Rekia Foudel is the founder and Managing Director of Barka Fund, which focuses on for-profit solutions across the too-often-overlooked French-speaking parts of Africa.
In this conversation, Rekia explains why Francophone Africa is overlooked and provides some examples of succeeding businesses, including a spice company that was bootstrapped from a $6 investment by the founder.

This episode is an excerpt from a 90-minute panel at SankapAfrica2022, talking about the needs of fast-growing African companies, with stories directly from the founders of four such companies.
The speakers include the founders of Agro Supply, East Africa Fruits, Ziweto Enterprise, Panel Meat Processing, Livestock Bank, and TRUK (Rwanda).

Obamastove is the most popular cookstove in Ethiopia, the largest artisanal cookstove manufacturer in the world and the second-largest in all of Africa. Here is the story behind the name and the backstory on how it got started.
africaeats.com/obamastove | Obama-stove.com
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Livestock Bank is an innovative business that has created incomes for thousands of subsistence farmers in Rwanda, while also supplying quality commercial animals to Panel Meat Processing. africaeats.com/livestock-bank
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Haika created Goldenpot to empower Tanzanian women, creating income through maize and groundnuts (peanuts), alleviating not just hunger and poverty, but also the prevalent domestic violence that comes from women farming but men normally keeping the income. 452 farmers as of the end of 2021. africaeats.com/goldenpot
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Geoffrey created not one but two companies based around the hundreds of smallholder farmers near his in Tororo, Uganda. Papoli Farmers grow turkeys. Green Charcoal Uganda turns ag waste into charcoal briquettes. africaeats.com/papoli and africaeats.com/green-charcoal-uganda
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Ziweto Enterprise is the largest wholesaler and retailer of agrovet supplies in Malawi, helping to create cash incomes for smallholder farmers across Malawi.
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Agro Supply takes an old lay-a-way model and applies it in a way never seen before, as an investment service for the unbanked smallholder farmers of Uganda. Founder/CEO Ogwal Joseph explains how this works and why it works so well. agrosupplyltd.com
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OBRI is replacing the $170+ million of imported cooking oil into Tanzania with homegrown, women-grown, sunflower oil. Founder/CEO Brigitha Faustin explains how and why and where this fast-growing startup goes next. obritanzania.com
Brought to you by africaeats.com

OBRI is replacing the $170+ million of imported cooking oil into Tanzania with homegrown, women-grown, sunflower oil. Founder/CEO Brigitha Faustin explains how and why and where this fast-growing startup goes next. obritanzania.com
Brought to you by africaeats.com

The food system is already far from ideal, with (at least) 40% of that food never being eaten due to post-harvest losses (Rockefeller Foundation studies). Pre-pandemic, there was far too much friction in the early-stage financial markets to fund the food/ag supply chain. Now, these food companies are essential services and the only chance to prevent widespread hunger.

A solution for all these issues is Africa Eats, a holding company with a diverse set of African food/ag companies supporting hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers, feeding millions of Africans.

The food system is already far from ideal, with (at least) 40% of that food never being eaten due to post-harvest losses (Rockefeller Foundation studies). Pre-pandemic, there was far too much friction in the early-stage financial markets to fund the food/ag supply chain. Now, these food companies are essential services and the only chance to prevent widespread hunger.

A solution for all these issues is Africa Eats, a holding company with a diverse set of African food/ag companies supporting hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers, feeding millions of Africans.

Sarah runs four different companies that make products for the youth market in Kenya.

Sarah runs four different companies that make products for the youth market in Kenya.

Maureen Katusiimecollects plastics from trash across the Kampala Uganda and recycle them back to usable wares.

Maureen Katusiimecollects plastics from trash across the Kampala Uganda and recycle them back to usable wares.

Swahili Honey Helps smallholders farmers in rural Tanzania with access to market and free beekeeping training to produce superior quality, honey.

Swahili Honey Helps smallholders farmers in rural Tanzania with access to market and free beekeeping training to produce superior quality, honey.

The opportunity is the distribution of fruits and vegetable from East Africa and export to Europe, Asia and America.

The opportunity is the distribution of fruits and vegetable from East Africa and export to Europe, Asia and America.