Rahel Boon-Dejene 2025 Speaker
Founder & CEO , R&D Group
“She is an Ethiopian-Dutch entrepreneur reshaping Africa’s economic future beyond aid.
As Founder of R&D Group and Share, she has directly empowered 3,000+ value-adding SMEs and trained 65,000+ MSME owners across Ethiopia – Africa’s 2nd largest yet least represented economy in global investment forums.
Her mission: Replace aid dependency with private sector resilience.
Exposes the #1 barrier: Only 15% of high-potential African SMEs access growth finance.
Solves it through Ubuntu Investment Models (blending communal trust with global capital.
Trains entrepreneurs in investment readiness via bite-size e-learning.
Advocates for African-led solutions at EU-Africa policy tables.
“”Ethiopia’s absence in rooms like this symbolizes Africa’s broader paradox: vast potential starved by outdated risk narratives. We’re not begging for aid – we’re demanding smart capital for entrepreneurs ready to build.”””
