Young seasoned female entrepreneur from Cameroon leads the change.

For those who do not know you, tell us in few words: Who is Jocelyne Landry Tsonang?

I am a Cameroonian entrepreneur aged 31, An Agri-preneur and the founder and CEO of D&D Smart construction; I am also the founding president of Maluwa Africa a Pan-African Association of Young female leaders. As well as this year’s Women Entrepreneurship Day Youth Ambassador for Cameroon.

What problem are you solving in Africa, in your country or your community?

Conscious of the fact that we will undoubtedly find it difficult to build alone, Maluwa Africa was created to bring young African female leaders of all walks of life together to learn, share, and connect so as to contribute significantly to the sustainable development of Africa.
Do you think this is the right time for your start up to solve the problem?

Many efforts are underway today to bridge the gender gap in Africa, which is still costing us some 96 billion dollars that represent 6% of Africa’s GDP; Maluwa Africa is contributing its own quota to bridge this gap. Bringing young female leaders of all walks of life together helps to enhance their capacities and excel in their various ventures, given the fact “ Your network is your net worth’’ and no one has ever gotten there alone. It is up to our generation to change the narrative of our Motherland Africa.

Tell us about the main activities on your agenda this year …

Maluwa Africa currently has three main projects namely:
The Maluwa Mentorship program that aims at connecting two categories of mentors (junior and senior) to mentees considering their level of achievement.
The Maluwa Shop project that aims at creating an online shop and physical shops in some African countries to market the products made by members and dedicate 25% of the profit to empower vulnerable single mothers who want to acquire skills and improve their education
Last but not the least for this year is the Young Female Achievers Pan African Conference that aims at bringing young African Female leaders together in other to strengthen their capabilities and inspire them to do more in their civil, entrepreneurship and corporate ventures through our successful guest speakers. We also aim at connecting them with investors through our pitching and B2B meetings during the conference.

The conference is scheduled for September 19th to 22nd 2018 in Nairobi Kenya and our theme for this year is “Young Female Achievers and Transformative Leadership for Sustainable Development in Africa”.
Participation to the conference is open young leaders of both genders.

Tell us more about your team, why are you the best to solve this problem?

Maluwa Africa currently has 89 members ( Entrepreneurs , business leaders, social innovators , corporate leaders and civic leaders) from 20 African countries and we are covering all five sub regions in Africa.

How do you measure your success?

Our success is measured by the personal growth of members since the creation of the association, though we are still very young – we just clocked seven months of existence, the impact is great. And the advancement level of our various projects is commendable, though faced with some difficulties, we are grateful for the progress so far. It’s an opportunity for me to express my heartfelt gratitude to our committed members and other sympathizers for their relentless efforts.

What is the social impact of your start up?

Considering the fact that Maluwa Africa is an association of leaders of all walks of life , our social impact can be measured at two levels namely by the actions of individual members who share the dream of making Africa a great continent, and collectively we strengthen each other to do more for their communities. Also, Our Maluwa Shop project aims at impacting the lives of some vulnerable single mothers.
How are you scaling up the start-up?
Our objective is to enlarge our network to all 54 African countries, create transformative young female leaders across the continent and build a strong voice that can get access to decision tables and shape the future of Africa.

What advice do you have for budding entrepreneurs and new start-ups?

Be on a constant quest for knowledge. Never cease learning and invest more in knowledge, it is a capital that only death can take away from us. Make the utmost of every connection, get a suitable mentor and be humble enough to recognise others are superior to us in one way or the order.

Find Maluwa Afrika on the following platforms:
Facebook : Maluwa Afrika
Twitter. Maluwa Africa
Instagram : Maluwadziko
Website : www.maluwa-africa.org
Email : contact@maluwa-africa.org
Whatsapp: +237656063260