Business247

         Mballou Fofana, the Philadelphia-based entrepreneur behind Le Mandingue African Restaurant, is expanding her African food business as she moves to take the brand’s products into households across the United States. The planned expansion comes as Fofana continues to build on business interests that include hospitality and real estate, with her property portfolio reportedly valued at about $15 million. Fofana’s rise in business followed a life-changing experience in 1998 when she lost one of her legs in an accident. Rather than allowing the setback to halt her ambitions, she continued to pursue opportunities in the United States, eventually establishing herself as an entrepreneur in the hospitality and property sectors. Her Le Mandingue African Restaurant has operated in the Philadelphia area for more than two decades, serving West African dishes to customers while providing a platform for the exposure of African culinary traditions. Fofana said her exper...