ENTERPRISE54 – She Leads Africa, a platform that introduces the continent’s most promising female entrepreneurs to investors, accelerators, and mentors looking to invest in the next generation of African talent’s, will on September 20, 2014, at Terra Kulture in Victoria Island, Lagos, hold its inaugural Entrepreneur Showcase.

Ten amazing female entrepreneurs with their corresponding enterprise selected from almost 400 applicants across 27 countries will pitch in front of a panel of notable business personalities for the grand prize of $10, 000 and US$5,000 to the winner and runner-up, respectively, as well as non-financial prizes such as phones and tablets, brand consultation, free office space, access to prominent venture capitalists and angel investors, and additional tools needed in order to expand their existing start-ups and achieve their business dreams.

The finalists are as follows:

Winifred Selby
Afrocentric Bamboo Limited – Kumasi, Ghana
Afrocentric Bamboo Limited designs, develops, and markets bamboo bikes and frames and related products and services.

Banke Kuku
Banke Kuku Textiles – London, UK
Banke Kuku Textiles designs African inspired luxury fabrics and accessories for the fashion, interiors and soft furnishings markets.

Oyindamola Honey Ogundeyi
Fashpa.com – Lagos, Nigeria
Fashpa is an online retailing platform, dedicated to providing African consumers with access to fashion and lifestyle brands.

Elizabeth Kperrun
Lizzie’s Creations – Abuja, Nigeria
Lizzie’s Creations develops mobile and web applications uniquely aimed at the development and education of women and children in Africa.

Nour Drissi
Loue 1 Voiture (Book 1 Car) – Casablanca, Morocco
Loue 1 Voiture is the first online platform that enables you to reserve a car from big and small car hire companies in Morocco.

Anike Lawal
Mamalette – Lagos, Nigeria
Mamalette is a website and information portal dedicated to the needs of Nigerian parents and parents to be.

Kega Florence Mukwevho
MKP Fast Foods – Johannesburg, South Africa
MKP Fast Foods creates youth employment in SA by operating a low cost, scalable mobile kitchen for a growing chicken brand, Galito’s.

Jade Mann
Night Bus – Johannesburg, South Africa
Night Bus is a safe, cool way of getting around town at night. We enrich the party experience by bringing people closer to brands they love.

Cherae Robinson
Rare Customs – New York, USA
Rare Customs connects SME’s to emerging African tourism and investment trends.

Taffi Woolward
Thandos – Lagos, Nigeria

Thandos provides a platform that empowers aspiring African artists to design women’s fashion footwear that is comfortable, convenient and affordable.

The above listed finalists for this maiden showcase come from across the continent and diaspora, including Nigeria, Ghana, Morocco, South Africa, United Kingdom and the USA and features female entrepreneurs across a vast range of sectors like retail, manufacturing, e-commerce, information technology, and transportation.

The panelists include:

Hakeem Bello-Osagie: A serial entrepreneur, former CEO of United Bank for Africa as well as the current chairman of Etisalat Nigeria. Hakeem Belo-Osagie is Africa’s 34th wealthiest man and currently sits on the global advisory board for the Council of Foreign Relations and the Brookings Institute.

Ngozi Edozien: Founder of InVivo partners and non-executive director at Barloworld, PZ Cussons, and Vlisco. Ms Edozien is also the former head of West Africa for emerging market focused PE fund Actis.

Bola Adesola: Chief executive officer of Standard Chartered Nigeria and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, will also be on the panel.

The organization founded in 2014 by Yasmin Belo-Osagie and Afua Osei, two young women passionate about female entrepreneurship in Africa, is a platform that looks to empower female entrepreneurs in the continent by empowering them with access to the knowledge, networks and financing needed to build and scale strong businesses.