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The best business ideas don’t start with money,
they start with a problem worth solving.
In this module, you’ll learn to look at everyday challenges with an entrepreneur’s eyes.
Discover how African founders turned frustrations into real solutions, tested them fast, and found people willing to pay.
By the end of this module, you will:
Spot opportunities hidden in daily life
Design and test a simple prototype
Connect your idea to real customers and revenue streams
🎧 Lesson 1 — Solving Problems You Understand
🎧 Lesson 1 — Solving Problems You Understand
Speaker: Cassandra Mtine
Cassandra Mtine explains how AgriPredict began with a simple idea — helping farmers diagnose crop diseases — but field testing revealed deeper problems: weather updates, market access, affordability, and connectivity. By listening to farmers during their first pilot, her team learned that solving the real problem meant building an ecosystem around the farmer, not just one feature.
Lesson Outcomes:
Identify problems you’ve seen or experienced firsthand
Ask real users what they actually struggle with
Discover hidden pain points through testing, not assumptions
Add-on: Pick one problem you believe exists — then talk to three real users and ask:
“What makes this problem difficult for you?”
Write down what you thought the problem was vs. what you learned.
🎧 Lesson 2 — From Pain to Prototype
🎧 Lesson 2 — From Pain to Prototype
Speaker: Mwansa Chalo
Mwansa Chalo shows how he validated a healthcare startup idea without an app, code, or funding — by manually sourcing medicine for a pharmacy, earning a small margin, and proving demand on day one. His story demonstrates that the most powerful MVPs start with real customers and simple steps, not technology.
Lesson Outcomes:
Build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) using manual steps
Test assumptions with real users before building technology
Learn from direct customer conversations
Add-on: Identify one real user you could approach this week and one thing they might pay or trade for your first version.
🎧 Lesson 3 — From Idea to Ecosystem
🎧 Lesson 3 — From Idea to Ecosystem
Speaker: Elie Habimana
Elie Habimana explains how Rwanda intentionally built policies that attract innovators, make it easy to register and test startups, and turn the country into a launchpad for East Africa. He shares how small markets can become powerful proof-of-concept ecosystems, and why regional integration unlocks scale for African founders.
Lesson Outcomes:
Understand how policy and environment shape startup success
Recognize the value of launching in a “test market”
Connect your idea to partners, regulators, and regional opportunities
Add-on: List two institutions, communities, or policies in your country that help founders test and grow ideas. Which regional market could you scale into next and why?
End-of-Module Activity — Opportunity Journal
End-of-Module Activity — Opportunity Journal
Bring your three worksheets together to form your Opportunity Journal.
Step 1: Pick the problem you care about most.
Step 2: Describe your simple prototype idea.
Step 3: Note who might pay or partner with you.
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