Beauty Brand Founder Aims for Business Deals at US-Africa Summit and Launches Makerspace

Rahama Wright, the founder and CEO of Yeleen Enterprises, hopes to leverage the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit to obtain new business deals for her beauty brand.

Wright will participate today, Dec. 14, in the Prosper Africa Deal Room at the summit in Washington, D.C. She will speak to top U.S. and African businesses, investors, and government leaders about fostering economic and community development between both sides through the beauty ingredient supply chain in Africa. She also will discuss the positive environmental impact of social enterprise in Africa.

Her business, Shea Yeleen, makes and sells natural shea butter skincare products in the U.S. The products are sourced from northern Ghana at a cooperative Wright created in 2009 that pays women five times more than what they would normally make in living wages.

Wright shared with BLACK ENTERPRISE, by email, that her business will use the Prosper Deal Room forum to try to build connections and expand production from Ghana to include Mali, Uganda, Senegal, South Sudan, Morocco, and Chad.

The summit, which began on Dec. 13 and runs through Dec. 15, is geared to show the enduring commitment of the U.S. to Africa, and includes discussions on economic issues and other matters. President Joe Biden is expected to host roughly 50 African heads of state. This year marks only the second time since 2014, under then-President Barack Obama, that the summit has occurred in the U.S.

Wright will announce the Yeleen Beauty Makerspace, a new co-manufacturing facility in Washington, D.C., for early-stage beauty entrepreneurs in the capitol. She says the makerspace will create 200 jobs in an underserved area of Washington, D.C. in 2023, offering beauty entrepreneurs a place to create their own brands. Wright says the makerspace will disrupt an industry where Black-owned brands generate revenue less than a quarter of what Black consumers spend.

“This manufacturing facility will be the first commercial shared facility designed to support women and founders of color in the beauty industry in the United States,” she stated.

Wright knows about U.S.-African relations. She has been on the President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa since 2014. She also served in the Peace Corps and has spoken at the United Nations, State Department, World Bank, Global Entrepreneurship Summit, and the Sustainable Brands Conference.

Further, Shea Yeleen will sponsor a roundtable conversation today, in partnership with Citibank, on climate change and environmental issues.

“African ministers will attend this roundtable and will give us a chance to discuss priorities,” Wright says.

Doing more business in Africa could potentially be lucrative. Vice President Kamala Harris has stated that Africa “is the world’s fastest-growing continent. By 2030, the continent will have 1.7 billion people, home to one-fifth of the world’s population.” She added the continent “is increasingly young, urban, and connected. There is a growing demand for food, healthcare, education, technology, and infrastructure.”

Moreover, based on a report, 90 million African households will enter the consumer class by 2025, furnishing buying power of $2.1 trillion to the global economy.