African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative: Building Leaders and Businesses

The program focuses on leadership development, business management capacity building, strengthening women-led enterprises, supporting established female founders, improving business performance, and fostering collaboration among African women entrepreneurs.

The African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative accepts 200 female entrepreneurs each year and is structured to strengthen both leadership skills and business operations over the course of a year. The program is intended for founders who are actively running businesses and are committed to growing their enterprises through structured learning and collaboration.

The program is open to women who are founders of businesses that have been operating for at least two years and employ a minimum of two people, either full-time or part-time. Applicants must be citizens of an African country and may reside either on the continent or in the diaspora, provided their business clearly impacts Africa through its products, services, or customer base.

Eligible applicants must be comfortable working remotely and collaborating through digital tools, be proficient in written and spoken English, and have regular access to the internet via a computer or tablet. Aspiring entrepreneurs who have not yet established a business are not eligible for the program.

Applicants are encouraged to prepare for the application process through AWEC’s Entrepreneur Essentials, a short course designed to improve application quality and help entrepreneurs critically evaluate and strengthen their businesses. The application process emphasizes authenticity, clarity, accurate business data, and thoughtful self-reflection, with a strong expectation that responses are written in the applicant’s own words.

For more information, visit African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative.