Although women entrepreneurs play a crucial role in the African economy, they experience numerous challenges due to limited access to funding, market opportunities, and support networks. However, innovation provides a vital tool in overcoming these hurdles. The keynote speakers at AWEC's General Assembly highlighted the importance of innovation in overcoming the distinct challenges that African women entrepreneurs face.

We are thrilled to come together and celebrate the success of African businesses that have been powered by AWEC's program over the past five years. The upcoming event will be an opportunity to commemorate this great achievement. Here’s an inside look at what they can expect to experience.

As we prepare to touch down in Nairobi, Kenya, there is a bittersweet feeling of excitement and reflection. While the last 3 years have seen us hosting entirely virtual events due to circumstances beyond our control, there is no denying that this journey has been long and full of opportunities for us to learn and innovate. This article covers three takeaways from our virtual event planning experiences.

Over the next year, AWEC will showcase stories and conversations from program fellows, alumnae and the wider community to highlight how they are contributing to Africa's growth. This article spotlights four remarkable women who are providing unique contributions through their businesses, knowledge and expertise.

Women represent over half of the population in Africa, yet they continue to face many barriers to success. This article explores some of the equitable initiatives designed specifically to support African women entrepreneurs, which can help unlock their full potential.

As an entrepreneur, sales are the key driver of all of your business operations. Without sales, you have no profits, no new customers, and you are unable to secure a return on your investment. Your sales affect your business’s growth and how well you can compete with your competitors. How can African women entrepreneurs generate more sales in order to grow their businesses?

Atinuke Adegboye experienced a financial wake-up call when she unexpectedly lost her corporate job. She seized the opportunity to take charge of her financial security, and has since achieved peace of mind by leading an intentional lifestyle grounded in smart money management strategies.

Inflation is the focus of many conversations lately as its effects ripple through economies around the globe. Already dealing with an uncertain business landscape due to political upheaval and pandemic, Africa's female entrepreneurs are now faced with a new challenge —the rising prices of goods and services amid inflationary pressure. How can women sustain their businesses in such dire circumstances?

It is said that Harvard professor Marshall Ganz helped Barack Obama become president by training thousands of volunteers in storytelling. Tap into some of the strategies in this article to uncover this powerful tool for your business!

Double the impact of your gift this giving season by browsing through a selection of thoughtful, unique products made or sourced by AWEC alumnae businesses. As you surprise your loved ones this giving season, your investment will be empowering an African woman entrepreneur somewhere on the continent.

Every persuasive speech, article, or marketing campaign needs to encompass at least one of the three "appeals": ethos, logos, and pathos. What are these appeals and how do you use them in your digital marketing efforts? Continue reading to learn more.

AWEC Atinuke Babatunde shares her strategies to debunking the myth that technology is only for millenials! Building her Instagram page from zero to 45,000 in her forties, is proof that learning goes beyond gender, economics or age.

86% of customers quit doing business with a company as a result of a negative customer experience. What are successful companies like AirBnB, Amazon, and Netflix doing differently to retain their customers?

From corporate banking to the creative sector! AWEC Alumna Daphne Kasambala shares her story of not only building businesses in the creative industry but also pledging her organization's commitment to contribute to the well-being of the artisans, the community and the environment.

African women entrepreneurs are key to the economic growth and development of the continent, but their path to business success is often an arduous one. Cultivating and promoting an environment of ongoing support is key to their sustainability.

Botswana leads Africa with the highest concentration of women business owners. We sat down with AWEC Alumna Mpolokang Gaolaolwe to discuss her entrepreneurial journey and growing up in the Southern African country.

This year, The African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative turns five, and as the 5th cohort dive into their first month of programming, we look back on a vital component to the organization’s long-term sustainability; partnerships!

AWEC Alumna, Sibusiswe Chitewe spoke to us about how lessons from the program prepared her for an opportunity with the continent’s eastern and southern trading bloc.

It is no secret that Africa’s excessive dependency on raw material exports and imported consumer goods has a debilitating impact on its economies. AWEC Alumna Uzoamaka Izukanne Igweike spoke to us about establishing a business to address this challenge.