Women in Africa
The Women in Africa Foundation supports and assists African women entrepreneurs. Thanks to the establishment of an endowment fund, Women in Africa is carrying out a general interest mission and promoting the spread of education in the field of economic development, and more particularly the training of future women leaders of innovative businesses. In 2019, the Foundation launched Project 54 in collaboration with Societe Generale, a major sponsor of the initiative. This continent-wide initiative will see 54 women entrepreneurs from the 54 African countries selected to participate in the Project, which will provide them with support and publicity.
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Fourth edition of Women In Africa
From 9 January to 9 February 2020, once again the Women In Africa initiative is open to new candidates. To apply, African women entrepreneurs need to have created a company with a strong social impact and a high growth potential. At the end of April, an international jury of experts will then select the 54 winners from a short list of preselected entrepreneurs.
Six sectors of activity have been identified, based on the key areas for the future of Africa as definded by the World Bank: Education, Health, Climate and sustainable development, FinTech, Digital and technology, Agriculture and Agribusiness and, lastly, the Creative industries. All of the 54 winners will be invited to the "WIA Annual Summit" in Marrakech next June, providing them with the opportunity to meet leaders, investors and decision-makers from across Africa and around the world. They will also benefit from training, mentoring and coaching throughout the year.
Convinced that women have a fundamental role to play in the dynamism of the continent's entrepreneurial ecosystem, this year Societe Generale will once again work alongside the Women in Africa Philanthropy Foundation (WIA) to support women's entrepreneurship in Africa.
Women in Africa Initiative
WIA Initiative is the first international platform focusing on economic development and support for African women with strong potential as leaders.
The Women In Africa World Summit in Marrakech
How to help girls and women in Africa connect with market needs? How can they be transferred from the world of work to that of management? Should we focus on digitizing schools? Should we develop artificial intelligence? How can they be integrated into the ecosystem of excellence schools at the global level? These are questions that the participants of the second edition of the Women in Africa World Summit will try to answer at the end of September in Marrakech.
Project 54
Supporting women who are disrupting the future of the continent through technological innovations has become a solid and sustainable investment for African and international economies. This is why the Women In Africa (WIA) Foundation launched an unprecedented project on 12 April 2018: to create its first class of female entrepreneurs, from the 54 countries of the African continent.
Regional West Africa Summit in Dakar
The Women In Africa (WIA) Initiative organised its first Regional West Africa Summit in Dakar on 12 April 2018. This unprecedented and forward-looking event to support female entrepreneurship in Africa was focused on the theme “Women Entrepreneurs in Africa: how to build leverage?”
Hafsat Abiola, a committed woman
Hafsat Abiola, Nigerian activist for human rights, civil rights and democracy was appointed June 5, 2018 as the Executive President of Women in Africa (WIA) Initiative. This is a key step for the global platform dedicated to the economic development and support of leading and high potential African women.