AWIEF 2023 : celebrating Women Entrepreneurship

The 9th edition of the African Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) concluded with the AWIEF Awards. This was the culmination of a two-day conference that attracted more than 500 delegates from over fifty countries, including 41 African countries. It was an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of African women entrepreneurs.

Africa News Agency 18 novembre 2023

2 minutes de lecture

By Dounia Ben Mohamed, in Kigali

Ministers, representatives of international institutions and, above all, women entrepreneurs from the four corners of the continent. The 9th African Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF), held on November 9 and 10, brought together the key players in Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. All were united in the belief that women have a role to play in addressing Africa’s challenges, as underlined by Rwanda’s Minister of Digital Affairs, Paula Ingabire. Paula Ingabire invited participants to take inspiration from Rwanda, the world leader in gender parity in parliament, and urged them to « ensure that all programs put in place include women’s participation ».

The platform we are creating today must serve as a catalyst for a renewed commitment to women’s empowerment

Digital technology, at the heart of this year’s theme, plays a key role in accelerating women’s inclusion. There is therefore an urgent need to ensure that women have equal access to digital tools, be it the internet – only 42% of African women have access to the internet, according to a report by the GSMA Organization – digital skills or the benefits offered by ICTs. That’s why, » continued the Minister, « this platform we are launching today must serve as a catalyst for a renewed commitment to women’s inclusion, identifying and removing the barriers they face in order to increase their participation in the digital economy.

This is what AWIEF is all about: advocacy and a platform to promote female entrepreneurship, but also a celebration of women’s success stories through the AWIEF Awards. Of the twenty-four women entrepreneurs shortlisted by an independent international jury in September, eight winners were honored at an awards ceremony and gala dinner held at the Kigali Convention Centre.

Chief Guest, FIFA Secretary General, Fatma Samoura, was presented with the inaugural AWIEF Lifetime Leadership Award « in recognition of her outstanding leadership and contributions to the world of sport, » according to the organizers. It is also a tribute to her impact and achievements on a global scale as the first non-European, first African and first woman to become Secretary General of FIFA, more than a century after its creation. “This award is not just for me, but all the people who have dedicated their lives to our game and helped us transform women’s football over the last few years,” she said, before urging women to « invest in African football », which offers a huge untapped potential. » I will be retiring peacefully in my beautiful country Senegal if at least I got a phone call, by the next Women’s World Cup from many of you saying: ‘Madam, because we saw you in Rwanda and decided to invest in football.”