Why female led startups stall in Sub-Saharan Africa

Summary

Podcast Summary: Why Female-Led Startups Stall in Sub-Saharan Africa

Podcast: Business Daily
Host: Will Bain, BBC World Service
Date: May 6, 2026
Featured Guests:

• Mary Nyambura (Founder & CEO, EchoCharge, Kenya)
• Angela Nawateme (CEO & Founder, Fauna Health Foods, Uganda)
• Safetu Sec (Founder, Soraya Fashion Brand, Senegal)

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Episode Overview

This episode examines the challenges and triumphs faced by female entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa, a region with the world’s highest rate of entrepreneurship—yet where women are especially constrained in scaling their startups. The discussion features three dynamic founders, each sharing their journey from idea to business, and the realities of raising capital, overcoming cultural perceptions, and supporting other women through their work.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Origin of Business Ideas

• Inspiration from Personal Experience or Social Need:
  • Angela Nawateme started Fauna Health Foods with just $30, motivated after encountering malnutrition first-hand during a charity event.

    “Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come. I started this idea with $30.” (Angela Nawateme, 01:51, 05:20)

  • Mary Nyambura began EchoCharge out of curiosity, experimenting with agricultural and household waste to create biomass briquettes.

    “We used to dump all this charcoal dust… I read on the Internet, cow dung can be a binder. I just mixed the two with both hands and voila, EchoCharge was formed." (Mary Nyambura, 06:03)

  • Safetu Sec's catalyst was a compliment on a dress she designed by a member of Michelle Obama’s team during a presidential visit, which inspired her to pursue fashion full time.

    "Mrs. Obama would have loved to have your dress… That at that moment I knew, I knew it was time to stop everything and do this 100%." (Safetu Sec, 07:21)

2. The Leap from Idea to Action

• Risk, Courage, and Support Systems:
  • For these founders, launching a business wasn’t always an easy or obvious choice.
    • Mary Nyambura:

      “I was ready to fix whatever it came with… I consulted God and did my thorough research until I got my first investor.” (Mary Nyambura, 08:50, 09:20)

    • Angela Nawateme:

      “I lost my job on the same day I lost my boyfriend, and found out I was pregnant. I made a decision that I would give my child the best… That’s how I got my first clients and decided to do it as a business.” (Angela Nawateme, 09:29)

3. From Hustle to Growth: Raising Investment

• Initial Funding Struggles:

  • All guests agree that access to capital is the greatest barrier, particularly for women. The path to scaling is rarely straightforward:
    • Angela Nawateme:

      “It took me around three months to disclose to the entire family what I was doing… Together we raised $30 and started the business. Now we serve 1,920 supermarkets and eight countries.” (13:47)

    • Mary Nyambura:

      “It’s a very interesting journey… At least half a million Kenyan shillings every month… then getting the big investor and doing 24 million plus in a year.” (14:18) “There are down days where you feel like you want to give up, but you remember why you’re doing this… 70% of my workforce are women, and they always encourage me—‘madame, we have to keep going.’” (15:47)

    • Safetu Sec:

      “People don’t necessarily take you seriously. I mean, there is barely no funding… but it’s all about hanging in there and being convinced about what you do.” (13:10) “It is still quite a challenge, honestly… 90% of what I sell is sold outside of Senegal. When you go global, you need a lot of resources… But people are still reluctant for some reasons.” (16:42)

• Challenges Specific to Women Entrepreneurs:

  • Women face additional skepticism from investors and lack collateral. Proof of concept and track record are essential.

    “If you can prove your concept and show how it has worked over time, you can get trusted and attract equity investors and debt.” (Angela Nawateme, 17:14)

• Role of Grants and Building a Brand:

  • Grants provide a buffer for experimentation.

    “Once you receive a grant… you’re able to make losses and recover… It gives encouragement to continue pursuing.” (Mary Nyambura, 17:34)

  • Growth attracts more investors, but it remains difficult to get loans from banks without collateral or security.

4. Broader Impact and The Future

• Transformative Effect on Communities & Women:

  • Female founders employ and uplift other women.
    • Mary: “70% of my workforce are women.” (15:47)
  • The need for more pathways to make entrepreneurship scalable and sustainable, not just for individual success stories but to lift communities and economies.

