East Africa’s most promising young entrepreneurs in 2018 have been named. The list of these innovative entrepreneurs is derived from Forbes’ list of the 30 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs In Africa 2018.
Forbes says the 30 most exceptional young innovators and disruptors in African business today were chosen from more than 650 nominations sent via email, researched by a small team and vetted by a panel of expert A-list judges to make sure they’re deserving of a spot.
Cut across real Estate, financial services, manufacturing, media, tech, green tech, agriculture and fashion, the 30 young African entrepreneurs featured on this list are impatient to change Africa.
Out of the 30 entrepreneurs, the East African Community (EAC) contributed 14, with Kenya and Tanzania contributing six apiece. Uganda and Tanzania managed to have one representative each.
In no particular order, meet the 14 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs In East Africa.
Ricky Rapa Thompson, Ugandan
Founder, SafeBoda
29-year-old Ugandan entrepreneur Ricky Rapa Thompson is a co-founder of SafeBoda, Uganda’s ‘Uber‘ for motorcycle taxis. He has been instrumental to growing Safeboda into a large community of over 1,000 riders who have come to embrace technology through the SafeBoda app.
Gloria Michelle Otieno Muka, Kenyan
Founder, Recours Four Kenya Consultants Limited
In 2013, Gloria Michelle Otieno Muka, 31, founded Recours Four Kenya Consultants Limited (R4Kenya), a fast-growing professional HR services firm located in Nairobi, Kenya. She started the firm with $2,000 of her savings, and within the last 4 years, she has grown the company into a $400,000 (annual revenues) business with more than 15 employees. Recours Four Kenya offers professional HR services in consultancy, recruitment, training, psychometric testing and staff outsourcing. The company’s clients include the World Bank group, Kenya National Examination Council, USAID, GlaxoSmithKline and Sportpesa.
Brigitha Faustin, Tanzanian
Founder, OBRI Company
Faustin, 31, is the founder and managing Director of OBRI Company, an Agro-Industrial company whose main businesses include edible oils manufacturing and fractionations under the OBRI brand. OBRI Company is modeled as a co-operative social enterprise. Under this model, OBRI has empowered more than 230 local Tanzanian farmers who are organized under farmers associations in Tanzania by providing sustainable market channels for their produce. OBRI’s cooking oils are sold in retail outlets across the country.
Rajiv Mehta, Kenyan
Founder, Tangerine Investments
Rajiv Mehta, 32, is the founder of Tangerine Investments, an outdoor advertising firm that uses public transit vehicles, litterbins and street poles to market leading consumer goods in Kenya. Tangerine, which was founded in 2008, has clients such as Kenya Airways, Pizza Inn, Subway and Coca Cola HP among others. The company recorded revenue of more than $1 million in 2017.
Gloria Michelle Otieno Muka, Kenyan
Founder, Recours Four Kenya Consultants Limited
In 2013, Gloria Michelle Otieno Muka, 31, founded Recours Four Kenya Consultants Limited (R4Kenya), a fast-growing professional HR services firm located in Nairobi, Kenya. She started the firm with $2,000 of her savings, and within the last 4 years, she has grown the company into a $400,000 (annual revenues) business with more than 15 employees. Recours Four Kenya offers professional HR services in consultancy, recruitment, training, psychometric testing and staff outsourcing. The company’s clients include the World Bank group, Kenya National Examination Council, USAID, GlaxoSmithKline and Sportpesa.
June Syowia, Kenyan
Founder, Beiless Group
At just 22, Syowia runs Beiless Group, a fast-growing experiential and digital marketing agency that has handled marketing campaigns for more than 50 popular Kenyan brands over the last two months. Syowia is a recipient of the 2017 Global Student Entrepreneur Award in Kenya.
Doreen Estazia Noni, Tanzanian
Founder, 102.5 Lake FM
Doreen Estazia Noni is the founder of Eskado Bird, an upscale Tanzanian fashion and lifestyle brand that produces accessories inspired by East Africa’s Kitenge fabric. She is also the owner of 102.5 Lake FM, a community centric commercial radio station in Mwanza, Tanzania.
Jean Bosco Nzeyimana, Rwandan
Founder, Habona Ltd
Jean Bosco is the Founder and CEO of Habona Limited, a company that provides integrated waste management services and further processes the waste into affordable and environmentally friendly fuels such as biogas and biomass briquettes. The company is also diversifying into the installation and operation of clean power plants, ranging from waste to energy, such as solar, biomass, hydro, and wind, as well as climate-smart farming.
Patricia Majule, Tanzanian
Founder, Unique Favors
24-year old Patricia Majule is the director and founder of Unique Favors TZ, a company that locally designs and manufactures custom party supplies, box packages, favors & gifts for informal parties and corporate organizations across Tanzania. Majule founded the business in 2014 when she noticed that many Tanzanians were importing paper supplies from abroad. The business has been growing consistently ever since and Majule now has 10 employees.
Idris Sultan, Tanzanian
Founder, Sultan By Foremen
25-year-old Tanzanian national Idris Sultan won the 2014 edition of Big Brother Africa, walking away with the $300,000 cash prize. He has put that money to good use. In 2017, he founded Sultan By Foremen, a footwear brand that has become extremely popular amongst Tanzania’s hip, urban population. Sultan By Foremen did more than $200,000 in revenues in 2017.
Anerlisa Muigai, Kenyan
Founder, Nero
Anerlisa Muigai, the daughter of revered Kenyan alcohol tycoon Tabitha Karanja, is forging her own path. Muigai, 30, is the founder of Nero, a beverage company that manufactures and sells the top selling Executive Still Water brand across Kenya.
Fahad Awadh, Tanzanian
Founder, YYTZ Agro-Processing
Fahad Awadh, 30, is the founder of YYTZ Agro-Processing, a cashew processing company that is adding value locally while creating jobs and boosting the income of farmers and the community as a whole. The company’s flagship processing facility in Zanzibar has an installed capacity of 2,500 Tons per annum. Last year, YYTZ Agro-Processing raised a $500,000 investment from the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund to establish another processing facility in Mtwara, southeastern Tanzania.
Rahma Bajun, Tanzanian
Founder, MnM Clothing Line
Bajun, 29, is the founder and Creative Director of MnM Clothing Line, a popular Afro-centric clothing brand in Tanzania that produces affordable clothes, wallets and other fashion accessories for men and women using the popular East African Kitenge fabric. The company has 7 full-time employees and sells its products across East Africa.
Paul Kihiko, Kenyan
Founder, Wing It Nairobi
30 year-old Kihiko is the founder of Wing It Nairobi, Kenya’s first and only wings-only Quick service restaurant. Its first outlet at the Galleria Shopping Mall in Kenya has been extremely successful and is doing 6-figures annually in revenue. Last year, Wing It raised $75,000 from two investors for a minority stake in Kenya’s edition of Dragons’ Den. Kihiko is set to open other outlets this year.
Help me with that money because l want to impro to on my productions of my soap
God bless you