Welcome to African Hustle! Your bi-weekly dose of inspiration and smart insights into African entrepreneurship — featuring real stories about tech, culture, startups, founders, and innovations shaping the future of the continent.
Did You Know
As of September 1, gel polishes containing TPO, which helps them harden faster, are banned for sale and professional use in Europe. This ban is based on research showing reproductive toxicity in rats that consumed the ingredient.
Imagine having fertility issues because of nail polish!!!
Feature Story
Flex Culture vs. Systemic Change
What will you do with your money when you eventually make it?
As I ponder this question, to my mind comes Zimbabwean tenderpreneur Wicknell Chivayo and telecoms magnate, Strive Masiyiwa.
When Wicknell Chivayo gifts a brand-new Toyota Land Cruiser to a clergyman, and Strive Masiyiwa funds 10,000 scholarships, we witness two very different philosophies of giving. Both are acts of generosity, but their implications for society and for entrepreneurship could not be further apart.
Chivayo’s philanthropy is conspicuous, populist, and rooted in spontaneity, faith and loyalty networks. His gifts of luxury cars to clergy, musicians, and political supporters, or his donation of buses worth nearly $2 million to churches, are acts of visible largesse that strengthen personal influence and cement loyalty.
Wicknell’s philanthropy functions as performance or theatre, an immediate display of wealth, power, and patronage.
Masiyiwa’s approach is different. Through the Higherlife Foundation, he funds scholarships, invests in health programs such as Zimbabwe’s cholera response, and supports climate-smart agriculture that builds resilience among farmers. This is philanthropy designed for systems change, not for spectacle. It is strategic, structured, and oriented toward long-term transformation.
Both models tap into the deep African value of ubuntu, the principle that “I am because we are.” But the way they translate Ubuntu into practice shapes not only the nature of their giving but the futures they help create.
For entrepreneurs, these two models hold important lessons. Philanthropy is not only about the rich giving away wealth; it is about how every business, from its earliest days, chooses to create community, establish trust, and embed itself in the social fabric it serves.
One day, you will make millions, or possibly have millions to donate. That should not be your focus as an entrepreneur.
Your focus should be on building a business that grows relationships. Aim to uplift those around you, not just engage in transactions and spectacle.
Lessons from Flex Culture
Chivayo’s model of conspicuous giving speaks to a far-reaching societal expectation in Africa. Wealth must be shared visibly within loyalty networks. In a continent where community validation often defines legitimacy, giving back is as much about performance as it is about substance.
We cannot dismiss this reality. When you first build a business, your earliest customers, friends, and supporters expect visible reciprocity. They want to see that you care not only about profit but also about the relationships that made your growth possible.
Takeaways:
Celebrate your customers publicly.
Support your community in visible, tangible ways, even if the support is modest.
Share small wins with those who helped you achieve them.
Just as Chivayo’s giving reinforces loyalty, businesses can cement trust by ensuring customers feel recognised, valued, and part of the journey. This is relational capital, not charity.
However, you must be wary of the same risks that attend conspicuous philanthropy. If your engagement with the community is only performative, about photo opportunities and shallow gestures, you risk reinforcing dependence and overlooking deeper needs.
Lessons from Systemic Philanthropy
Masiyiwa’s philanthropy demonstrates the power of long-term investment in people and systems. Scholarships do not deliver instant applause, but they transform lives across generations.
Health programs do not excite loyalty networks, but they strengthen public goods that benefit entire populations.
Climate-smart agriculture may not trend on social media, but it builds resilience in rural economies.
Entrepreneurs who adopt this mindset can embed sustainability into their businesses from the beginning. You may not have the resources to fund scholarships or national health programs, but you can design your enterprise in ways that create systemic value.
Build capacity for your customers. Teach them how to use your product or service to achieve greater success. An informed customer base is more resilient, loyal, and impactful.
Invest in long-term relationships. Prioritise after-sales support, education, and feedback mechanisms that build trust beyond the point of transaction.
Think beyond immediate gains. Design business practices that create durable benefits, train staff who can carry skills into the wider economy, source locally to strengthen supply chains, or reduce waste to support environmental resilience.
