring story of this young man and his brilliant idea which has won several awards and placed him on the 2013  F