In this special Women’s History Month episode, we’re spotlighting women reshaping African entrepreneurship. Today, I’m joined by Stephanie Durand from Meraky Tech and Gugulethu - or Gugu - Mahlangu from House Harvest.
Two women, two industries - technology and agriculture - but one mission: building solutions rooted in African realities and driven by purpose.
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Rama George: Hello and welcome to People First! In this special Women’s History Month episode, we’re spotlighting women reshaping African entrepreneurship. Today, I’m joined by Stephanie Durand from Meraky Tech and Gugulethu—or Gugu—Mahlangu from House Harvest. Two women, two industries—technology and agriculture—but one mission: building solutions rooted in African realities and driven by purpose.
Hello Stephanie, hello Gugu—thank you both for being here.
Let’s start by really getting to know you. Stephanie, for listeners meeting you for the first time, when you walk into a room and introduce yourself, who are you—and what is Meraky Tech?
Stephanie Durand: Hello, Rama! It's good to be here with you. I am Stephanie Durand. I'm the founder of Meraky Tech. We are a technology-based company. We build AI-powered solutions for businesses, African businesses, and we also train individuals on how to actually use these technology solutions that we build.
Rama George: Gugu, your turn. Tell us about yourself and House Harvest.
Gugulethu Mahlangu: My name is Guguletu Mahlangu. I am the CEO of House Harvest, a climate-smart farm that deals with, aquaponics and hydroponics, indigenous foods, and working with communities, women and youth, in training them to understand climate-smart systems.
Rama George: You grew up seeing food grown, not just bought. How did that upbringing shape your path into agriculture?
Gugulethu Mahlangu: I grew [up] with my mom and dad, and I was fortunate enough to still have my great-grandmother, as well as my grandmothers from both sides of the family, and they were subsistence farmers within their community. They taught me a lot about food resilience, about growing your own food… My upbringing showed me a lot of possibilities with women at the forefront, so I'm really grateful for that.
Rama George: That image—women at the forefront, feeding families and communities—is such a powerful starting point. Speaking of agricultural transformation, let me bring in AgriConnect here. It is one the World Bank Group’s strategic priorities. By helping farmers increase productivity, access financing, and connect to agricultural value chains, we can scale impact, create jobs, and reduce poverty.
You’ve both built something with a clear vision. Stephanie, what was the starting spark for Meraky Tech?
Stephanie Durand: Okay, Meraky Tech started from a frustration seeing first that a lot of the tools that were, used in our African markets, 90%, were imported from other countries. And they didn't really meet the needs of the local population. So that frustration is what led me to believe we can make a change by creating solutions that are thought by Africans, that take into account how we live, how we spend, how we communicate, and really truly meet the needs of the people.
Rama George: Turning frustration into solutions! Gugu, what about you—when did your journey in agriculture become a business?
Gugulethu Mahlangu: I went through a lot of trials and tribulations. I thought I was ready to start a business, and unfortunately, all my cabbages drowned: the wrong crop, at the wrong season. So, I was really a rookie and undermined the hard work and the science of agriculture. Eventually I got a mentor, from Zimbabwe. He taught me everything I know on a large scale. And that's when I decided to formally start my business with the help of a lot of people who, at that time, were holding my hand because they saw my determination.
Rama George: From drowned cabbages to a growing business. What a turnaround and your determination clearly paid off.
Stephanie, just as you said, many digital tools aren’t built for African markets. What core problems are you solving with Meraky Tech?
Stephanie Durand: We work with a lot of e-commerce collecting payments every day. We integrate via API, the local payment solutions. So, your Wave, your Mobile Money, Orange. All of those are now platforms that we integrate with their environment, so now their client is able to pay not only with cash, but they can pay with their phone number, and their digital IDs.
Rama George: So, you’re turning everyday tools—like a mobile phone —into real economic access.
And Gugu, on your side, how is House Harvest weaving together business and social impact?
Gugulethu Mahlangu: I'm operating in a greenhouse, and that means we are able to fulfill our promise to our clients that we will deliver the food no matter what the weather. So, we are doing our responsibility in terms of providing food security and food access by using climate-smart solutions.
Rama George: Consistent delivery, climate-smart solutions…that’s impressive! You’re tackling food insecurity, water scarcity, and climate resilience through sustainable innovation.
Stephanie, tell us about a woman whose journey changed through Meraky Tech.
Stephanie Durand: We have actually a few! So, we worked with UNPD to train the association of women who make shea butter and peanut butter in the north of Côte d'Ivoire. So, they organize themselves in small associations, but they have an overproduction of their shea butter 'cause they're not able to sell them fast enough.
So, what we did is: first, we trained them on how to create content, how to create their own social media account, show their process, how they're making the shea butter, and post it and by doing that, they started getting comments, "Oh, how can we contact you? Where can we find you? [chuckles] How can we order? This is like supernatural!"
So, they've been now getting requests to ship to Ghana, to ship to Liberia, like all the neighboring countries that they never had access to before because they were just word-of-mouth, um, selling.