• Perseverance and Optimism:

  • All three entrepreneurs stress resilience and passion as core drivers:
    • “It’s my passion. No matter how hard it is, I still wake up in the morning and figure it out… We have to continue going down this road. You’re already in too deep, you can’t come back.” (Mary Nyambura, 15:11)
    • “Everything is doable and no obstacle is too big for me to handle.” (Angela Nawateme, 18:33)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Angela Nawateme reflecting on setbacks and resilience:

  “I lost my job on the same day I lost my boyfriend, and found out I was pregnant. I made a decision that I would give my child the best.” (09:29)

• Safetu Sec on African fashion’s growing global influence:

  “The world has been dressing Africa. Now it’s time for Africa to dress the world.” (11:50)

• Mary Nyambura on scaling a business:

  “Once you get your first investor, the rest now will start checking in. I wouldn’t say it’s easy to raise money. It’s not because again, you have to prove the case.” (15:47)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:51 – 05:05: Introduction of panelists and their business inspirations
• 06:03 – 07:19: Founders describe their “lightbulb” moment
• 08:50 – 10:16: The emotional and logistical leap to starting their companies
• 11:50 – 13:36: The struggle to secure investment and gain recognition
• 14:17 – 15:38: Revenue milestones and scaling challenges
• 16:27 – 17:34: The persistent challenges of funding and perceptions; grants as buffer
• 18:01 – 19:00: Hopes, caution, and lessons for aspiring founders

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Conclusion

The episode delivers candid insights into why so many female-led startups in Sub-Saharan Africa stall, with first-hand accounts from entrepreneurs who are beating the odds. Access to funding remains a major barrier filled with gendered skepticism, but resilience, a clear proof-of-concept, and passion are essential. As these leaders lift themselves and others, their stories offer inspiration and concrete lessons for ecosystem builders and aspiring entrepreneurs across Africa and beyond.

Transcript

[Will Bain]

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[Will Bain]

Hello and welcome to Business Daily on the BBC World Service. I'm Will Bay. How to Supercharge Startups in Sub Saharan

[Angela Nawateme]

Africa nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come. I started this idea with $30.

[Will Bain]

The region has the highest rate of entrepreneurship in the world, but many of those businesses run into the same issue.

[Mary Nyambura]

I wouldn't say it's easy to raise money. It's not. Because again, you have to prove the case. There are down days where you feel like you want to give up, but you remember why you're doing this. 70% of my workforce are women and they always encourage me. Madame, we have to keep going.

[Will Bain]

And that problem is exacerbated for the estimated 20 to 25% of those businesses that are set up by women. So today on Business Daily, we're asking how to get more cash to Africa's female entrepreneurs.

[Safetu Sec]

The big trigger happened when President Obama and his wife came in Dakar, Senegal.

[Will Bain]

Entrepreneurship can sound daunting as it hides behind a slightly fancy term. But but really it's having a great idea and turning that lightbulb moment into a business. And as our panel today, including the Senegalese fashion designer Safa Tussek, you heard from there, will explain, that idea can come from anywhere, including, as it turns out, a passing compliment from a former U.S. first lady. The stats back it up. According to the World bank, sub Saharan Africa has the highest rate of entrepreneurship in the world, with around 42% of the non agricultural labor force classified as self employed or employers. Yet the development organization warns most entrepreneurs are unable to grow their businesses beyond small scale subsistence operations, often because of an inability to access to private or state investment that would help them grow. This, the World bank continues, is particularly so for women, and that is having a detrimental impact on whole economies and efforts to lift communities out of poverty. In fact, sub Saharan Africa is the only region in the world where women make up the majority of those who are entrepreneurs. However, according to the Bank, a range of impediments render women's businesses less productive with fewer employees than those owned by men. So today we're going to try and work through what those are and try and work out what might shift that picture. And to do that, we've gathered a panel of entrepreneurs from across sub Saharan Africa. Mary Nyambura is the founder and chief executive of Echocharge, based in Kasaju, Kenya.

