Owning the Future of African Media: Women Entrepreneurs Share Real Talk, Resilience and Radical Purpose

At the heart of the EntreprenHER: Owning the Future of Media seminar, hosted by the fraymedia Foundation in August 2025, was a powerful conversation between three dynamic women who are reshaping African media from the inside out. The panel, Women Media Owners on Overcoming Challenges, brought together Slindile Khanyile (South Africa), Asha Mwilu (Kenya), and Toun Okewale Sonaiya (Nigeria)—women who are not only building platforms, but also redefining leadership, power, and purpose in the process. Moderated by fraycollege CEO Mamaponya Motsai, the session offered honest practical advice and solidarity across borders.

A Shared Starting Point: “We didn’t see ourselves in the story”

The conversation opened with each speaker sharing the moment they realised they needed to build something of their own. For Asha Mwilu, founder of Debunk Media in Kenya, it wasn’t a dramatic revelation but a slow-burning frustration with the limits of legacy newsrooms.

“I didn’t see myself reflected in the journalism we were doing,” she said. “I was tired of being told what news should look like.”

With Debunk, Mwilu set out to create a platform that speaks to African youth in their language—visually engaging, politically sharp, and culturally relevant. “We take complex issues and make them digestible,” she explained. “But we also refuse to dumb them down.”

Similarly, Slindile Khanyile, a business journalist in South Africa, had spent nearly two decades working in traditional media before launching Likhanyile Media Group. She wanted to build a Black-owned platform focused on high-quality business reporting—but the transition wasn’t easy.

“People see the launch posts on LinkedIn, the big interviews—but they don’t see the part where you haven’t paid yourself in months,” she said. “There was a time I really thought I would give up.”

And for Toun Okewale Sonaiya, co-founder of Women Radio 91.7 in Nigeria, the decision to launch a women-focused radio station was both intentional and revolutionary.

“We weren’t just creating another radio station,” she said. “We were challenging a system. We were saying women’s voices matter, in every language, on every issue.”

Building Against the Current

All three women described what it means to build in a system that was not made for them. Whether it’s fundraising, audience growth, or hiring talent, being a woman media founder adds layers of complexity.

“When we launched Women Radio, people assumed we were coming to destroy homes,” Sonaiya recalled. “We were labelled feminists in the worst way. Even the men on our team got harassed for being associated with us.”

Mwilu echoed this tension: “We get love from the audience, but when it comes to investment or partnerships, suddenly we’re ‘too radical,‘ ’too niche, ’or ‘too feminist.’”

Yet the pushback also revealed how necessary their work is. “The fact that people are uncomfortable tells me we’re hitting the mark,” said Sonaiya. “We’re not here to be palatable. We’re here to be powerful.”

The Human Cost of Holding it All

Behind the bold launches and trailblazing headlines, the panellists spoke candidly about burnout, financial anxiety, and the emotional toll of leadership.

“Burnout is real,” said Khanyile. “When your name is on the door, you don’t get to clock out. There’s always one more email, one more budget, one more meeting.”

Mwilu added: “There are days when I wake up in the middle of the night worrying about salaries. Some months, we’re one decision away from collapse.”

And yet, none of them expressed regret. Instead, they shared the rituals and resources that keep them going—therapy, prayer, peer support, and sometimes, just sheer grit.

“You wear the cape for so long that people forget you bleed,” said Sonaiya. “That’s why spaces like this matter. We need to be able to tell the truth, to each other.”

Strategy, Survival and Success on Their Own Terms

While the panel did not shy away from naming the obstacles, it was also rich with practical insight. The founders shared how they diversified revenue, built loyal audiences, and managed small wins into sustained growth.

Khanyile described how sponsored business writing workshops helped Likhanyile Media weather its second year. “We went back to what we knew—training—and turned it into a revenue stream,” she said. “We also made peace with being boutique. We don’t need to be big to be impactful.”

For Debunk, social media is not just a distribution tool—it’s a storytelling strategy. “We design with the audience in mind,” Mwilu said. “Each platform has its own rhythm, and we respect that. That’s how we build trust.”

Sonaiya, whose station broadcasts in English, Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo, sees language as power. “We want women to hear themselves—not translated, not subtitled. We want them to hear leadership in their own voice.”

A Blueprint for the Next Generation

Throughout the discussion, one thread remained constant: this work is not just about business. It’s about transformation.

“We are not here for money,” Sonaiya said. “We are here for impact. We are doing nation-building.”

Mwilu agreed. “If you’re going to build something in this environment, it has to mean something. Otherwise, it’s not worth the cost.”

The panel closed with a call to solidarity—across countries, across generations, and across sectors. As Khanyile reminded the audience:

“Find your people. You’re going to need them. You can’t do this alone.”

And perhaps that is the enduring message of this powerful session: that women media entrepreneurs across Africa are not just overcoming challenges—they are rewriting the rules. Together.

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