Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum
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Mission Statement
AWIEF is an award-winning pan-African not-for-profit women’s economic empowerment organization that works to close the gender gaps by promoting and supporting women business leadership and innovation across Africa through a portfolio of high impact development programs. AWIEF has been granted Special Consultative Status with United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). AWIEF’s mission is to foster the economic inclusion, advancement, and empowerment of women in Africa through entrepreneurship support and development. Our vision is an inclusive and thriving Africa where women are empowered to create and grow high-impact and sustainable businesses contributing to increasing Africa’s GDP. This is achieved through 3 strategic objectives: 1. To develop evidence-based holistic training programmes for female entrepreneurs in Africa, contributing to reductions in unemployment and economic development. 2. To create enabling spaces for information sharing, market exposure, access to finance, and business linkages for female entrepreneurs in Africa. 3. To engage in advocacy for the economic empowerment of women, gender diversity and inclusion (GDI).
About This Cause
AWIEF has extensive experience in technical assistance to design and structure gender equality and women’s economic empowerment strategic and catalytic interventions to increase economic returns in trade and investment and to increase the capacity of women entrepreneurs in Africa, with a model built over eight years of operation. The model is a holistic program that focuses on the broader entrepreneurship ecosystem. In addition to entrepreneurial skills and leadership development, AWIEF programs and activities improve women's social capital and networks. AWIEF integrates access to expert mentors, coaches and networking opportunities into its skills training. Examples of interventions and activities designed and implemented to date include: WITH: Boosting Women Entrepreneurship Education in Tourism and Hospitality in Sub-Saharan Africa: Supported with grant funding from European Union, WITH, a 2-year program (2023-2024) aims to skill and empower a new generation of climate and sustainability conscious women intrapreneurs, entrepreneurs and business owners to succeed in the tourism and hospitality industry in Sub-Saharan Africa. Expected results: 5000+ young women will be empowered with soft skills and personal and social competences needed to succeed as entrepreneurs; Trainers and educators supported in updating their knowledge and practices aligned with labour market needs and international practices; introduction and promotion of sustainable tourism and hospitality concepts; Boosting experiential learning opportunities by working with public and private institutions active in vocational education and training (VET) and in the labour market. Solutions Catalyzing Increased Access to Capital for the Success of Women Entrepreneurs: Program funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) through its Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative, and implemented by AWIEF in 9 African countries to boost women entrepreneurship and facilitate access to finance, targeting 510 women-owned/led SMEs https://vimeo.com/729312422 Enhanced Women SMEs Investment and Export Readiness Through a Digital Platform: Program funded by USAID to shift and transform the entrepreneurship ecosystem and markets for 100 women-owned and women-led SMEs in 9 Southern African countries, through the AWIEF digital platform that provides business education, training, and support for trade export and investment readiness, network, and access to business growth and scaling opportunities. The activity was implemented in partnership with USAID Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub (SATIHUB). The program strengthened governance, regulatory compliance, and risk management capabilities, helped the firms reduce transaction costs and improve investment returns; and facilitated access to finance for selected SMEs seeking to raise capital below $1 million. AWIEF Growth Accelerator (since 2017 in partnership with Nedbank): Program designed to support the unique needs of growth-stage, post-revenue and scalable women-owned/women-led enterprises with business modelling, growth strategy training, corporate advisory, mentorship, networks, and access to strategic partnerships. >200 women entrepreneurs have been supported with skills training and mentoring to grow and scale their businesses and create new jobs since 2017. Through this program, AWIEF has built an ecosystem and pipeline of investment-ready women- owned businesses in different sectors (technology, agribusiness, financial services, manufacturing, health, education, waste management, renewable energy. tourism and hospitality, creative industries. Participants have benefited from networks and business linkages, facilitation of access to finance and markets, received AWIEF funding through the Pitch n Grow™ competition during the annual AWIEF conference. The project has created