WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

In August 2018, Stacey Brewer graced the cover of FORBES AFRICA for a story titled The Ceiling-Crashers  along with Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa, currently the CEO of Naspers South Africa. Brewer remembers it all well, as she speaks to FORBES AFRICA from her office in Johannesburg over Zoom. The CEO of SPARK Schools points out the striking cover of herself with Mahanyele-Dabengwa that grabbed eyeballs on social media when it first hit the shelves.

“I have got heaps of copies,” she says proudly, holding up a framed copy of the issue that a friend gifted her.

Since being on the cover, SPARK's numbers have doubled significantly, even with Covid-19, she says. “In 2018, we were educating approximately 6,900 children, and employing just over 780 people. Today, we are educating over 13,500 children, and employing over 1,000 staff members,” Brewer notes. For FORBES AFRICA’s 10th anniversary, her message: “Continue to celebrate and recognize the gems in Africa. Because you tell great stories and you really build up a great narrative about the continent. Can you continue to do so because it tells a great story on what's happening in Africa? And there's so much great stuff happening!”

NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN 2021: 13,500

NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN 2018: 6,900

Jeremiah Ogbodo, better known as Swankyjerry, a Nigerian celebrity fashion stylist and designer, was on FORBES AFRICA’s 30 under 30 list in 2020.

“My company and brand have grown immensely since I made the list,”