Lilian Makoi, an entrepreneur in Tanzania passionate about improving lives through technology — Lionesses of Africa

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

I grew up in a family where both parents were entrepreneurs. I was fond of my father and sincerely admired the powerful and successful man he was at the time! Although he never really mentored me to be an entrepreneur, he would always push me to believe in myself. He made me believe I was smart, he made me believe I could hold the biggest title in politics or as an employee, then I could on my own imagine achieving. This gave me confidence in myself and allowed me to be super ambitious.

But in me, I have always loved to challenge myself to achieve the impossible, the unexpected from a woman, so I wanted to be like him…. not achieve the titles he had in mind for me. I remember one time I had a fight with my elder brother, and he said to me, ‘You are a woman, all we are waiting for is to marry you off and be a wife to someone, that is all you can be.’ He probably just said that in the heat of the childish sibling fight, but I never forgot that statement. I was hurt and disappointed that, that was all I could be?! That is all that is expected of me?! But I took it as a challenge, I would prove them all, including society, wrong someday. And all these played a great part in making me want to be more and believing I could be more and the perseverance to keep going, even when it is not all rosy.

In college I was renting out movies/ DVDs to make my own income. After college I got married and started a family at 22, experiencing the challenges of managing a household. I started a maids training company, then later a diet foods company operating from home. Seeing these initiatives wouldn’t give me wealth, I got a job in the telecommunications industry, and it was there that I was exposed to technology and innovation and founded my 1st start up, JamiiAfrica, which was later acquired, and now Mipango Fintech, a construction company I co-founded, and more.

What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?

We aspire to be a leading provider of value-added services for customers to banks and financial institutions.