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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) has this week launched the second instalment of the Women Entrepreneurs for Africa (WE4A) initiative.
This groundbreaking initiative aims to empower women entrepreneurs across the continent by providing them with the necessary tools, resources, and mentorship to succeed in a dynamic business landscape. For this WE4A initiative, the leading philanthropy will work in collaboration with partners, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the European Union (EU).
The official launch of the second instalment of the WE4A initiative took place at the prestigious Ugandan-EU Business Forum in Kampala, a platform dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship and economic growth in Uganda and beyond.
The event brought together key stakeholders, government officials, business leaders, and aspiring entrepreneurs to celebrate the potential of women-led businesses in driving sustainable development.
According to the foundation officials, the WE4A initiative is designed to bolster the economic inclusion and empowerment of African women who own or aspire to establish green businesses.
The officials said, by leveraging partnerships and resources, WE4A aims to enhance not only the entrepreneurial capacity of African women but also to create more job opportunities within African economies. The initiative will provide essential support such as access to funding, market opportunities, knowledge enrichment, and technical training tailored to women entrepreneurs in Africa, particularly in the green sector.
Women who are running businesses or have business ideas in Sustainable Agriculture and Agricultural Processing, Blue economy and Aquaculture, Renewable energy, Circular economy and waste management including biomass, and Eco-tourism are candidates for the WE4A programme.
Building on the success of the pilot WE4A programme, which empowered 120 women entrepreneurs across Africa with seed capital funding of EUR30,000 – EUR50,000, business training and technical workshops, mentoring, and market linkages, the second instalment seeks to expand its reach and impact by empowering a minimum of 3000 women with green businesses or green business ideas in each of the eight participating countries.
This second instalment of the Programme will be implemented in Senegal, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Kenya, Cameroon, and Togo. Selected participants for this year’s programme will receive the TEF Business Management training, a bespoke Green Economy and digital inclusion training, mentorship, and a non-refundable seed-funding grant of USD$5,000. They also get life-time access to networking opportunities, additional funding possibilities, and will be integrated into the TEF Alumni network upon completion of the programme.
