Building Businesses in Fragile Economies | Wani Joana Kahasha
Choosing entrepreneurship as a career is rarely straightforward — and in fragile, conflict-affected contexts, it can be especially complex. In this episode of HUMHR Career Insights, Batje Chibafa sits down with Wani Joana Kahasha, an industrial engineer, social impact entrepreneur, and development practitioner working at the intersection of technology, women’s empowerment, and community resilience in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Wani shares her deeply honest journey from building Kivu Spices, an agritech venture that digitized local value chains before being forced to close due to the war in Eastern DRC, to leading digital transformation initiatives at Kivu Impact Center. She reflects on the realities of entrepreneurship beyond the highlight reels, and what it truly takes to build, lose, adapt, and begin again. This conversation explores Africa as a rising continent, the power of digital skills and AI literacy, feminist leadership, and the resilience required to pursue entrepreneurship when the odds are high. A thoughtful and grounded episode for anyone navigating purpose-driven work in uncertain environments.
🎧 Episode Description
What does it really mean to choose entrepreneurship as a career in a fragile, conflict-affected context?
In this episode of HUMHR Career Insights, Batje Chibafa is joined by Wani Joana Kahasha , an industrial engineer, social impact entrepreneur, and development practitioner working at the intersection of technology, women’s empowerment, and community resilience in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Wani shares her non-linear entrepreneurship journey from building Kivu Spices, an agritech venture digitizing local value chains that was ultimately forced to close due to the war in Eastern DRC, to leading digital transformation initiatives at Kivu Impact Center. She offers an honest look at the realities of building businesses in fragile economies, reminding us that entrepreneurship is not always “peaches and cream.”
We explore Africa as a rising continent, the power of digital skills and AI literacy, feminist leadership, and what it truly takes for entrepreneurs, especially women to survive, adapt, and rebuild in the face of uncertainty. Drawing on her experience supporting over 6,700 women entrepreneurs through World Bank–supported programs, Wani reflects on resilience, failure, and the future of work in Africa.
This is a candid, hopeful, and deeply human conversation about entrepreneurship against the odds and why the work of building still matters.