Viola Llewellyn is 9th Most Notable African in 2014

Viola Llewellyn a Cameroonian has been ranked 9th among 30 most notable Africans in 2014.

This ranking which is the second edition was done by an institution known as “Bold and Fearless”, which is committed to showcasing positive stories of Africans on the continent and in the Diaspora who are making an impact in their communities, countries, and the world.

Other Africans who were ranked among the 30 include Carmen Ejogo from Nigeria; Justus Uwayesu, Rwanda; Adama Paris (Adama Amanda Ndiaye), Senegal; Senai Wolderufael, Ethiopia; Tsitsi Masiyiwa, Zimbabwe; Issam Chleuh, Mali; Priscilla Sitienei, Kenya; Meck Khalfan, Tanzania; Viola Llewellyn, Cameroon; AdamuWaziri, Nigeria; among others.

Fusing strategically her business with comedy Viola Llewellyn takes work just as seriously as play. From starting her investment firm with her business partner, Marvin R. R. Cole more than 5 years ago, to launching an innovative platform—Ovamba Solutions—for investing in African businesses, Llewellyn is a woman on the move.

Ovamba was created to support African economies by improving access to credit for the small and medium enterprise (SME) market. It’s the first peer-to-business lending platform in Francophone Africa, and also one of the first market lending platforms to offer investment opportunities to individuals and institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The investment vehicle was created to address the issue of Africa’s small and medium-sized businesses experiencing limited or no access to credit—severely limiting their ability to grow.

Business owners often wait weeks, even months for a credit decision from their bank – often missing out on potential business due to long delays.

Llewellyn worked with co-founder, Marvin R. R. Cole, sought to change all that through their innovative online platform (www.Ovamba.com).

Since its launch in 2013, Ovamba has done so well servicing a neglected, but profitable market, that it recently landed a $1.28 million investment from GLI Finance Limited to expand and grow the company.

According Viola Llewellyn in an interview on Homestrings, “Ovamba SME Lending Fund is an opportunity to do well by doing good! I boldly believe in profit for Africa! I am not the greatest fan of charitable solutions as they are often unsustainable”.

She adds that “Entrepreneurship and innovation are the backbone of all successful economies and women play a vital role in this particular ecosystem.

At a fundamental level, nearly all women are natural entrepreneurs—they capitalise on daily opportunities, anticipate and respond to challenges, and make decisions that maximize resources, meet objectives and provide for the growth and sustainability of the people they are responsible for.

The exact same thing happens at Google, General Motors, Toyota or any other blue chip entity.”

Borrowers interested in finding out if they are pre-qualified for a loan should go to www.Ovamba.com.