[Mary Nyambura]

We manufacture biomass briquettes from agricultural waste such as sawdust, macadamia shells, rice husks. All this aggregated together to form the beautiful biomass briquette which is used by the B2B market.

[Will Bain]

Angela Nawateme joined us from the Ugandan capital, kampala.

[Angela Nawateme]

I'm the CEO and founding director of Fauna Health Foods Ltd. The proud producers of Antiporidge. Our mission is to ensure that all children under five thrive by producing nutrient dense products that can help combat Malnutri nutrition in Africa.

[Will Bain]

And Saf Toussek, based in Dhaka, Senegal, is the founder of the fashion brand Soraya.

[Safetu Sec]

It's a fashion brand which is three things. Tradi moderne, which is a mix of traditions and modernity with the cut and the styles high end and then four men. So the brand has been created.

[Will Bain]

In 2014, before we dived into that issue of accessing vital investment to try and grow, we asked just how do you come up with a business idea in the first place? Starting with Ugandan entrepreneur Angela Nawatemi, One

[Angela Nawateme]

thing I'd like to make very clear is that nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come. I started this idea with $30. And of that just 15 came from my pocket. I started it with a friend after experiencing malnutrition face to face during a charity event that I organized with my friends in one of the districts. That's when I realized we had to do more than just giving out cakes during charity visits to hospitals.

[Will Bain]

And Mary, where did it come from for you? The kind of germ of an idea? Was it a kind of light bulb, a click of the fingers moment for you too? Or was there exactly as Angela was just saying was there you were doing something already and you suddenly thought, I can build on this.

[Mary Nyambura]

I think mine was derived from curiosity with because when we went to our grandma's place, we used to dump all this charcoal dust in one side. And then I read on the Internet, cow dung can be a binder. And I just mixed the two with my both hands and we were able to look and voila, echo charge was formed.

[Will Bain]

Yeah, just tell us a little bit about how it works.

[Mary Nyambura]

So the first batch I made was now charcoals, which is now from cow dung and chardast. This we used to cook in the village. So the first meal I cooked was githeri, which is just a mixture of beans and ma in Kenya. And then progressed now to ch dust and molasses so that people can buy. Cuz when people hear cow dung they're like, we cannot buy cow dung from you. So I went to making with molasses. Now I was able to sell to chicken four miles. So it was class one, class two, now class three. Where we are at, we are making from agricultural waste and now serving the B2B market, industries, schools and hotels and safety.

[Will Bain]

What about for you? What about that moment where you knew you wanted to do something for yourself? Because that's quite a big thing, isn't it? Not working for someone else, working for yourself.

[Angela Nawateme]

I think that I have had multiple

[Safetu Sec]

trigger moments but that did not push me into doing it because I am in a context where in Africa, like fashion is not taking really, really, really ser. Until when I was working at the American embassy as economist. The big trigger happened when President Obama and his wife came in Dakar, Senegal. So I was wearing a dress that I actually designed and I was part of the logistics for receiving President Obama and his wife. And I was in Bore island, which is about 14 minutes away. The present couple was visiting the island and Mrs. Obama, one of her personal assistant came to me and at that moment I was not doing, you know, saraiya yet. I was at the embassy working as a full time economist. And she came to me and she was like, where is your dress coming from? And I said, well, I designed it myself. And she said, you know, Mrs. Obama would have loved to have your dress. And that at that moment I knew, I knew that it was time to stop everything and to do this 100%. That was in 2013 when they came and in 2014, I was fully doing my business.

[Will Bain]

So, Mary, all of you saw, to some extent, saw something that, that no one else was doing. That's the kind of reason for these businesses, Right? It's one thing seeing it, it's another one having the, the bravery, the confidence to go for it. Did you have any kind of sort of nervous moments about setting out on your own?

[Mary Nyambura]

I think I will say there's something new that tells you you can do an 8 to 5 job. You just have people commanding you because I had internships and I will see how those people are not so happy working. I do not think I want to join that faith. I was ready to fix whatever it came with.

[Will Bain]

Right. And so how did that kind of sort of manifest itself then? Did you sort of sit down and have conversations with people or did you just, you really kind of just, as you say, knew it in your heart and just went for it and set out?