A systemic approach requires patience. The returns may not show up instantly in profit margins or social validation, but over time, they build businesses that endure, inspire trust, and scale sustainably.
Beyond Transactional Giving
Many African businesses operate in survival mode, where short-term gains and transactional relationships dominate.
Yet sustainable impact requires more than immediate exchanges. If you are to become architects of the Africa you want to see, you must learn to move beyond transactional giving toward structural contributions.
This does not mean every entrepreneur must become a philanthropist in the conventional sense. It means recognising that the true measure of a business is not only profit but the ecosystem it strengthens around itself.
A bakery that trains young apprentices contributes to workforce development.
A tech startup that shares knowledge at community hackathons fosters innovation ecosystems.
A catering company that sources produce from farmers uplifts local supply chains.
These are systemic acts of entrepreneurship, rooted in the same logic as Masiyiwa’s philanthropy.
Practical Philanthropy
Philanthropy in Africa should not be romanticised as the exclusive domain of billionaires. It must be redefined as a practical posture of responsibility available to entrepreneurs at every level.
Here are strategies that make it actionable without requiring vast wealth:
Start with Community, Not Charity. Engage your immediate customers, suppliers, and networks in ways that strengthen relationships. Host community events, listen actively, and solve local problems through your business model.
Integrate Giving into the Business Model. Rather than separating philanthropy from business, build it into your core strategy. A business that empowers its staff with training, creates opportunities for youth, or sources ethically is already contributing systemically.
Measure Impact, Not Noise. Don’t fall into the trap of performative visibility. Track the long-term outcomes of your initiatives.
Are your customers more capable?
Is your community more resilient?
Are your staff more skilled?Scale through Partnerships. Just as Masiyiwa partners with governments and organisations, you can collaborate with local NGOs, schools, or cooperatives. Partnership amplifies impact and ensures sustainability.
Think Generationally. Every decision is a seed. Ask yourself if your models will still serve the community five, ten, or twenty years from now? If not, redesign them.
Hidden Consequences
Just as with billionaires, the way you give back carries hidden consequences.
Conspicuous acts can win trust quickly but may entrench dependency, entitlement, and short-termism.
Systemic approaches may feel invisible at first, but reshape the foundations of society over time.
The challenge is to balance the two. You must be visible enough to inspire loyalty and legitimacy, but strategic enough to build systems that outlast them.
A New Philosophy
We need to shift how generosity is expressed through business. Flex culture has its place; it validates success and reinforces social bonds. But if we stop there, we risk perpetuating cycles of dependence and inequality.
The future belongs to those who can take Ubuntu beyond spectacle and embed it in structures that scale.
We must learn from Masiyiwa. Systems are important.
But at the same time, we must not dismiss Chivayo’s lesson: people need to see, feel, and experience generosity in tangible, visible ways.
Your challenge is to integrate the two: visible community-building that fosters trust, alongside systemic initiatives that endure.
Every decision you make, how you treat your customers, train your staff, source your materials, or engage your community, shapes whether your business embodies transactional flex or systemic transformation.
The Africa we want will not be built by handouts or spectacles alone. Nor will it come from distant systemic programs detached from lived realities. It will come from businesses that combine visibility with vision, loyalty with longevity, and generosity with systems.
Are you building flex, or are you building foundations?
The difference between the two is the difference between applause today and transformation tomorrow.
Book Byte
Play by the rules, but be ferocious
Opportunity Alert
LPG Opportunity in Africa – Cooking, Transport & Export
The Global LPG Landscape
LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas), propane, and butane are the cleanest and most efficient cooking fuels globally.
Widely adopted in Europe, North America, and rapidly growing in Asia:
China: 42% of households use LPG
India: 29%
Indonesia: 17%
LPG in Africa – Current Landscape
Sub-Saharan Africa: Only about 5% of households use LPG for cooking.
The majority still rely on dirty fuels: firewood, kerosene, and charcoal.
Negative impacts of dirty fuels:
Air pollution
1.6 million premature deaths per year due to toxic indoor fumes
Environmental degradation and climate impact
The African LPG Market
Rapid urbanisation at 3.5% per year drives demand concentration in cities.
Urban households, restaurants, and food processors increasingly see LPG as cost-effective and cleaner.