platforms for peer-to-peer networking, learning and collaborations for beneficiaries. Links below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Llo3kudsS0 https://www.ramtsilo.com/ https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/842/227345.html Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini: Supported by grant funding by U.S. Department of State/U.S. Embassy South Africa, Public Affairs Section, since 2020, the program provides guided facilitation and training courses on business planning and management using the DreamBuilder online platform for young women practicing and aspiring entrepreneurs; engage in online education; forster networks that support participants’ access to peer-to-peer mentorship, business partners, and scaling opportunities with businesses in the region and in the United States; and provide access to a range of educational programs tailored to women’s economic empowerment. Driving business growth and prosperity for women and communities in more than 100 countries worldwide, AWE is an initiative of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and supports the U.S. National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality. AWIEF is the Implementing Partner for AWE in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini, in partnership with the U.S. Diplomatic Mission to South Africa. Digital Skills for Unemployed and Underemployed Young Women: Program funded by GIZ and implemented in partnership with GIZ and Amazon Web Services (AWS) in South Africa to empower young women and girls to embrace the future of technology. 60 beneficiaries trained; job opportunities accessed; self-employment created; AWS certifications as Cloud Practitioners and Solutions Architects obtained. Link for results: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQ0R_iE0WQJ60QAa5eQgMG3xm-LR9WHhJ Enterprise Development for Women-Owned Ventures in Green Energy in Malawi and Nigeria (2020 – 2021): A 12-month program implemented in two African countries, with grant funding from African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), to train 70 women in green energy production through a business start-up incubation and an accelerator program. E-commerce Capacity Building for Women Entrepreneurs: Program funded by Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) and implemented in partnership with the High Commission of Canada in South Africa and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), to enhance market access for South African women entrepreneurs through building knowledge, capacity and skills in digital channels. 50 beneficiaries were supported to start and/or scale their online businesses and access global markets during the COVID-19 pandemic. LeadTech Incubation: A six-month program designed and implemented in partnership with Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Morocco, an academic institution established by OCP Group, to foster innovation and entrepreneurship. LeadTech supported the growth of 20 women tech start-ups in 8 African countries. VALUE4HER: Strengthening Women’s Agribusiness Enterprises in Africa (2018 – 2020): In partnership with the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation (CTA), an institution financed by the European Union. VALUE4HER was a 2-year continental project aimed at providing support, capacity-building and training, access to global markets and finance for women in agribusiness value chains and enhancing their entrepreneurial management and leadership skills. ˃1000 WOMEN BENEFICIARIES ACROSS AFRICA. In 2021, the project was transferred by CTA-EU to AGRA (Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa), Kenya. FemBioBiz Accelerator: AWIEF is the South Africa Country Co-ordinator and Implementer for the FemBioBiz program, designed to support women bio-entrepreneurs in the SADC region. More than 200 South African women bio-entrepreneurs have received business development support for growth and scale since 2017. Annual AWIEF Conference: Since 2015, an annual international gathering of 1000+ women entrepreneurs, thought leaders, policymakers, development partners, investors, CSOs, academia, and media for dialogue on issues of women’s economic empowerment, entrepreneurship, technology, and innovation in Africa. AWIEF2023 is holding in Kigali, Rwanda on 9 – 10 November 2023, in partnership with Rwanda Ministry of ICT and Innovation, Rwanda Convention Bureau and Private Sector Federation (PSF) Women Cluster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=035kpsZr86M AWIEF conference and exhibition AWIEF Awards: Launched in 2017 to annually recognise and celebrate the achievements of women entrepreneurs and innovators across Africa. AWIEF Community: An online membership community that brings African women entrepreneurs from all sectors closer together, amplifies their voice and impact, and digitally connects them to information, knowledge, e-learning, networks, and opportunities. Numerous webinars, training workshops, mentoring and one-on-one business support, and networking events organized and hosted by AWIEF in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Botswana and Rwanda.