NNN: The African Women’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) (www.AWIEForum.org) and the African Development Bank Group’s (AfDB) Affirmative Financial Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative have joined forces to drive greater access to finance and markets. for small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) owned and operated by women in Southern, Eastern and Western Africa.
The new AfDB-funded AWIEF program “Solutions that Catalyze Greater Access to Capital for Success for Women Entrepreneurs” aims to accelerate efforts to address gender inequality and drive inclusive economic transformation.
More than 500 growth-oriented MSMEs will be supported to scale, access markets and become ready to invest in 8 African countries: Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Zambia, Rwanda, Malawi, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
The two-year program will create a profitable source of investable businesses ready to access financing.
Program Components
The program is organized into 4 components:
AWIEF Growth Accelerator (in partnership with Nedbank): to improve investment readiness and increase access to finance.
E-Commerce Capacity Building (in partnership with UNIDO): to develop knowledge, skills and abilities in digital channels to increase participation and success in online business.
Digital Skills (in association with Amazon Web Services): to strengthen the capacity of MSMEs to adopt technological innovation.
Mentoring and Mentoring: Improves visibility and access to role models for MSMEs through a mentoring platform.
Call for Applications for the 2022 Cohort
MSMEs are invited to apply to participate in any of these program components: 1) AWIEF Growth Accelerator; 2) development of e-commerce capabilities; 3) Digital skills.
Selection criteria
MSMEs registered and operating in: Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Zambia, Rwanda, Malawi, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Priority sectors include: technology, agriculture and agribusiness, creative industry, e-commerce, renewable energy, manufacturing, retail, construction, logistics.
To submit your application, follow this link: https://bit.ly/3zOvzW0
The deadline for submission is Monday, July 18, 2022 at 11:59 pm Central African Time (CAT). Applications will only be accepted through the link above.
Program Timeline for the 2022 Cohort
Applications open: June 20, 2022
Closing of applications: July 18, 2022
Recruitment of participants: July – August 2022
Training: September – December 2022
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