Africa has one of the highest proportions of female entrepreneurs globally, yet access to finance remains a major obstacle for many women-owned businesses.

Despite these challenges, women across the continent are building enterprises, creating jobs and addressing critical social and environmental problems. Three entrepreneurs from Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya share how they turned personal experiences and local challenges into business opportunities.

Ifedolapo Runsewe, Nigeria: Turning waste tyres into valuable products

At Freee Recycle’s factory on the outskirts of Ibadan, south-west Nigeria, thousands of discarded tyres are processed into reusable materials. The tyres are sorted, shredded and converted into rubber granules used to manufacture playground surfaces, gym flooring, paving blocks and interlocking tiles.

The business was founded by Ifedolapo Runsewe, who entered the industrial recycling sector after more than 12 years in banking. She established Freee Recycle in 2020 after witnessing the environmental consequences of burning discarded tyres and recognising the commercial potential of recovering their materials.

Nigeria generates millions of waste tyres annually, many of which end up in dumps or are burned to recover scrap metal, releasing hazardous pollutants.

“Burning tyres releases a complex mix of toxic chemicals – it’s not just pollution, it’s a direct public health threat,” says Oladele Ogunseitan, a presidential chair at the University of California, Irvine.

Runsewe’s company now employs about 62 people and collects discarded tyres from four Nigerian states: Oyo, Lagos, Osun and Kwara.

However, establishing an industrial recycling operation has required significant investment. Beyond collecting and processing tyres, manufacturing finished products demands additional machinery, technical expertise and capital. The business must also secure customers willing to purchase the recycled products.

Runsewe says changing public perceptions about recycling has been one of her biggest challenges.

“People view recycling as more of an informal, small-scale activity rather than a serious business capable of generating substantial returns,” she says. “And that is absolutely not true.”

She also encountered gender-based assumptions when seeking financial support and engaging with investors.

“I’d go into banks and boardrooms, and investors would assume the man next to me is the owner. As soon as I spoke, the question came up: why should we give a woman millions, hundreds of millions?”

Despite these experiences, she does not want the company’s achievements to be defined primarily by gender.

“I don’t think organisations choose to work with us because we’re female-owned,” she says. “They see a brand that is good, transparent, credible and ethical.”

Freee Recycle has established partnerships with organisations including Michelin, Save the Children and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The company is also considering expanding its operations into other waste streams, including aerosol products.

“There are plans to set up what would be the first in Nigeria dedicated to recycling aerosols, like insecticide cans and spray containers,” she says.

In 2025, the company launched the Freee art residency programme, which transforms discarded tyres into large-scale artworks inspired by African history and culture. Its creations include representations of the Bata drum, Ikom monoliths and Benin bronze traditions.

Kyokushaba Shine, Uganda: Bringing solar-powered irrigation to farmers

Kyokushaba Shine’s entrepreneurial journey was shaped by watching her mother struggle with farming in Kabale, southern Uganda.

As a child, she witnessed her mother wake before dawn and spend long days tending to acres of onions planted near their home. The family’s primary source of income depended on these harvests, but water shortages and deteriorating soil frequently resulted in poor yields, making it difficult to provide enough food.

Now a 31-year-old water engineer and entrepreneur, Kyokushaba is working to improve access to reliable irrigation for smallholder farmers.

She founded Winta Engineering Solutions in February 2025 to develop affordable irrigation systems for farmers. At the time, she had neither employees nor startup capital, but was determined to pursue her business idea.

“I started my company with the goal of designing small and affordable irrigation systems for smallholder farmers. When I started the business in February 2025, I had neither staff nor capital, but I had a goal in mind and I wanted to work towards it,” she says.

In just over a year, the company has installed 30 water systems across Uganda, according to Kyokushaba. Most are solar-powered, with more than 10 installations serving female farmers.

Winta Engineering Solutions now employs a team, with women accounting for 80% of its workforce.

The company designs and installs irrigation equipment, using solar-powered pumps and technologies such as drip irrigation to improve water efficiency. Its services also include drilling boreholes where necessary and training farmers to operate and maintain their systems.

To make the installations more accessible, Kyokushaba has begun working with local microfinance providers. Through these partnerships, farmers can access loans of approximately 5 million Ugandan shillings, equivalent to about £1,000.

Although this amount is beyond what many farmers can readily afford, they can generally repay the loans within two years.

Beyond irrigation infrastructure, the entrepreneur runs educational programmes focused on challenges affecting agricultural production, particularly climate change and soil degradation.

She explains that farmers’ pursuit of immediate increases in crop yields can sometimes come at the expense of soil health.

“Farmers want results fast, so they use fertilisers to increase their yields quickly, but sometimes that means they don’t protect the health of their soil,” says Kyokushaba. “It’s not enough to have sufficient water if the soil is degraded, and that’s why we have started working on awareness campaigns.”

Increasing women’s participation in engineering and other traditionally male-dominated industries is another priority for her.

“As a woman, you can show up in spaces where men are trying to push you out, and where men are trying to set the agenda. This needs to change,” she says.

Her five-year-old daughter is also a major source of motivation.

“I have a five-year-old daughter, and it’s just me and her. I want her to see and know that she can do anything she puts her mind to. I want her to know that she’s strong, that women and girls are strong.”

Wawira Njiru, Kenya: Building a school feeding initiative

Wawira Njiru developed an interest in helping communities in Kenya from an early age. However, her journey towards addressing childhood hunger began while she was studying nutrition at university in Australia.

During her studies, she raised A$1,200, approximately £630, to establish a small makeshift kitchen in her hometown of Ruiru, located 12 miles (20km) from Nairobi.

In 2012, the initiative began providing daily school meals to 25 children, marking the start of her work to improve access to food among schoolchildren in Kenya.

Source: The Guardian.