by Justina Luelo

When I came across Human Centered Design it was love at first sight. The thought that I can innovate with Humans and for Humans was a new concept for me and I wanted to explore it. The idea of exploring HCD for new innovations and improve services and products was great but, the idea of working with people who are looking to innovate getting into the entrepreneur life style was even greater, well, why not?  

They say if you are an entrepreneur you can work your own hours and be your own boss. You get to make your own office rules and come up with job descriptions that are coming from out of space and only you know what the scope of work is. You get to spend more time with your family and do all the cool stuff you always dream of doing!!! That is all good and swell, but when I bring Human Centered Design in the picture, a methodology that looks into the Human needs and wants and brings in the users to the innovation process, I can’t help but remember that I AM HUMAN TOO. What part of me being the HUMAN and trying to dive into the Entrepreneurship ocean am I bringing to the table? What am I putting out there in my innovation that I so enthusiastically want to share with other HUMANS? Well, this is what HUMAN CENTERED DESIGN helps me reflect on.

What do my innovations tell other HUMANS about my values in life and in Business? Are my values reflecting families and friends? Do I care about my office family enough to put them first and help them see my vision as a leader? It’s important to have great values in life and also in business, and your business or innovation should reflect the type of person you are.  

What type of culture do I want to have in my business? A business is like a home, and the same way we try to have a great family culture and traditions we should also aim to have the same in the office.  Are my employees looking for ways to help one another in times of crises or are they just waiting for someone to fail and point the finger? The office atmosphere is so competitive that everyone feels obligated to burn themselves out and have a mental breakdown? Do you have a ‘thank you wall’ where everyone can write about something they are thankful for in life? 

What do customers feel when they see your logo, do they get an exciting feeling or they get annoyed just by looking at it? What you find important in life should reflect in your business and people are supposed to see it and feel it. HCD allows me to look at my own self innovations and change. As an entrepreneur you also need to get feedback from others about your personality and your way of doing things. You need to put yourself out there as a prototype or a pilot project and see what the feedback is going to be. 

Applying HCD methodologies to new ventures and working with new entrepreneurs helps to evaluate the WHYS and WHATS behind the WANTS. WHY do you want to have a company or bring this new service to the market? Why are you the right Founder? WHAT about you is right for this new innovation and service? WHAT are your worse assets? WHAT can you do well? WHAT in your personality matches this new venture or innovation? WHY do you care about the people you are innovating for?

by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department 

We woke to find it was Davos week! The gathering of the ‘Great and the Good’ of the finance world under the World Economic Forum banner who meet once a year in Switzerland to discuss, deliberate and invest, is as regular as a one of their famous Cuckoo Clocks. Sadly, at the last moment, and especially for those already in their Ski Jackets, Covid hit again and Davos was postponed until the summer and replaced by a few on-line speeches. All was not lost however, because one who is always at this event, a certain Mr. Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, the world’s largest investment firm with many US$ billions under management, recently published his annual letter to shareholders.  In this there is a call to arms for all CEOs:

“…your voice is more important than ever. It’s never been more essential for CEOs to have a consistent voice, a clear purpose, a coherent strategy, and a long-term view. Your company’s purpose is its north star in this tumultuous environment.”

In case we were unsure, in a large yellow block, he adds:

“Putting your company’s purpose at the foundation of your relationships with your stakeholders is critical to long-term success.” 

Rather nicely continuing from our last article we thought, entitled: “Harness the power of purpose to your advantage.” (here), and taking a moment we started to think of Mr. Fink reaching for his Lioness Weekender over his Cornflakes in order to gather his thoughts for his shareholders (until we awoke from our dream and realized that his letter had possibly (probably – Ed.) been written a little before we put pen to paper last weekend…).

Still, our ego (and dreams!) aside, what has the world’s largest capitalist to add about purpose? As an unashamed capitalist and a large and long term believer that: “…the fair pursuit of profit is still what animates markets; and long-term profitability is the measure by which markets will ultimately determine your company’s success.”, just how does ‘People and Planet’ fit in with ‘Purpose’, along with the other P, ‘Profit’ in his eyes?

