“AWEC has been a catalyst for my business growth,” says Nykita Diggs, a Liberian Cohort 2 member and Founder of Creative Afrik. Her sentiments are similar to those of Malawian Founder of Queen City, Sarah Amani, who describes her AWEC experience as “the biggest opportunity I have had to build proper processes for my business.”

Launched to meet an expressed need for better access to high quality business and management skills training, AWEC was explicitly designed to create impact for African women entrepreneurs. 

Like so many of the individuals in the African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative, Ritha Tarimo is a superwoman: a mother, an executive, an author, an advocate, a mentor, and an entrepreneur. 

Online and in-person peer networking is one of the core components of AWEC, connecting women entrepreneurs across the African continent and diaspora. Time and again, we hear stories of how they never imagined having sisters in other countries. 

Entrepreneurs often give up on their business too quickly. They find it difficult to persevere and iterate until their business finds the perfect product – market fit.

As the world becomes more connected on the internet, online courses can be attractive options to deliver knowledge equitably, without needing to physically show up for a lecture. But what about the need to mentally show up? 

We are spotlighting AWEC Alumnae Nandini Tanya Lallmon – a 29 year-old lawyer and social activist leader from Mauritius. As a member of the 1st AWEC Cohort, Tanya learned critical skills and built a network that have helped her to lead a number of NGOs in Mauritius.

“AWEC is powerful.” This was the common refrain as 150 members of the 2nd AWEC Cohort who gathered at the annual Leadership Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. For Nykita Diggs, the founder of a Liberian creative agency called Creative Afrik, “AWEC has been a catalyst for change and growth.” 

As guests arrived at the home of philanthropist and CEO Shahin Mafi to celebrate AWEC’s first year and to raise funds to support our ongoing work, they were greeted by two AWEC alumnae – Ejiro Jakpa from Nigeria and Sharon Ndegwa from Kenya.

Back in March 2019, as the first AWEC cohort reached the end of their program year and thought about what was ahead, the AWEC leadership team challenged them to pay it forward.

Prior to co-founding AWEC, Karen was a marketer, communicator and fundraiser, but her entrepreneurial story starts with her family – her father and grandfather were both business owners.

Funmilola started Oppourtunities.com in May 2016 to offer a solution to the high rate of youth unemployment across Africa and to increase access to quality self-development opportunities.

“AWEC helped me turn my free professional development services into a proper training and coaching company.” These words by Sylvie A. from Cameroon are similar to the feedback from other members of the first cohort.

Meet Sharon Ndegwa, an alumna of AWEC Cohort 1 from Kenya who actively engaged in the year-long program and has recently raised $10,000 in seed funding for her food business.

In Africa, smallholder farmers feed the continent and about 75% of the agricultural industry depends on small scale producers.

When was the last time you read a book, or a substantial magazine article? Does your reading time only focus on Twitter updates, Facebook posts or Instagram captions?

A week after celebrating the culmination of the first AWEC cohort, we welcomed the second cohort of 200 women on April 1st. 

Meet Kundai Moyo, an alumna of AWEC Cohort 1. Kundai’s entrepreneurship journey started in September 2017 when she and her business partner, Taziona Emily Mzumara, decided to fill the existing gap in diagnostic services in Lilongwe (the capital of Malawi).

“This program has changed my life.” This sentiment was echoed throughout the closing AWEC Leadership Summit that took place in Cairo, Egypt on 24-25 March 2019.