Nawale Yssoufa Jimitri is the Owner and Co-founder of the Axelya Group, a diversified economic group established in 2017 and based in Mayotte. Leading a group of five operating companies with over 250 employees across sectors ranging from social services and vocational training to business support and fresh produce distribution, Nawale has built one of Mayotte’s most impactful enterprises from the ground up. This year, she steps onto the regional stage as the Headline Sponsor of the Women Entrepreneur Awards in its first regional edition, bringing with her a deep conviction that the Indian Ocean’s women entrepreneurs deserve far greater visibility, and that building a stronger, more connected region starts with showing up.
A conviction, not a plan
Nawale’s entrepreneurial journey did not begin with a carefully mapped out strategy. It started with a conviction that took root very early on. Born in Mayotte in 1989 into a modest family, she grew up surrounded by love in a home where hard work and dignity were core values. Her mother was a merchant, and it was by her side, helping at their market stall from childhood, that Nawale first learned the meaning of the entrepreneurial spirit. Serving. Listening. Calculating. Deciding. Starting over every day.
She did not obtain her diploma, a fact she speaks about openly today, because it is part of what shaped her. In 2014, at the age of 24, she came to a fundamental realisation: her future in Mayotte would not be found along a predefined path. She would have to build it herself, guided by the intuition that Mayotte needed entrepreneurs who build, not merely manage. In 2017, she founded the Axelya Group alongside her business partner Hamada Sahimi. Today, at 36, she is pursuing a Master’s degree in General Management at EM Lyon Business School, because, as she puts it, she deeply believes that learning never stops.
Building where others wait
Mayotte is the youngest department of France. It faces considerable structural challenges, a fragile economy, overstretched public services, and a young population that often leaves the island without returning. Faced with this reality, Nawale sees two possible attitudes: waiting for others to act, or taking responsibility yourself. She chose the second.
The Axelya Group was born of this conviction. Mayotte needed a structured economic group capable of handling both commercial activities and service-oriented missions, which is why its five companies operate across sectors essential to the territory’s development, employing over 250 Mahoran staff members today.
What drives her most deeply is the impact the group has on the lives of its employees. “We train, recruit, and promote career advancement,” she explains. “We support men and women who, in some cases, lacked access to integration or vocational training programmes available elsewhere. We offer them a stable environment, continuous training, and prospects for growth, and sometimes the chance to build a career they never dared to imagine.” For Nawale, every job created at Axelya means greater stability for a family, and proof that in Mayotte, it is possible to build lasting institutions that help the people within them grow.
Leadership as responsibility
Nawale’s leadership philosophy is built on three core beliefs. The first is that leadership is not a status, it is a responsibility toward those who place their trust in you. It is measured by what you build around you, not above you. Every strategic decision, she believes, should be guided by two questions: does it benefit the greatest number of people, and is it made with a long-term perspective?
When it comes to supporting women entrepreneurs in Mayotte, she is clear that telling women they can succeed is not enough. You must provide tangible proof. One example she shares openly is that of Maeva Selemani, a young woman from Mayotte she recruited from Réunion Island in 2020. Within five years, Maeva became Chief Executive Officer of Axelya’s company Yaouank. Her journey, in Nawale’s words, proves that when women in Mayotte are given the means to realise their vision, they build institutions.
Beyond her own group, Nawale speaks publicly through social media, the press, and speaking engagements, sharing her journey including its most difficult moments. She believes deeply that when one woman speaks honestly about her experience, she gives other women the confidence to pursue their own ambitions. She considers this an important responsibility, both in Mayotte and beyond.
Why WEA
What convinced Nawale to support the Women Entrepreneur Awards as Headline Sponsor is a belief she holds simply and firmly: you do not transform a territory by merely watching it evolve. You must take part in shaping it.
The Women Entrepreneur Awards pursue a mission that aligns with her own, making women entrepreneurs visible, celebrating their achievements, and creating an ecosystem where future generations can find role models and opportunities. This mission feels especially important to her in the Indian Ocean region, where territories including Mayotte, Réunion, Mauritius, Madagascar, the Comoros, and the Seychelles are full of talented women building businesses, often without recognition.
Through this partnership, she is pursuing three objectives. The first is to amplify the voice of Mayotte within the regional economic landscape, a territory she feels is too often absent from the major economic gatherings of the Indian Ocean. The second is to provide concrete support for women entrepreneurs, with this sponsorship representing a financial commitment intended to reward award recipients and provide resources to women building under challenging circumstances. The third is to create bridges between territories, on the belief that the economic future of the region depends on stronger collaboration, and that this partnership marks a first step toward building lasting relationships with women entrepreneurs across neighbouring countries.
For those who are still waiting
Four lessons have shaped Nawale’s journey, and she offers them without hesitation.
Your inner voice is your first compass. No one will validate your vision before you do. Learn to trust it and act, even when no one around you understands it yet. Success creates distance as much as it creates connection. You will lose people along the way. You will face criticism you cannot always answer. That is part of the journey. Do not let it stop you. Building takes time, far more than most people imagine. Entrepreneurship is not a sprint, it is a long-term discipline. Resist the temptation to chase immediate results. And finally, your resilience is forged in silence, not in noise. Do not respond to unconstructive criticism. Do not step into every battle. Let your work speak for itself.
To every woman who dreams of becoming an entrepreneur in the Indian Ocean region, her message is direct: “You are stronger than you have been told. You are more capable than you believe. Do not wait for perfect conditions, they do not exist. Start with what you have, where you are. Our territories need you. Not in ten years. Now.”
