As inflation, shipping costs and supply chain disruptions challenged businesses across Africa in 2022, media executive and digital sales strategist Linda Ochugbua urged women entrepreneurs to rethink growth by building digital products instead of relying solely on physical goods.
Speaking during the 7th Leading & Emerging Women Conference (East African Edition) at the Kigali Convention Centre, Ochugbua delivered a masterclass titled “Creating Digital Products: Bypassing Borders for Pan-African Scale”, encouraging founders to transform their expertise into scalable digital businesses.
“The greatest limitation to the growth of an African businesswoman right now isn’t her talent or her drive; it is the physical border,” Ochugbua told participants.
She said converting intellectual property and specialized knowledge into digital products, including e-books, premium learning platforms, low-code software solutions and digital subscriptions, allows entrepreneurs to sell simultaneously across cities such as Lagos, Nairobi and Kigali without the cost of shipping or customs delays.
Ochugbua’s presentation focused on helping entrepreneurs overcome some of Africa’s biggest business challenges through digital transformation.
Her session outlined practical approaches including adopting no-code tools that allow founders without programming skills to build and launch digital assets quickly, integrating multi-currency payment systems to simplify cross-border transactions, and designing lightweight products that work well in areas with limited internet connectivity.
She said these strategies reduce operational costs while making businesses easier to scale across African markets.
Organizers of the Leading & Emerging Women Conference said Ochugbua’s presentation aligned with the event’s broader goal of promoting innovation and strengthening business collaboration across Africa.
“Our foundational mission is to change the narratives around doing business in Africa by projecting excellence and innovation in African business,” the organizing committee said in a joint statement.
“Linda’s session perfectly embodies this push for innovation. Our overarching vision is to create a socio-cultural nexus in Africa and become a robust human capital development hub in the continent.”
The organizers added that the conference provides a platform for African leaders and brands to share experiences that inspire entrepreneurs to expand beyond local markets.
Held at the Kigali Convention Centre, the annual conference brought together female entrepreneurs, corporate executives and emerging policymakers from West and East Africa, reinforcing its role as a platform for promoting cross-border business collaboration and digital entrepreneurship.