In this Mr.Fink did not disappoint:

“This year’s letter focuses on embracing the power of capitalism as a catalyst for change and the importance of companies delivering for all their stakeholders. Companies today must create value for their employees, clients, and communities in order to deliver long-term value for their shareholders.”

We would certainly agree with any statement that highlights ‘creating value for employees, clients and communities’, as indeed it is something that we have celebrated for years whilst showing the world how Lionesses passionately lead in this.

He continues his demand for action:

“COVID-19 has also deepened the erosion of trust in traditional institutions and exacerbated polarization in many Western societies.…Employees are increasingly looking to their employer as the most trusted, competent, and ethical source of information – more so than government, the media, and NGOs.”

We are indeed seeing more and more surveys showing that “Employees are increasingly looking to their employer as the most trusted, competent, and ethical source of information…”. This creates a huge responsibility on all of us within the business world, but also of course an enormous opportunity. This trust is incredibly powerful at a time when more and more consumers are wanting to know the security of the supply chain, ‘from field to table’. Is this Vegan – no seriously, is it really? Have the farmers been paid properly – no seriously – have they? What is the source of this material, does the factory use child labor, too much plastic, dump toxic waste in rivers? …and so on.

As we wrote last week, if you harness the power of purpose with your employees, they will stay and not only build with you but passionately support you, so Mr.Fink confirms: “Employees need to understand and connect with your purpose; and when they do, they can be your staunchest advocates.” Importantly he takes this to the next level: “Customers want to see and hear what you stand for as they increasingly look to do business with companies that share their values. And shareholders need to understand the guiding principle driving your vision and mission. They will be more likely to support you in difficult moments if they have a clear understanding of your strategy and what is behind it.”

The Financial Times confirms there is a move in this direction (here): “The phrase “responsible business” might prompt a cynical smirk — and the suggestion that it is an oxymoron. But a significant number of companies are embracing the principle of people and planet alongside profit.”

They go on to point out that although there is a move towards People, Planet and Purpose, sadly within the globe’s business schools “…teaching cases [which sit at the heart of coursework for many business schools] remain dominated by profit-maximising, western, white, male chief executives as role models.”

This is why Mr. Fink’s letter is so important. When such Titans of the business and investing world start to push in the same direction that we have been advocating for years and our membership have been practicing and daily putting into action, then who knows. Perhaps this will be the catalyst for real action, for actual change. Heaven knows we have been promised this for so long now, yet even the most basic issues are not moving, such as the amount of investment in women led businesses (The latest data showing that start-ups in Africa raised over $4.3 billion in 2021, yet 82% of the money went to those with a single male founder or an all-male founding team, versus 0.95% for their female counterparts, see here – sigh, plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose).

Still, let us keep the faith, let us continue to show the way with our employees, clients and communities. As Melanie wrote this week in one of her ‘Good Morning Lionesses’ blogs (here) entitled: “Build a business with impact”.

“…Businesses that make an impact tend to be led by passionate founders who care about the work they do, and recognize that they can make a difference by being authentic and using their business voices for positive change…it’s essential to create a value driven strategy [through] talking to employees and partners, and creating a structure where everyone knows their efforts are contributing to something bigger than themselves…”.

Although at times the change we want in the world may be slow, even glacial at times, we through our actions can continue to be the “catalyst for change” the globe and now Mr. Fink, demand. In this we, along with Melanie and Mr. Fink (no doubt now without his ski jacket) surely agree.

Stay safe.

Lioness Weekender spoke to the impact driven Seynabou Dieng about her business and her passion for extending the agri value chain in Africa.

What does your company do?

