At the 3rd Women in Africa Annual Summit held in Marrakech, Morocco from June 27 to 28, 2019, the delegates drawn from more than 80 countries agreed that African women need to take the leading role in defining how they want to develop business with the rest of the world.
“Together we are and we will change the centuries’ old story of Africa through the magic of women from all part of Africa, from Asia, the Middle East and America and from the few men who have understood that we are changing Africa for the greater good of all of us,” said Women in Africa (WIA) President Hafsat Abiola.
(TOP: A delegate takes a photo next to the 3rd Women in Africa Annual Summit event poster).
The WIA annual conference, which also had participation from delegations from the US and Middle East and Asia, was held under the theme: “How African Women Engage the World and Create a New Paradigm.”
Three specific sessions addressed how Africa can revisit its business relationships with America, Asia, and Europe.
“We have to stop thinking ‘charity’ when we talk about women of Africa,” said Aude de Thuin, founder of WIA and the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society. “The only message is, ‘women in the economy are at the same level as men.’”
The new African paradigm was also implemented at WIA forum by the 53 women entrepreneur laureates of WIA54 2019, an initiative launched by WIA Philanthropy Foundation and aimed at high-potential African women entrepreneurs who are creating tomorrow’s Africa. They all participated in a two-day series of training workshops to guide them on the fundamentals of a startup at the crucial moments of its development.
“Africa is the only region in the world where more women than men choose an entrepreneurial career, a reality that underscores the work of Women in Africa Philanthropy, which we are proud to sponsor for the second consecutive year,” said Société Générale CEO Frédéric Oudéa in closing of the summit. “Opening a field of possibilities to the feminine dynamic will have a certain impact on the future of the African continent.”
“The 53 Women Entrepreneurs represent every country of Africa but Eritrea,” explained its program manager Seynabou Thiam. “They were selected among 1,800 applicants, which confirms the force of women entrepreneurship in Africa,” Thiam explained.
Seven of the 53 WIA54 2019 were also honored and their projects distinguished on seven different themes during a ceremony:
- Ley Zoussi (Republic of Congo) in agriculture for Complete Farmer and her community agriculture platform;
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Gladys Nelly Kimani (Kenya) on digital for Class Teacher Network and her application that digitizes the school path;
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Fadzayi Chiwandire (South Africa) in education for DIV:A Initiative, her NGO that teaches young girls how to code;
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Ehiaghe Aigiomawu (Nigeria) in fintech, for Vesicash and her instant escrow technology;
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Corine Maurice Ouattara (Ivory Coast) in health, for her Mousso Health Pass, the digital medical record on connected bracelets;
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Mariam Sherif (Egypt) in environment, for Reform Studio, her eco-friendly design products;
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Grace Camara (Sierra Leone) for social innovation, with RemitFund, which transforms the African diaspora funds’ transfers into social investments.
The meeting also recognised that although Africa has more women entrepreneurs than any of the other continents (24% of women are entrepreneurs), African business women could make their startup companies more sustainable and profitable if access to professional training, support, telecommunications and banking structures were developed.
Women in Africa (WIA), founded by Aude de Thuin in 2016 and chaired by Hafsat Abiola, is an international platform dedicated to the economic development and support of leading and high potential African women. The 3rd WIA Initiative Summit was held in Marrakech, Morocco on June 27-28, 2019.
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