Page 47 - Forbes - Africa (March 2020)

FORBES AFRICA
COVER STORY • POWER WOMEN

BETHLEHEM

TILAHUN ALEMU,
ETHIOPIA What challenges do you face as a
female entrepreneur?
FOUNDER AND CEO, SOLEREBELS Beinganentrepreneuritselfbydefinitionmeanscon-
FOOTWEAR, GARDEN OF COFFEE, frontingongoingchallengesandpuzzleswhichyou must
TEFFTASTIC solveinreal-time.That’smy day-to-day reality.
DAILY MANTRA: “Dream big, execute
bigger.” What motivates you?
My driving passions are sharing Ethiopian cultures
ne of Africa’s most celebrated with the world and finding exciting ways to keep these
female entrepreneurs, Beth- cultures vibrant and fully relevant. My goal is to build
lehem Tilahun Alemu rose to exciting brands around these unique cultures; brands
Ointernational fame after she that become as ubiquitous and impactful as Apple.
launched a handcrafted globalfootwear
brand,soleRebels,madebyhomegrowncre- Your most recent business partnership?
ativeartisansusingthetraditional‘barabas- I am working closely with Jack Ma and ALIBABA on
so’,Ethiopianrecycleabletyrematerial. their Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative here in Ethio-
AlemuhaslaunchedGardenofCoffeebever- pia [and across the continent]. The aim is to catalyze a
agesasanodetothefamousEthiopiancoffee new generation of entrepreneurial talent across Ethio-
beanandcoffeeculture. pia by directly engaging with startup entrepreneurs and
TeffTasticisalsoafoodbrandbornfromAl- also would-be entrepreneurs.
emu’sdreamtosharethefantastictastesand
healthbenefitsofteff,Ethiopia’ssuperfood. What advice can you give emerging female entre-
HerbiggestdriveistobuildsustainableAf- preneurs?
ricanbusinessesthatgeneratevalueforthe People, including many so-called ‘powerful’ people,
peopleworkinginsidethem;theconsum- will laugh at you and your ideas, but be unmoved.
erswhousetheirproductsandservices,and Everyone can have a great idea, but only the truly
forthelargercommunitieswhere they are determined ones can execute and turn those ideas
based. She tells us more: and dreams into realities.

NKOSAZANA DLAMINI-ZUMA, SOUTH
AFRICA

MINISTER OF COOPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL
AFFAIRS, SOUTH AFRICA
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is a qualified medical practitio-
ner who, as a student, became an active member in the un-
derground anti-apartheid resistance movement of South Af-
rica, the African National Congress (ANC). Dlamini-Zuma was
one of the few women in the world to hold a ministerial gov-
ernment position in the 1990s. It is her diplomatic efforts to
end the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that
earned her recognition as the Minister of Foreign Affairs under
President Thabo Mbeki’s government. Also, Dlamini-Zuma has
served as president of the United Nations World Conference
Against Racism (WCAR).
In 2013, Dlamini-Zuma was appointed chair of the African
Union Commission, the only woman to fill this role. During her
term, she focused on resolving the numerous peace and secu-
rity threats on the continent as well as youth empowerment.
Dlamini-Zuma accepted the 2015 Africa Peace Award on be-
half of the commission.
After stepping down in 2017, she had ambitions of becoming
the first woman president of the ANC, during its 54th Nation-
al Conference. Her opponent was President Cyril Ramaphosa,
who took up the reigns. She is now serving as Minister for Co-
operative Governance and Traditional Affairs.

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