[Mary Nyambura]

I consulted God and then I did my thorough research until I got my first investor and we were able to kick off.

[Will Bain]

And what about for you, Angela?

[Angela Nawateme]

What happened for me? I went all out. I lost my job on the same day I lost my boyfriend. And it was the same day I discovered I was pregnant. I made a decision that I would give my child the best. And every time I took her for immunization, the nurses in the hospitals used her as an example of a well fed child. So mothers started protecting me, asking me what I do differently. I told them since life took me back on rock bottom, I used the resources at home to make porridge out of every food stuff. As a result, I started packing for them some porridge on immunization days and they posted about me and the post went viral. And that's how I got my first clients and decided to do it as a business.

[Will Bain]

You're listening to Business Daily on the BBC World Service.

[Mary Nyambura]

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[Angela Nawateme]

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[Will Bain]

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[Angela Nawateme]

Restrictions apply.

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[Will Bain]

I'm Will Bain and today we're meeting the entrepreneurs. Mary Nyambura, the founder and chief executive of the Kenyan renewable fuel business EchoCharge Ltd. The Fashion Designer Safety SEC, the Senegalese founder of Soraya, and by the Ugandan entrepreneur Angela Nawateme, the founder of Aunt Porridge and the chief executive, Forna Health Foods, which sells infant and children's foods. So the issue of how to raise that investment to try and continue growing your business. So, Safitu, all of you have found this gap. All of you have shown this kind of bravery to go for it, I guess, are those bits the fun bits? Those bits are the exciting bits, you know, when someone's talking to you saying, Michelle Obama would have loved to have been able to buy your dress, I guess is the next bit, maybe in the short term, the really difficult bit. The realities about, okay, how do I find the money to do this?

[Safetu Sec]

I came to a point where I needed to be part of the solution because I believe that the fashion business, especially in Africa, has a lot of challenges. And my philosophy has always been, okay, the world have been dressing Africa. Now it's time for Africa to dress the world. And also in terms of, like, preservation of, you know, the local fabric. And I always thought to myself, I mean, there is barely no funding because, you know, people don't necessarily take you seriously. The thing is, in the way I do things, it's all about, you know, preservation of our local fabric. It's all about putting Africa on the fashion map. And I know that there are some resources out there that are actually waiting to be invested in the fashion business. I really wanted to be part of the solution and it's really getting there because when I go to the Paris Fashion Week or to the New York Fashion Week, I know that I'm offering something different on the table because people are just not used to see that type of fabric or that type of style. African fashion is really getting extremely popular and we are seeing it a lot with celebrities and singers like, you know, Beyonce, you know, and people like that.

[Will Bain]

Practically, though, Softu, how did you go about raising the money to go from being a hobby, I guess, something you knew you were good at, a skill into a business? And how easy was it to find funding to grow at the level that you wanted to.

[Safetu Sec]

I guess I'm really driven by a purpose. And I'm convinced that, as I said earlier, that there is a big future with African fashion. And it takes a lot of endurance and courage that I think that I have. But it's a very difficult journey for sure. But I was able to basically hang in there and to convince people that actually fashion is an economic driver. It's all about, you know, hanging in there and being convinced about what you do.

[Will Bain]

Angela, how difficult was that step for you? Going from a good idea that other people around you thought was a good idea to starting to grow to be a proper business and finding the money to do that?

[Angela Nawateme]

It took me around three months to disclose to the entire family what I was doing. I decided that I didn't want any form of discouragement, so I kept it to myself. I only informed my friend I wanted to partner with. And together we raised $30 and started the business. That is how we started serving about five clients. And the numbers kept growing. Right now we serve 1920 supermarkets, big stores in my country and about eight countries.

[Will Bain]

And Mary, what about for you?

[Mary Nyambura]

For me, it's a very interesting journey to getting my first charcoal briquettes investor. We were able to do at least half a million Kenya shillings every month.

[Will Bain]

That's just shy of US$4,000 a month.

[Mary Nyambura]

Then to all the way getting the big investor and doing 24 million plus in a year.

[Will Bain]

And that is just over 186,000 US

[Mary Nyambura]

dollars a year and been quite a journey. And every time you hit these targets, I think it just gives you the greed, the enjoyment, like you just want to keep on going.

