Compared to their Western counterparts, African<\/a> women are often denied the opportunity to freely share their opinions and experiences. As a consequence of the increase in education, African women are starting to feel more independent and welcome the opportunity to become more entrepreneurial.<\/p>\n Today, African women are no longer brushed aside, but recognized for the worth they bring to the business world. Several women have left their mark, but today I will only be writing about the best.<\/p>\n Read on to find out the top 10 female entrepreneurs<\/a> in Africa:<\/p>\n Isabel Dos Santos<\/a> is a businesswoman from Angola and the eldest daughter of Jos\u00e9 Eduardo dos Santos, a former president of Angola. She is a member of the corporate boards of many Angolan and Portuguese companies, as well as a news organization and major Portuguese banks<\/a> that own gemstones and oil.<\/p>\n She launched her first company, the Miami Beach Club, one of Luanda Island\u2019s first nightclubs and beach eateries, in 1997. Dos Santos made her foray into the global corporate sector in 1997, establishing assets<\/a> and firms mostly overseas, but also in Angola, and investing heavily in well-known corporations, particularly in Portugal.<\/p>\n She has established several successful businesses over the years, including:<\/p>\n She also has shares in Banco Africano de Investimentos and Ciminvest, an Angolan cement company. She controls about 14% of the massive Portuguese media company Zon Multimedia. She also has substantial stakes in the energy business Energias de Portugal and the Portuguese bank Banco Esprito Santo and Banco Portugu\u00eas de Investimento.<\/p>\n Despite her numerous achievements, there seems to be a lot of controversy concerning her family\u2019s source of wealth. Forbes claims that there is no concrete proof of how she obtained her wealth because of the way the governing party conducts business in Angola. Several allegations were made against her, especially on account of corruption. Despite her many wrongdoings, Isabel was once the richest woman in Africa and a memorable businesswoman.<\/p>\n Folorunsho<\/a> stands tall as one of the greatest women in the history of Africa and currently the richest. She is both a businesswoman and a philanthropist.\u00a0<\/p>\n She started her first business, Supreme Stitches, a clothing line that rebranded as The Rose of Sharon House of Fashion. She also launched Famfa Oil Limited, a leading oil and gas exploration and production company in Nigeria<\/a>.\u00a0 She is currently the executive vice chairman of Famfa Oil Limited and the group managing director of The Rose of Sharon Group.\u00a0<\/p>\n By 2021, she had amassed more fortune than any other African woman becoming the richest woman in Africa. She has also been dubbed one of Forbes\u2019 100 most powerful women.<\/p>\n In addition to her exploits as an entrepreneur, she has also performed impressively as a humanitarian. To help support widows and orphans, Alakija established the Rose of Sharon Foundation, which awards grants and scholarships to businesses. Alakija has also granted a skills acquisition facility to Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech).\u00a0<\/p>\n Wendy Appelbaum is a philanthropist and entrepreneur from South Africa<\/a>. She is the daughter of Liberty Group CEO Donald Gordon and has been in charge of the De Morgenzon wine estate in Stellenbosch since 2003.<\/p>\n She began her entrepreneurial career<\/a> in 1994 when she cofounded the Women\u2019s Investment Portfolio Holdings (Wiphold). She was named the deputy chairman, but she quickly sold her share in the business when it became the first female-controlled firm to list on the JSE. She thereafter joined the boards of several additional businesses, including the Stellenbosch commercial wine vineyard De Morgenzon which she and her spouse purchased in 2003.<\/p>\n Appelbaum is well-known for her philanthropic works. In 2011, Appelbaum founded the Wendy Appelbaum Institute for Women\u2019s Health. She is also a trustee of the Wendy Appelbaum Foundation and her father\u2019s Donald Gordon Foundation. She belongs to the International Women\u2019s Forum, the Helen Suzman Foundation, and Peggy Rockefeller\u2019s Global Philanthropists\u2019 Circle.<\/p>\n Irene Charnley is a South African entrepreneur and former trade unionist.<\/p>\n She started her career as a negotiator for South Africa\u2019s National Union of Mineworkers, where she spent 13 years overseeing several union operations divisions, Charnley first made her imprint on the African business sector. She then rose to the position of executive director of the MTN Group, the biggest cellular provider in Africa.<\/p>\n She founded the National Empowerment Consortium which consists of 50% black African workers and 50% black business owners. Eventually, they had a 35% stake in Johnnic Holdings, which is now known as Johnnic Communications.<\/p>\n She was named Businesswoman of the Year in August 2000 for her exceptional role in transforming Johnnic from an industrial behemoth into a cutting-edge media company focused on telecommunications. She was named one of \u201cAfrica\u2019s 50 Most Powerful Women\u201d by Forbes in 2020. Charnley was also named one of the top 50 businesswomen outside of the United States<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the moment, Charnley serves as the CEO of Smile Telecoms Holdings Ltd., a Pan-African telecommunications company headquartered in Mauritius that operates in South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda<\/a>, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.<\/p>\n Bridgetter Radebe is the sister of South African billionaire<\/a> Patrice Motsepe and the First Lady of South Africa Tshepo Motsepe. She is a Tswana-born South African entrepreneur.<\/p>\n Her beginnings were humble, as she began her career as an ordinary miner, overseeing separate shaft mining operations and generating supplies for the bigger mine operations in South Africa while working under contract. She founded Mmakau Mining, a mining company that conducts explorations and contributes to the production of gold, platinum, and chrome.<\/p>\n Radebe is the president of the South African Mining Development Association. In addition, she is a member of the Sappi Board and the New Africa Mining Fund.<\/p>\n The Global Foundation for Democracy presented Radebe with the \u201cInternational Businessperson of the Year Award\u201d in May 2008. This award honors entrepreneurs who have contributed to the transformation of the political and natural environments.<\/p>\n Nigerian entrepreneur and fashionista Hajia Bola Muinat Shagaya is among Africa\u2019s wealthiest women. She is the founder and CEO of the conglomerate Bolmus Group International, which has assets in banking, real estate, oil and gas, and photography. She also serves as the managing director of Practoil Limited, one of Nigeria\u2019s biggest importers and distributors of base oil.<\/p>\n1. Isabel Dos Santos<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"Isabella](\"https:\/\/makemoney.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Isabella-Dos-Santos-1200x675.jpeg\" "\\"Top")
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2. Folorunsho Alakija\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"How](\"https:\/\/makemoney.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/How-Folorunsho-Alakija-made-her-money-1200x675.jpg\" "\\"Top")
<\/figure>\n3. Wendy Appelbaum\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"Wendy](\"https:\/\/makemoney.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Wendy-Appelbaum-2.jpg\" "\\"Top")
<\/figure>\n4. Irene Charnley\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"Irene](\"https:\/\/makemoney.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Irene-Charnley-.jpg\" "\\"Top")
<\/figure>\n5. Bridgette Radebe\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"Bridgette](\"https:\/\/makemoney.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Bridgette-Radebe-.jpg\" "\\"Top")
<\/figure>\n6. Hajia Bola Shagaya<\/span><\/h2>\n
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