In the Spotlight: Some enterprising women entrepreneurs from Guinea
#BeyondLimits #GuineaBold #SheInBusiness #FearlessFemales #InspireAfrica
In Guinea, “The Land of a Thousand Rivers” women form the majority of the working-age population (between 15 and 34 years), yet their employment rate lags behind men – it’s 42% compared to around 64%. This gap is even wider in rural and peri-urban areas, where limited access to resources, gender discrimination, and market saturation hinder opportunities. Despite these challenges, a new wave of enterprising Guinean women is defying the odds – carving out their space in the business world, and driving economic change.
From bustling markets to small workshops and agricultural ventures, women are leading the way – especially in the informal sector, which accounts for over 90% of jobs in Guinea. To elaborate, they thrive in commerce, personal services, crafts & farming, often without formal contracts or social protection, yet making a vital contribution to the economy. Their entrepreneurial spirit goes hand-in-hand with community leadership -reinvesting profits into education, nutrition & family well-being.
How Guinea’s Women are Creating Waves in Business
Interestingly, many of these women succeed by supporting each other – forming networks that provide training, financing & management skills. They are proof that collaboration is a powerful tool for overcoming systemic barriers – such as restricted access to credit, limited property rights, and underrepresentation in decision-making roles.
These trailblazers are not just growing businesses – they are shaping Guinea’s future, championing resilience, and showing that economic empowerment is possible even in the face of deep-rooted inequality. In doing so, they join the broader African and global movement of women entrepreneurs driving progress, innovation, and equality from the ground up.
Let us now focus on some enterprising women entrepreneurs from Guinea.
- Tigui Traoré, Founder, Cocostyle
This is a story of a Guinean fashionpreneur – Tigui Traoré. She is the Founder of the fashion and creative events label, Cocostyle, and they organize thematic fashion events with a cultural character, that represent the current Afropolitan trend.
In fact, her entrepreneurial success came in quite fast. What is unique is that Cocostyle presents a previously neglected ‘chic’ look, but retains some unusual, ethnic attitude that reflect her highly visible African origin.
She believes that her multi-cultural events and choice of models of all colours, present a unifying concept, which actually reconciles the races rather than highlighting differences.
- Tiguidanke Mounir Camara, Founder, Tigui Mining Group (TMG)
Tiguidanke Mounir Camara is the Founder of the woman mine-owned Tigui Mining Group (TMG). She is a new generation mining entrepreneur and is carving a new and exciting pathway for women in Africa’s mining sector.
Tigui Mining Group (TMG) is a mineral exploration company founded in 2012. And the company operates in West Africa; and focuses on gold, diamond & associated minerals. In Guinea, TMG’s subsidiary Camara Diamond & Gold Trading Network (CDGTN) has acquired a portfolio – including gold and diamond assets.
What is special is that TMG represents the next generation of mining – they are a business that represents sustainable mining. Africa has the richest soils worldwide, and this should highlight that a new time for mining has arrived – to become a factor of growth, sustainability & empowerment for the communities.
TMG is leading the way and ensuring profits do not come at the cost of communities’ well-being.
- Hon. Tiguidanke Traore, Founder of TousLeaders
Hon. Tiguidanke Traore is a prominent change-maker and Founder of ToutesLeaders in Guinea, which is a non-partisan citizen movement committed to reinvigorating democracy through the power of female leadership. Its shared values are: social justice & entrepreneurship.
Tracing her background, one sees it is very vast and unique. She gained extensive experience in administration as an administrative employee for the municipality of Chaudfontaine in Belgium, after which she embarked on a business venture in 2010 by creating her own label – “COCOSTYLE,” which promotes community living through inclusive fashion inspired by Afro-European cultures.
She launched her own e-commerce business and participated in the civic engagement of the African diaspora by leveraging the rich cultural diversity in the Liège region (BELGIUM). She also invested internationally by opening her first showroom in Casablanca, Morocco.
In 2018, a change entered her life when she decided to enter politics with the Reform Movement Party (MR); and thus, she became the first Belgian of Guinean origin to run in the European elections (legislative and municipal) for the Reform Movement Party, where she served as a substitute in the Wallonia-Brussels Parliament – bringing a political alternative that is socio-liberal and intercultural, demanding greater respect for individual freedom, social justice & promotion of African cultural diversity.
In 2016, through the NGO AWAC “Africa Woman Agrobusiness Center,” which she co-founded, she began a tour of several West African countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, and Guinea. The goal was to coach rural women by promoting their local products, focusing on their services and the socio-economic impact they generate for the rural community with local and international partners.
In 2021, by Presidential Decree of Her Excellency General Mamadi DOUMBOUYA, President of the Republic of Guinea, she left Belgium to serve in her native country as a Member of Parliament for the Guinean Diaspora of the Benelux countries to the European Union (EU) in the Guinean Parliament.
- Meghan McCormick, Co-Founder & CEO Of OZÉ
Meghan McCormick is the CEO and Co-founder of OZÉ, a social entrepreneurship company that spans three countries in West Africa. They are helping to build the region’s economy – by teaching and supporting local youth to develop their own small businesses.
She works across West Africa to create products and services to help small businesses launch and grow. They callOZÉ, the ‘insights engine’ in the pocket of every African small business owner, which analyses and aggregates transaction data – to push context specific recommendations to improve their business performance.
- Lucille Gomes, Founder & CEO of AUA HELP NOMA
As the CEO and Founder of Global B2B, she drives a transformative mission – to create a global business exchange platform and foster economic innovation. Proficient in six languages, she also establishes partnerships across a diverse range of countries, reflecting my polymathic spirit.
As her expertise extends beyond business, as a trusted advisor in international affairs, she also is involved in collaborating with governments – to navigate global commerce complexities.
In the realm of philanthropy, she proudly serves as President of the Aua Help Noma Foundation (AHN), which is dedicated to combating malnutrition, promoting education, & empowering communities globally. AHN has a profound global impact, combating malnutrition, promoting education, and empowering communities.
Avtar Madan
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