The objective of the Project is to address gender inequality and inclusive economic empowerment for African women. Specifically, the Project aims at increasing the capacity and sustainability of enablers supporting Women-led Small and Medium Enterprises (WSMEs), as well as increase access to mentorship, funding and visibility for WSMEs.
Over the past years, many promising entrepreneurship support programs (ESOs) such as incubators, accelerators, university-based innovation hubs, maker spaces, technology parks, and co-working spaces, have been launched across the continent to help build more sustainable and successful startups that are relevant in Africa’s economy. However, these enablers are often limited in the support they are able to provide WSMEs due to lack of funding and network access, and lack of well-positioned services.