Jokate Mwegelo is a Tanzanian actress, singer, host
and entrepreneur. She is also CEO of Kidoti Loving. In 2011 she won Zanzibar International Film
Festival award for best actress.
Jokate was born in Washington,
D.C, where her parents worked. She was raised in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She
started primary school at Olympio Primary School and attended St. Anthony High
School, graduating from Loyola High School, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. She
attended the University of
Dar Es Salaam, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political
science and philosophy. She was first runner up in the Miss Tanzania beauty contest. She was also named
Redds fashion ambassador and Citizen Newspaper ambassador, after receiving the
most votes that year. Before Miss Tanzania, she competed in Miss Kurasini 2006,
which she won, advancing to the Miss Temeke 2006 contest, which she also won.
In 2007, she made her film debut in the movie called Fake Pastors, with Vincent
Kigosi, Lisa Jensen, second runner up Miss Tanzania 2006 and the late Adam
Kuambiana. In 2008, she acted in the movie, From China with True Love In 2010, she appeared in Chumo, a movie produced by Media for Development
International, about malaria education. It earned her the 2011 Zanzibar International Film
Festival best actress award and a
Pan-African actress of the year nomination, at the 2012 Nigeria Entertainment
Awards. She was also featured in the TV series, Siri Ya Mtungi, produced by
Jordan Riber and directed by Karabani, in 2013. In 2014, she played
"Ndekwa" in Mikono Salama, which earned her another Zanzibar International Film
Festival award for best actress
in Swahili films
In October 2012, she officially launched her company goes by
name Kidoti Loving Company Limited, the launch went together with introduction
of her new hairline. The company did well and in December 2014, she founded
Kidoti. She partnered with Rainbow Shell Craft, from China. Her company
produces slippers, wigs, school bags and other fashion accessories, under the
Kidoti brand. Her company
introduced the Be Kidotified campaign to empower students. Her firm has
worked with Mohammed Dewji.
In March 2017, Clouds Media Group honored her with the Malkia wa Nguvu Award in
business innovation in Tanzania. She released a song with Lucci, called 'Kaka na Dada. In 2015 she
dropped her another song called Leo Featuring Ice
Prince from Nigeria She
was also the red carpet host at Channel
O Music Video Awards in 2011,
held in Sandton Convention Centre, in Sandton South Africa
Malawian
entrepreneur Mike Chilewe Jnr, he is both the founder and owner of a
multimedia advertising firm, Innovertising, as well as Lala Limited, a holding
company involved in various activities from manufacturing toilet paper to agricultural
exports. He is also in the process of acquiring a leading food processing
company, and is now launching a third company called Chilewe Brands.
His
achievements in entrepreneurship led him to be named one of Forbes’ 30 most promising young African
entrepreneurs in 2016.
But how did he get to where he is today?
The
best gift
Chilewe is the son of one of Malawi’s most
prominent entrepreneurs. His father made his fortune in metal and steel
manufacturing and is the founder of Mike’s Trading Group. But despite financial
success, his father was strict with money – and looking back Chilewe believes
this was the best gift his father could give him.
For example, when Chilewe wanted a computer
while studying accountancy in college, he was told by his father to “figure it
out”. And so he did.
He started selling his college meal coupons
to other students at discounted prices until he had raised enough cash to
purchase blank CDs, which he then sold on to other students. He used the
profits to buy his first computer. And at a later stage he managed to save
enough to buy 40,000 shares in TNM Networks, a leading mobile network operator.
Chilewe also worked at his father’s company
throughout his studies. But in 2012, once he had graduated as a chartered
accountant, Chilewe decided to leave the firm to start his own entrepreneurial
journey.
Taking
on the world of advertising
While running a few small businesses – such
as selling second-hand phones imported from South Africa – Chilewe decided to
venture into advertising with the launch of Innovertising in 2012. He had no
prior experience in the industry, but saw a space in the market for the company
and started researching advertising techniques and strategies online.
He won his first job for a TV commercial
after examining a local business’s adverts, and determining what worked and
didn’t. “I then went to the owner’s office without even booking an appointment.
I waited for him for three hours before I could eventually pitch to him my idea
for an advert, and he gave me the job.”
Today the company offers advertising across a
variety of media platforms, such as print and digital.
The
toothbrush approach
“It was one of the founders of Google who
said before they launch a new product they first use the toothbrush test where
they ask whether someone is going to use it once or twice a day. This stuck in
my mind and I was thinking about it one day in the bathroom, wondering what
product I could produce. And when I reached for some toilet paper – it [struck]
me. This was the product I was looking for,” Chilewe recalled with a laugh.
After some market research and tracking down
a second-hand machine online, he began manufacturing toilet paper under his
second company, Lala Limited, in 2013. Chilewe’s toilet rolls are sold in bulk
and unbranded to institutions such as hospitals and schools. By reducing
packaging costs his company can compete on price with the large, established
players in the market.
Lala’s commercial operations have since
evolved to include other activities – like packaging agricultural produce to be
exported or sold locally.
In 2015 Chilewe managed to acquire a local
radio station, Star Radio, which he later sold. And he is currently negotiating
the acquisition of a large food processor in Malawi. His third company, Chilewe
Brands, aims to add value to local resources across Africa.
Fighting
age discrimination
Chilewe’s entrepreneurial journey has not
come without challenges and he has often faced discrimination in business
because of his young age.
For instance, it took nearly two years for
him to acquire Star Radio because the owner did not take his interest
seriously. In fact, he wrote Chilewe’s father a letter to ask whether to sell
him the station.
“He just considered me to be a kid.”
However, Chilewe has learnt how to improve
his chances of grabbing business opportunities and ensuring he’s not completely
overlooked because of his age. Key to this is networking with the people who
make the decisions, and he has found every opportunity to be in their line of
sight. This includes visiting hotel restaurants and taking up golf.
“I knew that decision-makers were often found
at the golf course. So I started playing in order to interact with them,” he
explained.
“A lot of young people think they can just
hang out with fellow young people and succeed in business – but I don’t think
it works like that… You might have a good product, but if you can’t talk to
people and get them to trust or listen to you, then you have a problem.”
He also advises other young aspiring
entrepreneurs to be careful when it comes to choosing partners – both in
business and in life. Chilewe, who has been married for a few years now, noted
he would not have been able to get to where he is today without his wife’s
support.
“Before I married my wife I had to tell her
that I am an entrepreneur and that meant I would never wake up one day and
decide to look for a job. I explained there would be days when we were not
going to have money, and asked if she would still be willing to be with me,” he
recalled.
“So if you are going into entrepreneurship,
make sure you have the right support and right partner… If your partner wants
to have money every day then entrepreneurship might not be for you or you might
be with the wrong partner. My wife understands me, but it helps that I
explained it to her before we got married.”
