“A vision on its own is not enough. Hard work and
dedication is required to make that vision a reality.”

Strive Masiyiwa, Econet Wireless, Zimbabwe

“In terms of expansion, I strongly believe in organic
growth as there is nothing more motivating or satisfying…
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to dream big, but start small.”

Zainab Ashadu, Zashadu Bags, Nigeria.

“Businesses that are spoilt with too much capital
make the wrong decisions… Constraints are the
most wonderful things in business, because constraints
allow you to be innovative and come up with
different solutions.”

Michael Jordaan, MonteGray Capital, South Africa

“I believe we can create new opportunities for
[SMEs] by linking them up with larger enterprises,
through industry clusters. Since a large number of
employers in the [SMEs] sector are informal
family-owned businesses, they can be trained to
become more proficient through various
capacity building initiatives.”

Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the National Committee on Job Creation, Nigeria

“Africa is a youthful continent that is plagued by a
high unemployment rate, particularly amongst Millennials.
Entrepreneurship has long proven to be the best
alternative to bettering one’s life. Building a
business that not only progresses the entrepreneur,
but also the community that the business operates
in, is the greatest solution to reducing
unemployment in any economy.”

The Motsepe Foundation, South Africa.