Zimbabwean entrepreneur, Dorcas Nyikadzino has been named one of the “100 Leading Women Investors in Africa” at the Africa Investment Leaders Forum and Awards 2026. The recognition highlights her growing influence. It comes as Africa celebrates Women’s Month.
For AfricaFence24, her recognition is more than a celebration. It signals how a Zimbabwean woman is building with vision, scaling with purpose, and creating broader value beyond traditional boundaries.
Central to her journey is Ice & Dee Glowing Store, a beauty brand founded to help restore people’s confidence through skin repair solutions. From the beginning, Dorcas’s ambitions extended beyond a single industry. Alongside her beauty business, Dorcas has built a broader, diversified footprint. The goal is to withstand market pressures and create more opportunities for her community.
Her recent move into hospitality makes that diversification more visible, reflecting regional ambition and forward-looking entrepreneurship. Dorcas has expanded into the food and service sector. She opened VIP Takeaway at the corner of Harare Street and Speke Avenue in Harare CBD.
VIP Takeaway offers gourmet meals at affordable prices, ensuring that every citizen can access quality food. Dorcas plans to open a larger restaurant in April. It will serve traditional and Western foods. The aim is a high-end hospitality experience that still honours demand for organic options.
This hospitality push reflects her wider goal. She is building a business group that serves people across multiple areas: beauty, confidence, and now everyday dining.
Guided by the motto “#HAKUNAMUKADZIAKASHATA”, translating to “There is no ugly woman”, Dorcas has built her Ice & Dee Glowing Store brand around restoring confidence for customers dealing with concerns such as acne, pimples, hyperpigmentation, and damaged skin caused by wrong products.
“Ice & Dee Glowing store specialises in bringing back your confidence through tailored oils that ensure your skin is rightly toned. Whether you have had your skin damaged or you are struggling with pimples and acne, you just need to use the right products,” Dorcas said.
She added that her focus remains on skin repairing and glowing, with service and care at the centre of the customer journey. Ice & Dee Glowing Store has grown from small beginnings into a nationwide operation. It now has 10 branches in Zimbabwe. Internationally, it has a presence in Tanzania, South Africa, the UK, and Australia.
Dorcas highlighted that the business has several Harare outlets: Margolis Plaza, Harare & Speke, and the new Shasha Mall (corner Leopold Takawira and Kwame Nkrumah Avenue).
“The company now has branches nationwide, with locations in Harare, Bulawayo, Kwekwe, Gweru, Mutare, Masvingo and Beitbridge, among others,” she said.
Dorcas’s rise was forged through hardship. Growing up in rural Hurungwe, she struggled to secure even the basics for school. After her Ordinary Levels, she moved to Harare and worked while caring for her child. Then she lost her job. Circumstances worsened.
That setback pushed her into buying and selling, then into beauty products, as clients encouraged her to expand the service she offered. She learned product formulation and development online, inspired by South African beauty experts like Portia M.
Dorcas’ success is grounded in people and purpose. Employing nearly 100 people, she centres women’s empowerment in her enterprise.
She said she also strengthened her capabilities through ongoing education and training in nurse aide, interior design, secretarial studies, business management, executive marketing management, and cosmetology.
“My major motivation was to change my life and that of my family members back home. Faith keeps me going,” she said, adding that she remains grounded through trust in God.
Dorcas’s expansion and dedication show that her energy is driven by service and community impact, not just profit. “I am excited about the growth because it gives us the capacity to serve more people with better options, more jobs, and stronger value,” she said. “Every milestone motivates me to keep working with discipline, because service must be consistent, whether it is beauty or hospitality.”
As her businesses grow, Dorcas continues to support street kids and the elderly, while preparing to give back to her rural roots and former schools by donating to primary and secondary learners. For Dorcas Nyikadzino, growth is not just about scaling outlets; it is about building a lasting legacy.
Dorcas’s recognition as one of Africa’s leading women investors reflects her expanding beauty operations and her move into hospitality with VIP Takeaway. It also reflects her commitment to women’s empowerment and service. Together, these anchor her brand’s meaningful regional impact.
For AfricaFence24, Dorcas is a true reflection of purposeful growth. She leads with vision, diversifies with courage, and serves her community as she scales.