MAYA produces a variety of manufactured foods made exclusively with local agricultural products and inspired by family recipes. Since 2017, the company has processed 78 tons of vegetables and cereals, a third of which come directly from its partner farmers whose revenue represents not less than 20% of each product’s price. MAYA has developed a wide range of culinary products whose aim is also to help women spend less time in the kitchen so they can focus on their work and wellbeing: spiced breadcrumbs, ginger chili paste, local pancake and donut mixes, vegetable broth, precooked fonio, baobab and guava instant juice, etc… The impact on farmers has been significant. Farmers operate with more certainty and the money they receive enables them to buy seeds and support their families. MAYA’s 21-person team processes its products, which are available not only in Mali but also in Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Ivory Coast.

What inspired you to start your company?

After high school, Seynabou Dieng moved to France where she spent ten years before returning to Mali. “When I came back, I was shocked to see that everything I eat comes from elsewhere,” she says. And, when she visited the market, she saw vendors forced to throw away their unsold produce because they had no means to preserve it as they returned to their villages. “I felt like I had to do something.” She discussed the problem with someone who knew it well—her cook. Maya is one of my former cooks. She told me how women in the market struggle to sell their products.” The business named for Seynabou’s former cook began informally. Every weekend, she and Maya bought vegetables, herbs, and spices from the market. Back home, they wondered how they could store and preserve their purchases. “We used to cut it, mix it, put it in small bags, and put it in the fridge,” Seynabou says. She began sharing on Facebook how she processed the produce. At first, she and Maya did it for fun. Then their food processing posts went viral and people began asking to buy what they had made. “This is how it became a business.”

What makes your business, service or product special?

Food is much more than nourishment. Food is a cultural touchstone that can connect people to their heritage. In many places, however, the food people eat has no relationship to their local communities. This is true in Mali, where 75 percent of the country’s 20 million people depend on agriculture. Yet agriculture generates only 38 percent of the country’s GDP. The food industry is underdeveloped, meaning that Mali imports a majority of its manufactured food products. These imported foods, often the only choice available, don’t meet people’s expectations for taste and value. This broken local supply chain contributes to poverty and youth unemployment. MAYA tackles this problem by offering not only a product but a new philosophy saying: yes we too can do wonders with our local products. The brand highlights the fact that both the venture and the products are made by women hoping that it would inspire other women to start their own venture and to contribute in changing the dots on the West African food industry.

Tell us a little about your team

The MAYA team is made up of very dynamic young people. Most MAYA employees arrived for an end-of-study internship and are now full members of the team. Seynabou tries to transmit a strong corporate culture and encourages employees to be agents of change themselves. It instills in them values such as resilience, self-transcendence, flexibility and autonomy. They are MAYA’s greatest strength.

Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?

After a DEUG in economics obtained at the University of the Sorbonne in Paris, then a master’s degree in strategy and international marketing at ESSEC, Seynabou decided to return to Mali in 2015 to contribute to the development of the country. She began her career in an NGO that did social marketing before embarking on entrepreneurship. This experience in NGOs allows her to know the rural world and women’s issues. Her studies in economics gave her the certainty that the wealth of nations depends on production, which is why she wrote a professional thesis in 2015 on “Options for Improving the Value Chain of the Dairy Sector in Mali”. The real trigger for her was Brazil; it was during her stays there that she was convinced that consuming locally is a path to emergence available to developing countries. Back to Mali in 2015, she was so frustrated by the lack of value people gave to locally farmed products that she decided to start MAYA.

What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?

Our future growth relies a lot on exportation on bigger West African Markets such as Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Nigeria. To succeed we need the right quality standards to reach those markets, to reach these quality standard we need to build our own factory and work with industry experts.

What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?

I am happy when I see my staff feeling good and feeling trust in a business that started in a kitchen 4 years ago. I am happy when I realize that some of them have seen their salary triple in 3 years and have been able to fund a family .

What’s the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?

Entrepreneurship requires a lot of work and sacrifices, and it a lifetime journey most of the time. My advice to entrepreneur is to choose a business that you enjoy and you will succeed. When you love an activity, you don’t count your hours of work, nor the money you invest in it, and at some point success will arrive without you even noticing it.

To find out more about MAYA, contact Seynabou via email: seynabou.dieng@maya-mali.com or visit the company’s website and social media platforms:

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