This article is one in an AFKInsider series that follows some of the young African leaders chosen to participate in U.S. President Barack Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). The initiative is a U.S. effort to invest resources in the next generation of African leaders and entrepreneurs.
Ndeye Absa Gningue from Senegal calls herself a serial entrepreneur born to bring change.
Her participation in the 2014 Young African Leaders Fellowship Program helped further her mission. She is founder of a clothing company, Love Africa.Wear Africa, and of a youth think tank that encourages entrepreneurship — the Young African Entrepreneurs working for Regional Economic Development, or J.E.A.D.E.R.
Gningue was chosen in 2014 to be a Mandela Washington Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to that she was already building her career. The 27-year-old had been a IBM Software Group marketing leader in charge of generating leads for IBM in North and West Africa. She also worked at Smasung as a marketing and communication coordinator and as a product manager at Procter & Gamble.
In 2011 she started a company named Desi’Gning/ABC, designing Africa-inspired outfits and accessories under the Love Africa.Wear Africa label. The ABC stands for “Aduuna Bul Comprendre” — “life goes on” in French. The company employs five full-time employees.
Gningue is fluent in English, French, and Spanish. The Young African Leader Initiative gave her a chance to visit the U.S. for the first time, meet President Obama and further her business studies.
Ndeye Absa Gningue told AFKInsider about her work and what it was like to be a Young African Leader.
AFKInsider: How did you get into YALI?
Ndeye Absa Gningue: It’s very simple. I submitted my application. I had the news from a friend, who suggested that I should participate as I was really involved in leadership initiatives in Senegal. I did, and couple of months later, I received a letter of acceptance. Next step was to do an interview at the U.S. Embassy. I recall, I lost my voice because of a cold that day, but managed to explain how I thought I could change the world and make impact in Africa and in Senegal in particular.
AFKInsider: What did you get from the experience?
Ndeye Absa Gningue: There is definitely a before and an after YALI. Beside the fact that I never went to the U.S. before, there would have been no chance to meet with so many nationalities from Africa. It’s truly a network that you get the chance to build there. On top of that, I was at the University of Texas at Austin. I was expecting to see cowboys and wondered why I was not watching “Dallas.” …Instead, I met with great people with open minds and so willing to learn about Africa.
AFKInsider: Was what you learned transferable to the realities of your African country?
Ndeye Absa Gningue: Yes. I learned so much about leadership and personal development. And that you can transfer to any part of the world. It is useful in any situation.That’s really what the YALI is about — leadership and exchange.
I was inspired, for example, by a lemonade contest done by kids, which I localized and diversified back in Senegal. I managed to crowdfund for kids across seven regions in Senegal to set up a boot camp and learn how to become entrepreneurs and also how they could envision what their careers or their futures should look like.
Plus, at the University of Texas at Austin I was involved in the Business & Entrepreneurship program. As far as I know, business rules and principles apply everywhere in the world; we just need to give a local flavor to it depending on the targets. The University of Texas at Austin motto is “What starts here, changes the world”… It says it all.
AFKInsider: How would you describe the experience?
Ndeye Absa Gningue: It’s a life-changing experience. I understood that my life would never be the same. Not because I was among the few who got the chance to meet with President Obama and First Lady Michelle, but I discovered the United States through community services. And I saw the importance of giving back. I learned that business was not about money only, and, most importantly, I learned from my fellow mates from across Africa.
Here you learn from natives, what the opportunities are in their countries and the kind of ideas they launch to respond to a particular challenge of their communities to shape a better world–to build the future of Africa.
AFKInsider: Did anything happen that was unique for you?
Ndeye Absa Gningue: Meeting with people I used to see only on CNN (U.S. Cable News Network and satellite TV channel) is unique.
But I loved the fact that I was the one who designed the clothes which the entire team from Senegal were wearing. It was an honor to be complimented by other fellows on how good looking we were. In fact, three of our colleagues appeared in all official pictures with the President Obama wearing my designs. Couldn’t dream of a better ad. We were rocking in ABC Outfits! I also recall the fact that Michelle was greeting people, and as it was crowded and I could barely touch her hand, she said “Woo, the necklace!” That was a moment!
AFKInsider: How did you start your company, Love Africa.Wear Africa.?
Ndeye Absa Gningue: Back in 2011, I was coming from Nigeria where I used to live. I was working for a big fast-moving consumer goods company. I fell in love with the African print they were selling at the Market of Surulere, Lagos. I decided I would wear nothing but the clothes I would make. I decided I would wear African outfits. But during lunch with a friend, she suggested that I could do business with the clothes I am wearing.
Back home a couple of days later, I went through very tough times in my personal life. I felt so bad and cried all day long. I went on Facebook and created a page featuring the clothes I was wearing, called ABC-Aduna Bul Comprendre (Life Goes On). That’s where it all started. I was 23.
AFKInsider: How did you fund the startup?
Ndeye Absa Gningue: I funded it myself. I was pretty lucky, as a business developer and a marketer I knew what to do with the little I had. I am conscious not everyone has the chance to be a self-made woman.
AFKInsider: Did you face any obstacles being a young entrepreneur?
Ndeye Absa Gningue: Of course, I did. First obstacle was the bargaining power of tailors. I am very demanding, as this is a very concise job, and I value the needs of each of our clients.
Then through my late father, who was the director of national police in Senegal, I hired ex-prisoners to give them a second chance in life. I had my “aha” moment and decided I could help women as well to develop their skills and have a second chance in life thanks to fashion. It was a way for me to counter the bargaining power of my tailors, and a way to make the wish of my father come true. Those women would earn a living practicing a decent job, and every item displayed in the gallery and made by those women, has a percentage given back to the administration of the prison. Our label is helping do some good. We are changing lives.
AFKInsider: How does Love Africa. Wear Africa work?
Ndeye Absa Gningue: We generally take orders up front. Recently, we’ve decided to start new business with accessories and bags, which are a longer-term investment. We have two lines, one made of my own designs (more expensive) and the one accessible to everyone. We do give a part of our fabrics to women, so that they can work on their accessories and sell them on their end. We provide material, small stipends of $1,000 US and help on organizing events which can help raise funds.
AFKInsider: How do you market Love Africa.Wear Africa?
Ndeye Absa Gningue: Our go-to market started digitally. We market via our Facebook fan page and thanks to my personal network. Journalists and famous people do wear our brand. And I wear my brand. In countries outside of Senegal, we do look for brand ambassadors who play the role of wholesalers. We’re currently rebuilding our website, which plays the role of a catalog, and we’re working on a brand new concept this year which I am sure will revolutionize our industry. It’s a secret for now.
AFKInsider: Have you been able to use some of the skills you learned with YALI?
Ndeye Absa Gningue: Before going to YALI, our business model was a bit unclear. We did not know if we wanted to do social impact, or to just make money. We only knew the project was good, because we were chosen as one of the 10 best projects of Orange African Social Venture Prize competition.
It’s only when I went to Texas that I realized that we could do both and still be sustainable. We got introduced to people who were doing exactly the same thing in the U.S.
Thanks to courses on business model and pitch we worked on with Prof. Anita Leffel and the staff of UT Texas in Austin, we were able to get some funding from people who wanted to look good and make impact in lives of women and children in prison.
