Iroko Africa: Building Inclusive Workplaces Across Borders 

In Africa’s engineering and consulting sector, diversity and inclusion are not always easy to achieve, especially in fields traditionally dominated by men. But for Iroko Africa, these values are not a corporate campaign or an annual initiative, they are foundational principles built into the company’s DNA from the beginning. 

Bonolo Matle, a digitalisation and technology specialist at the firm, describes Iroko Africa as a business that runs on diversity, with women holding ownership and leadership positions and eight African nationalities represented across its teams.

“We are a company that is 70% women, and it is women-owned,” she explains. “Within those 70%, we have over eight nationalities of women throughout Africa.”  

Iroko Africa’s approach is unusual in that it does not rely on formal policies or DEI committees to manage diversity. Instead, diversity is baked into the company’s formation and operating model.

“With our company, we don’t necessarily have policies because our company is built on diversity,” says Matle. “It’s not a checkbox we fill; it’s the foundation we run on.”  

This organic integration means every hiring decision and leadership development opportunity is approached with inclusion in mind. Rather than selecting employees to fill demographic quotas, Iroko Africa focuses on character, capability, and professional curiosity.

“We make sure you don’t feel like you have to fit a mold, but rather you’re brought in because of the spark you carry with yourself as a person,” Matle explains. 

Operating across African markets brings both unique challenges and valuable opportunities. While South Africa has made progress in integrating women into leadership roles in traditionally male-dominated sectors, other African countries remain more conservative. 

“Our biggest challenges are not necessarily in South Africa,” says Matle. “In Ivory Coast, it’s a whole different dynamic. It tends to be more patriarchal, more male-dominated.” 

Iroko Africa’s approach has been to lead with competence and consistency, even in markets where women’s leadership is not the norm.

“When we come in and we have two of the people in power who are women and three of our efficiency engineers are all women, it tends to raise questions,” she notes. “But it has never stopped us. It makes us want to do it even more.”  

The team’s resilience and determination have established Iroko’s reputation in Ivory Coast and other markets.

“Women are able to do these things. Black women are able to do these things,” Matle adds. “If we have to knock on doors, we will, until our name is known.”  

One of Iroko Africa’s greatest strengths lies in its knowledge-sharing culture. Employees across its South African and Ivory Coast offices maintain constant communication and frequent meetings, creating a sense of shared purpose despite geographical and cultural differences. 

“You are with so many people and skill sets, and every single person is willing to pass on their knowledge,” Matle explains. “Knowledge transfer happens, cultural transfer happens, and everybody is so in tune with protecting the culture we’ve built.”  

The company’s leadership has made this possible by cultivating a collaborative, respectful environment.

“It’s not something that’s forced, it’s something we are willingly doing because of the office culture cultivated by leadership,” she adds. 

For Matle, the role of leadership is critical in embedding DEI into everyday operations.

“It all falls down from leadership,” she says. “If leadership is sitting and just making or implementing these policies like stickers on the wall for Diversity Month, it won’t work.”  

She believes that leaders need to consistently live the values of inclusion if they want to create a workplace that genuinely reflects diversity.

“When your leadership carries it out and you see it in how everything is formulated within the company, it’s way easier to bring people in. People are excited to come to the office, excited to work because they feel part of something greater.”  

This leadership philosophy also impacts how the company recruits, mentors, and promotes talent.

“It’s not just a job, it’s a desire to do it, it’s a skill you’re learning, and you’re growing with the company as it grows,” Matle notes. 

Learning and professional growth are central to Iroko Africa’s DEI culture. The company offers individual training allowances and development opportunities tailored to both market needs and personal aspirations. In markets like Ivory Coast, where social attitudes toward women’s leadership may lag behind, the company addresses these challenges head-on. 

“We know what we’re getting ourselves into because it’s primarily women,” Matle says. “But we offer training — not necessarily formal training only, but guidance on how you’re supposed to move in that space. It also comes from within because you’re fighting for a company you believe in and for Africa’s resilience as a whole.”  

Asked what advice she would give to other companies still working to build inclusive cultures, Matle is clear: it begins with leadership.

“Companies need to ask themselves what kind of company they want to be,” she says. “Would you, as a leader, want to move to this company yourself? Would you be proud to be part of it?”  

She warns against writing policies that don’t translate into action.

“If your leadership is diverse and you’re seeing people as individuals, not just a collective to fill a quota, you’ll see real change,” she explains. 

She also calls for companies to look beyond token initiatives.

“We can’t still be talking about the same things in 20 years. It has to be more than panels and status quo, it has to start with us,” she says. “Create spaces where people are excited to work, excited to grow, and proud to represent their company.”  

Iroko Africa’s story offers a real-world model for inclusive leadership and operationally integrated diversity strategy. By building a company owned and led by women, populated by multicultural African professionals, and guided by a leadership team that actively shapes culture, the business demonstrates what’s possible when DEI is more than a policy. 

As Matle puts it: “It’s going to be hard for us if we ever move to another company because we’ve acclimated to this kind of foundation, everybody helping everybody, everybody diverse. It’s become the standard we live by.”