Jaco Maritz

Founder and Contributor at How We Made It In Africa

Entrepreneur. Founder of How we made it in Africa. Writer. Speaker. Author of HOW WE MADE IT IN AFRICA: THE BOOK

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Articles

Businessman sees global opportunity for Nigeria's cassava

3 weeks ago | howwemadeitinafrica.com | Jaco Maritz |Tony Bello

Interview with Tony BelloFOUNDER, SHINE BRIDGE GLOBALLives in: United StatesNigerian-born Tony Bello, a food scientist by training, played a key role in developing the low-fat Baked Lay’s and Lay’s Stax potato crisps during his time at US snack giant Frito-Lay. He now wants to apply that experience to products made from Nigerian-grown cassava, with ambitions to take them to both international and African markets.
Botswana - a medical tourism hub?

1 month ago | howwemadeitinafrica.com | Jaco Maritz |Matlhogonolo Mongwa-Mouwane

Published by Jaco Maritz on 21 March 2025 Botswana has the potential to establish itself as a regional hub for medical tourism, says Dr Matlhogonolo Mongwa-Mouwane, founder of Gaborone-based Kalafhi Medical Center. She points to the country’s central location, stable political climate, low crime rate, and relatively affordable healthcare as key advantages in attracting patients from neighbouring countries.
Botswana: Doctor-turned-entrepreneur eyes stock exchange listing

1 month ago | howwemadeitinafrica.com | Jaco Maritz |Matlhogonolo Mongwa-Mouwane

Interview with Dr Matlhogonolo Mongwa-Mouwane FOUNDER, KALAFHI MEDICAL CENTERLives in: Gaborone, BotswanaFounded in 2018 as a single clinic with just one employee – its founder, Dr Matlhogonolo Mongwa-Mouwane – Botswana-based Kalafhi Medical Center has since grown into a diversified healthcare business. Today, it runs a day hospital, five clinics, and pharmacies, while also offering physiotherapy, dental care, and aesthetic services.
Investing like Warren Buffet in Tanzania, Malawi and beyond

Jan 5, 2025 | howwemadeitinafrica.com | Jaco Maritz

Luni Libes, an American serial entrepreneur and founder of Africa Eats, has set out to build a holding company inspired by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway – but with a distinct focus on Africa’s agricultural value chain. His ambition is to unlock value for investors by backing businesses that address critical gaps in the continent’s agribusiness sector. Africa Eats holds stakes in 22 companies, spanning diverse markets and industries.
Investing in African agribusiness, Warren Buffett style

Jan 2, 2025 | howwemadeitinafrica.com | Jaco Maritz

Luni Libes, founder and CEO of Africa Eats, discusses investment opportunities in Africa’s agribusiness sector.
2024's top interviews

Dec 30, 2024 | howwemadeitinafrica.com | Jaco Maritz

How we made it in Africa editor-in-chief, Jaco Maritz, picks his five favourite interviews from 2024. 1. Entrepreneur turns Nigerian superfood into a global export businessTimi Oke is the co-founder and CEO of AgroEknor, a company exporting dried hibiscus flowers grown in Nigeria to global markets, including the US, Mexico and Europe. He secured his first agricultural trading deal through LinkedIn while still working at a bank in the UK. Watch the full interview2.
Agriculture: Three crops with big business potential in Nigeria and beyond

Dec 5, 2024 | howwemadeitinafrica.com | Jaco Maritz

Timi Oke is the co-founder and CEO of AgroEknor, a company exporting dried hibiscus flowers, grown in Nigeria, to global markets, including the US, Mexico and Europe. While hibiscus remains AgroEknor’s main focus, Oke also sees opportunities in other crops grown in Nigeria and across the continent.
Zambia: A fintech success story that began at a market in Kitwe

Nov 25, 2024 | howwemadeitinafrica.com | Jaco Maritz

Chilufya MutaleWhen Zambian entrepreneur Chilufya Mutale and her husband decided to launch a lending business, they were driven by a vision to support underserved small businesses and low-income consumers often excluded from traditional financial services. But turning that vision into reality required extraordinary sacrifices. In 2019, the couple founded Premier Credit – later rebranded as eShandi – pouring all their savings into the venture.
Zambia: The entrepreneur who sold her house to build a fintech business

Nov 22, 2024 | howwemadeitinafrica.com | Jaco Maritz

Chilufya MutaleInterview with Chilufya MutaleCO-FOUNDER, eSHANDILives in: Lusaka, ZambiaChilufya Mutale is in the business of lending money to underserviced people in Zambia and beyond. As the co-founder of eShandi, a Lusaka-based company formerly known as Premier Credit, she has overseen the disbursement of over $11 million in loans since 2019.
This CEO saw an opportunity

Aug 3, 2024 | howwemadeitinafrica.com | Jaco Maritz

Published by Jaco Maritz on 3 August 2024 Interview with Dora Torwiseh CEO AND FOUNDER, NUTS FOR GROWTH Lives in: Ghana Dora Torwiseh, a Ghanaian entrepreneur and CEO of the oilseed processing company Nuts for Growth, has tapped into the potential of shea nuts, which are indigenous to Africa.