AWEC calls for applications to women entrepreneur training programme

The African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative (AWEC), a flagship initiative of US non-profit the Centre for Global Enterprise (CGE), has opened applications for its inaugural entrepreneur training programme.

Applications for the programme opened on Wednesday and will close on 14 February.

The free 12-month programme aims to build a pan-African community of female entrepreneurs, empowering them with strategy, leadership and business management skills necessary for growth and economic advancement.

AWEC’s learning programme entails live video learning sessions conducted by world-class business and academic experts. Successful applicants will also benefit from mentoring and coaching from mid-career and senior business professionals.

AWEC’s 12-month programme is aimed at female entrepreneurs on the continent and in the diaspora

The programme’s course activities — which are delivered via an online learning platform — are structured in a way that encourages knowledge application and cross-cultural collaboration.

Programme participants will also participate in peer sessions that develop soft skills and aim to build a pan-African peer network.

In addition, AWEC participants will get access to leadership summits to be held twice a year in Africa where they can look forward to in-person training and networking opportunities.

In an email, AWEC managing director Karen Sippel said within 15 hours of applications opening, 600 applications had been started.

Sippel said some of the applications were from Botswana, Congo, Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and South Africa.

Open to all African women

In an earlier release, she described AWEC as an inclusive programme and encouraged women from across Africa and the African diaspora to apply.

“We welcome not only the savvy business woman who has successfully run her company for many years and needs additional management skills to scale, but also the employee who has identified a need in her society and aspires to build a company to meet that need,” she said.

“We hope that AWEC is the spark that enables the next great generation of African women entrepreneurs,” she added.

“We heard a clear message from alumni of our global learning programmes that they need more equal access to business learning, mentorship, and a strong peer network,” CGE president Christopher Caine said in the same release.

“This has proven to be particularly true for women entrepreneurs across Africa, who face a unique set of barriers, including societal pressures, unequal business networking opportunities, and a sense of confidence in their abilities,” he added.