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Influential Leaders

Anele Mkuzo

Founder and Managing Director, African Entrepreneurship Initiative (AEi)
Recognition Year(s): 2025
Area of Impact: Community or Social Impact
School: Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town
Location: South Africa

Summary

Anele Mkuzo’s commitment to nurturing young entrepreneurs and fostering inclusive growth has been a catalyst for positive change in the African entrepreneurship landscape. Mkuzo is a champion of inclusive innovation and the founder of Zinde Zinde (Pty) Ltd t/a African Entrepreneurship Initiative (AEi), an entrepreneurship education training company. Mkuzo has developed award-winning, inclusive, multilingual entrepreneurship development programs that have empowered hundreds of young individuals across Africa. She believes entrepreneurship is the most important tool to eradicate poverty and inequality.

Entrepreneurial Impact

Along with an MPhil in Inclusive Innovation from the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, Mkuzo has over a decade of dedicated experience in enterprise and supplier development and a strong foundation in innovation for entrepreneurs in marginalized fields. At the forefront of her career stands a proven track record of driving impactful change and fostering inclusive practices.

During her tenure as a program coordinator at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, she led programs that benefited over 400 entrepreneurs. They covered diverse sectors, such as information and communication technology, construction, manufacturing, engineering, and financial services. Notably, her contributions were recognized at the 2015 Women in Construction Awards. She received an award for designing the National Home Builders Registration Council’s Women Empowerment Programme, which supports women’s leadership development in the construction industry in South Africa.

Mkuzo’s commitment to excellence and innovation has been further acknowledged through other prestigious accolades. These milestones fueled her entrepreneurial spirit, leading to the establishment of the AEi in 2016. Through this organization, she has pioneered impactful projects aimed at empowering entrepreneurs through training, business coaching, and mentorship.

AEi has created a unique solution that ensures inclusivity and allows potential and existing entrepreneurs to access financial literacy and entrepreneurship education. To ensure that language is not a barrier to accessing information and skills, the initiative executes training and education in different African languages by multilingual experts. To date, AEi has empowered almost 1,000 young people in the past eight years.

Mkuzo’s collaborative efforts include the successful launch of Diaries of an African Entrepreneur, a platform for entrepreneurs to share their journeys online, and the entrepreneurship education game prototype Business Boost SA. These projects underscore her commitment to making meaningful change through innovation.

When Mkuzo is not at the helm of AEi, she works as an adjunct faculty member at Henley Business School Africa, where she facilitates workplace readiness programs for new graduates at corporate organizations.

She has worked with various major organizations such as Bridgestone, Coca-Cola Beverages Africa, Dell Young Leaders, the Eskom Pension and Provident Fund, the International Monetary Fund, MultiChoice Group, PSG Wealth, Vodacom, and Wits University’s Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct.

AEi has partnered with experts who not only advise organizations but also assist in providing their innovative solutions to clients. AEi customizes its services for its end users, the entrepreneurs who receive the knowledge, and the organizations that sponsor the training programs. This strategy ensures maximum impact and engagement in solutions that sustain entrepreneurs in the long run.

Additional Information