[Will Bain]

That is an amazing step. But were there challenges to doing that? Because I guess the. The reason we want to talk to you today is because you've done it. You've cracked it, the three of you. But. But to help grow and the economies kind of grow and have more people following your footsteps, I mean, are there pathways to do it, do you think?

[Mary Nyambura]

I wouldn't say there's a pathway to do it. I think once you start, it's a journey, there's no final destination that we are going to. So I will say just embrace the journey. Because for me, it's my passion, it is what I love doing. So no matter how hard it is, I still wake up in the morning and figure it out. I cannot do an 8 to 5. Yeah, we have to continue going down this road. You're already into dip. You can't come back.

[Will Bain]

Well, when it comes to Continuing to grow. Mary, is it easy to find more money, you know, from banks or whatever to do that, to borrow from, for example?

[Mary Nyambura]

Yes, because now you're able to build a brand for yourself. What I've been able to do right now, once you get your first investor, the rest now will start checking in. I wouldn't say it's easy to raise money. It's not because again, you have to prove the case. So I started with investors and proudly to say that last year I was able to now open my own factory. Machines being over 40 tons a day. And yeah, it's remarkable. So it's not easy. But there are down days where you feel like you want to give up, but you remember why you're doing this. And as a woman and ensuring that 70% of my workforce of women and they always encourage, madame, we have to keep going.

[Will Bain]

What about with you, safety? Was it a similar thing? Was it. Was it difficult to get the money to keep growing? Especially given what you've said already about kind of perceptions of what a fashion business was, for example, it is still

[Safetu Sec]

quite a challenge, honestly, especially, you know, raising funds, especially when most of your market is outside of your country. 90% of what I sell is sold outside of Senegal. So when you go global, I mean, you need a lot of resources. I mean, there are a lot of initiatives that are talking about, you know, supporting the fashion business in Africa. But people are still reluctant for some reasons. I don't know why they're still reluctant in.

[Will Bain]

Angela, why don't you pick that thought up? What would make it easier for people? And did you find it as challenging as the guys did as well, having

[Angela Nawateme]

some security with you that you can use as collateral in the banks? And also proof of concept. If you can prove your concept and show how it was, it has worked over time, you can get trusted and attract equity investors and debt.

[Will Bain]

Yeah. What do you think, Mary? Are there things that would smooth the path as well?

[Mary Nyambura]

I'll say yes. Once you receive a grant and it's able to at least give you a buffer on where you are experimenting and you were able to make losses. So with this, you're able at least to recover quite a bit and it gives you the encouragement to continue pursuing.

[Will Bain]

Have you got hope then for the pathway for entrepreneurs where you are? Mary, why don't you start us off with that? Are you an optimist about this as a pathway for people?

[Mary Nyambura]

I will say yes.

[Will Bain]

You sound cautious about that.

[Mary Nyambura]

Yes, it's passion. But I do not think, when I look back five years. If I knew this was the path, I think I would have freaked out. But because you take one step at a time, just start, I would say.

[Will Bain]

Is that the key, Angela? Taking it one bit, sticking to what you know you're good at and reminding yourself that you've done, you've done really well, that you've got a great idea, and so telling yourself you've got a good idea when it gets to those, those sticky bits, those difficult bits.

[Angela Nawateme]

Yes, it hasn't been really smooth as I expected it to be, but self improvement. Going back to school to study my field and to become an expert in what I do, especially, especially child nutrition, has given me an elevated kind of age in the market today. So I feel, yes, everything is doable and no obstacle is too big for me to handle.

[Will Bain]

Angela Nawateme, there, the founder of Aunt Porridge and the chief executive of Fauna Health Foods in Kampala, Uganda. You also heard from Mary Niambura, the founder and chief executive of the Kenyan region renewable fuel business Echo Charge limited And the fashion designer Safetu Sec, the Senegalese founder of Soraya. That's just about it from us today. The program was produced by Ahmad Aidan. And remember to never miss an episode. Do subscribe to our podcast. Just search for BBC Business Daily wherever you get your spot. Foreign.

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