Rama George: From wordofmouth to crossborder orders—that’s a big shift. How about within your team, anyone whose growth really inspires you?
Stephanie Durand: I have a young team, which is something that I pride myself in. A lot of them started as interns and stayed over the years. What I like about my team is the ability for them to pivot from one field to another. So, they're able to switch from, "Oh, we're testing an application," to, "Now we're doing marketing for this client.”
Rama George: I love that your team thrives on learning and agility—it’s the future of tech right there.
Now, Gugu, let’s talk women in agriculture. It’s still a male-dominated sector, but what unique strengths do women bring to the field?
Gugulethu Mahlangu: Agriculture definitely is a male-dominated space, especially in South Africa. As a woman in this space, I have noticed women becoming more successful in agriculture, particularly because, women have a more holistic view on food systems. They focus on health, on nutrition, and on feeding their families and, uh, communities. In as much as you're running a business, you're dealing with people, and you're dealing with health.
Rama George: You’re reminding us that food is never just a product—it’s health, dignity, and care. You’re also a podcaster, and you’ve been growing a community of farmers through your platform, #FarmspacesAfrica. Tell us more about that.
Gugulethu Mahlangu: So #FarmSpaces was a project that I started in 2020, where Twitter, now known as X, decided to launch its Spaces, which is the podcast version on their platform. I was looking to connect with farmers and to learn from farmers, Because I am quite active on Twitter, I'm able to get, um, all the farmers I follow in one room, and we can have a topic about carrot production, or spinach production, or how to get land, or what's the best place to buy fertilizer for a cost-effective price.
So that is how Farm Spaces was born, and I changed it from #FarmSpaces to #FarmSpacesAfrica, because social media connected me with other African farmers. And the beauty about agriculture is that we all speak the same language.
Rama George: I like that image—farmers across the continent, speaking the same language of the land, sharing knowledge and lifting each other up, especially women farmers finding their voice together.
Stephanie, let’s shift back to tech. Picture a young woman in Abidjan—or anywhere in the world—who loves tech but feels overwhelmed and doesn’t know where to begin. What three steps can she take in the next six months to start her journey in tech or AI?
Stephanie Durand: I always encourage people to start from the basics. You don't need to learn how to code; you need to understand how the code is able to create something tangible. A lot of the courses are now free. The s- second step is to start testing it yourself. Start using it on small projects. I encourage a lot of young people to do freelance work, like free work. Offer to work on small projects with someone, and then you get to have that little practice, the little experience that you can put on your CV. And then the last step will be now try interning at an actual company who's doing what you want to do. And a lot of those companies love, love to hire young people [chuckles] who have just started.
Rama George: Take note, this is solid advice—simple, practical, and empowering! Gugu, for someone dreaming of sustainable agriculture but without land or experience, where should they begin?
Gugulethu Mahlangu: I think you're asking the right person because that is exactly how I started my agricultural journey, with no, knowledge, with no connections, with no land, with no money at all. And agriculture has always been at the depths of my heart. I knew I wanted to do something in agriculture, but at that time, because of the lack of knowledge, um, I kind of glamorized what it means to be a farmer until I actually got to planting. Fortunately, I realized that this is an industry with a lot of opportunities, especially if you're a young ah, woman, and I persisted. I did a lot of working for other people's farms, and you know, when you show that you're committed, people around you tend to want to help you with resources and information.
Your commitment will be a ticket to, um, unlocking a lot of opportunities.
Rama George: That line, “your commitment is the ticket” is such a powerful message for anyone starting from zero.
Let’s wrap with a rapidfire round for Women’s Month—short answers only!
Rama George: One bold move you want women listening to make this year.
Stephanie Durand: apply to the job, apply to the opportunity. Don't overthink it.
Gugulethu Mahlangu: To take up a lot of space and let their voice and excellence shine.
Rama George: Beautiful. One thing you want our listeners to remember from this conversation.
Stephanie Durand: We need to be the actors in the changes we want to see, um, happen on the continent, and we need all of them to do that.
Gugulethu Mahlangu: You can start with nothing and grow into something.
Rama George: Stephanie and Gugu, thank you for joining us today and for reminding us that innovation grows wherever women lead with purpose, and that unlocking the full potential of women and girls is essential for powering economies and transforming lives.
Stephanie Durand: Thank you, Rama. It was a pleasure.
Gugulethu Mahlangu: Thank you so much, Rama. I appreciate it.
Rama George: This is how we would like to end this episode of People First podcast!
I am Rama George, and the entire production team joins me in wishing you a Happy Women’s History Month.
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À propos du People First Podcast
People First Podcast vient apporter un éclairage humain et concret sur les thématiques de développement spécifiques aux habitants d'Afrique de l'Ouest et du centre, et sur la contribution de la Banque mondiale. People First Podcast, pour un développement durable et inclusif !
À propos du Groupe de la Banque mondiale
Le Groupe de la Banque mondiale est l'une des plus importantes sources de financement et de connaissances au monde pour les pays à faible revenu. Ses cinq institutions partagent l'engagement de réduire la pauvreté, d'accroître la prospérité partagée et de promouvoir le développement durable.