Platforms and Female Entrepreneurship in Africa

Abstract

Africa leads the world in the number of women starting businesses, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. Many experts, including the World Economic Forum and the World Bank, believe that the 21st century is Africa's century and that its economic future depends on the success of its female entrepreneurs. Technology entrepreneurship in Africa seems to be on the rise. In 2017, the annual Global Start-Up Ecosystem Report (GSER) ranked the Lagos start-up ecosystem as the most valuable in Africa. In May 2019, the same report by start-up Genome, which researches start-up ecosystems across the world and claims to have data on over one million companies across 150 cities, named Lagos one of 12 “challenger” start-up ecosystems. With the increasing focus on technology and female entrepreneurship in Nigeria, this chapter seeks to chronicle the birth and growth trajectory of two platform companies in Nigeria led by two female African entrepreneurs: Abimbola Adebakin, CEO of Advantage Health Africa, and Glory Enyinnaya, Lead Consultant of Kleos Africa.