LPG benefits:
Better burn efficiency → cost savings over time
Convenience and health benefits
Lower environmental impact
LPG in Transport – Emerging Demand
Fuel shortages and petrol price hikes have led vehicle and generator owners to convert to gas.
Examples:
Egypt: 260,000+ CNG vehicles
Johannesburg: CNG-powered public transport fleets
Nigeria: Government initiative to acquire 3,000 CNG buses
Africa’s Strategic Advantage for LPG Export
Over 800 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves on the continent.
Geographically, it is near Europe and Asia, the largest gas consumers globally.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, European markets have sought alternative suppliers.
Africa currently supplies ~10% of Europe’s gas imports with huge growth potential.
Current Export & Infrastructure Position
Established export routes: pipelines from Algeria to Europe, LNG exports from Egypt, Nigeria, Angola, and Mozambique.
European countries (Germany, France, Italy, and Poland) are negotiating new deals and funding African gas projects.
Aligned with the EU’s REPowerEU plan to diversify gas sources away from Russia.
Value-Chain Opportunities for Entrepreneurs & Investors
LPG distribution and retail for cooking gas (urban focus).
Gas-powered vehicle conversion services and infrastructure deployment.
Construction and scaling of LPG/CNG refilling stations and transport fleets.
Gas processing, storage, and export logistics expansion.
Partnership opportunities with governments and multinational corporations.
Why Invest in Africa’s LPG Market?
Huge underpenetrated market with clear demand drivers.
Health & environmental imperative driving policy and consumer shift.
Government initiatives and urbanisation support.
Strategic geopolitical context, opening export access and financing.
Multiple subsectors to participate in: local cooking fuel, transport fuel, and international export
Hustle Trivia
After a sudden $180 billion loss from his peak net worth of $300 billion, what South African-born businessman was recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2023 as experiencing the "largest loss of personal fortune in history?”
(Elon Musk)
Founder Insights
11 Insights for founders from Steve Jobs
Prioritise quality over quantity by making a few exceptional products rather than many average ones.
Anticipate the future rather than relying solely on market research.
Sell dreams, not just products, and create an emotional connection with customers.
Think differently and challenge the status quo consistently.
Maintain laser-like focus on a few key priorities.
Create a strong company culture intolerant of mediocrity.
Stay hungry and foolish, remain curious and willing to take risks.
Combine technology with creativity and artistry.
Use storytelling and presentation to captivate and inspire.
Continuously seek to improve existing products and processes.
Embrace simplicity in communication, design, and strategy to move mountains.
Hustler’s Cheat Sheet
Stop guarding the playbook:
↳ Mentor someone junior
↳ Share the lessons from your failures
↳ Create content that actually helps
Community Billboard
UN Tourism Social Innovation Challenge
Application Deadline: December 5, 2025
Applications are now open for the 2025 UN Tourism Social Innovation Challenge. This Global Social Innovation Challenge seeks to identify and support groundbreaking startups, scaleups, and entrepreneurs who are driving change in three key areas: Community-based Tourism, Inclusivity & Accessibility, and Green Projects.
The challenge invites innovative solutions that enhance the tourism ecosystem through sustainable practices, inclusivity, and community empowerment. By focusing on these three pillars, the challenge aims to support initiatives that not only create economic opportunities but also promote equality, sustainability, and the preservation of cultural heritage and natural resources.
Selected finalists will be invited to pitch their solutions at the UN Tourism Tech Adventures and benefit from the UN Tourism Innovation Network, including potential access to finance, pilot projects, and global visibility.
Afrofact
In 2025, Africa represents just 17% of the world’s labour force.
↳ By 2050: 26%
↳ By 2075: 35%
↳ By 2100, a staggering 41% of all working-age people worldwide!
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴:
↳ 1 out of 4 workers globally by 2050 will be African
↳ 2 out of 5 workers globally by 2100 will be African
Strategies & Philosophy
Vertical Integration
Vertical integration is a corporate strategy where a company gains control over multiple stages of its supply chain, from production to distribution.
By owning or managing various parts of the supply chain, companies can reduce costs, improve efficiency, and exert greater control over product quality and delivery timelines.
Proverb of the Week
A thief does not reap more than the farmer himself
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