Category: Business

AI-generated illustration of shea processing. It does not depict Mali Shi’s staff or factory.

In Mali, Kancou Keita Cissé helped build Mali Shi, a business that processes locally collected shea nuts. Its factory opened in 2020, creating a way to add value to a local resource while supporting jobs and women’s cooperatives.

In an interview published by Investisseurs & Partenaires in July 2025, Kancou reported that Mali Shi employed 97 permanent staff and around 30 day workers. The company also worked with 12,000 women collecting shea nuts, organized into cooperatives across the Kayes, Koulikoro, Ségou and Sikasso regions.

According to the same interview, Mali Shi supported these cooperatives through formal purchasing contracts, training in collection and management, and equipment such as transport tricycles and storage facilities. These practical steps helped women organize their work and secure a more reliable buyer for their shea nuts.

The business also found uses for the material left after processing. Kancou explained that shea cake could be used in animal feed, organic fertilizer and fuel briquettes—creating useful products from what remained of the nuts.

Mali Shi’s story shows how processing local resources can create opportunities beyond the factory itself. By connecting industry with women’s cooperatives, the business offers an example of entrepreneurship that supports both jobs and rural livelihoods.

MyHappyAfrica — Real people, Real progress, Real Africa.

Source: Investisseurs & Partenaires, interview with Kancou Keita Cissé, 7 July 2025. Figures reported in 2025.

https://www.ietp.com/en/node/4580

In Parakou, northern Benin, entrepreneur Fatoumata Dosso is showing how local cotton can create fashion, employment and opportunity.

Through her business, DAF Collection, she transforms cotton into traditional clothing inspired by the culture of northern Benin. Her creations proudly carry the label “Made in Benin.”

Supporting Women Through Traditional Skills

Fatoumata works with around twelve women who weave fabric for her collections. By connecting their traditional skills with paying customers, she is helping them turn weaving into a dependable source of income.

One of the weavers, Chabi Baké, is a mother of five. Her work is providing enough income for her to begin building a home for her family.

Creating More Value at Home

Benin is Africa’s largest cotton producer, but much of its cotton has traditionally been exported before being transformed into finished products.

That is beginning to change. Beninese entrepreneurs and manufacturers are now turning more locally grown cotton into fabric and clothing. The Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone alone processes around 40,000 tonnes of cotton and produces between seven and ten million garments annually.

This creates opportunities for farmers, textile workers, designers and small businesses across the country.

A Proud Beninese Success Story

Fatoumata’s ambition goes beyond fashion. She is preserving traditional weaving, supporting women and demonstrating the value of transforming African resources within Africa.

Her journey is a powerful reminder that progress can begin with local materials, traditional knowledge and one entrepreneur determined to create something special.

This is how Benin is changing—one thread, one skill and one opportunity at a time.

What other African-made products deserve greater international recognition?

Source: Associated Press

Across Libya, a new generation of young entrepreneurs is transforming local challenges into business opportunities, useful services and new jobs.

In the cities of Benghazi, Derna, Tripoli and Sebha, young people are identifying gaps in their communities and developing ideas to meet genuine needs. Their determination shows how entrepreneurship can give young Africans the power to shape their own futures.

Building a business is never easy, especially in places that have experienced years of uncertainty. Yet these entrepreneurs are demonstrating resilience, creativity and a willingness to keep moving forward.

Their growing businesses can create income for their founders while also providing employment and valuable services for other people. Each successful enterprise strengthens its community and encourages more young people to believe that their own ideas can succeed.

These young Libyans are proving that innovation and determination can create positive change. Their journeys offer an inspiring message: with skills, support and opportunity, Africa’s young people can turn promising ideas into sustainable businesses and jobs.

Source: African Development Bank Group –