African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative (AWEC) Programme 2023 for African Female Business Owners (Cohort 6)

Application Deadline: January 29, 2023

African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative (AWEC) is the accelerator behind hundreds of African women entrepreneurs who have transformed and grown their businesses. AWEC is looking for the next 200 women ready to join the sixth cohort for a high-impact applied learning experience.

From January 16, 2023 to January 29, 2023, AWEC is accepting applications for its highly selective business management and leadership skills development program. This program is designed for African women entrepreneurs looking to broaden their knowledge, increase their skills, expand their network and make lifelong connections.

Eligibility

Women who meet the following criteria are encouraged to apply:

• Current or aspiring entrepreneurs working in any industry and in any country on the continent.
• Citizens of any African country, currently living on the continent or in the diaspora
• Founders of for-profit or social companies
• Comfortable with teamwork and remote collaboration, especially with the use of digital tools
• Proficient in verbal and written English.
• Regular (at least weekly) access to the Internet via a computer or tablet

Admissions to AWEC do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, age, disability, marital status, education, business income, geographic location, sector or industry.

Requirements

The AWEC program is rigorous and time consuming. Fellows should expect:

• Actively engage in learning and networking throughout the entirety of the 12-month program (May 2023 to April 2024)
• Spend an average of 4-6 hours per week participating in AWEC activities, mostly online
• Participate in at least one AWEC activity per week during the program year
• Being challenged, stretched and inspired as they gain new knowledge.
• Develop skills, build your peer network and transform your business
• Be matched with a mentor and take ownership of your mentor/mentee relationship
• Being introduced to a peer group and actively contributing to group discussions and activities.
• Gain access to a program advisor from whom they can seek support when needed
• Respond to periodic surveys to improve the overall AWEC experience

AWEC seeks to create diverse cohorts in which fellows share some consistent characteristics:

• Resilience as individuals and entrepreneurs
• Commitment to building scalable and sustainable businesses
• collaborative spirit
• Desire to build a pan-African peer network
• empathetic leaders
• Entrepreneurs

Profits

Upon successful completion of the 12-month program, fellows will:

• Form connections with a diverse network of African women entrepreneurs
• Establish a relationship with a senior business mentor
• Strengthen strategy, leadership and business management skills
• Gain the finance, marketing and strategy skills needed to grow and scale your business
• Develop a soft skills toolkit, including self-confidence, resilience, collaboration, and cross-cultural communications.

Chronology:

• Cohort 6 will run from May 2023 to April 2024.
• The monthly activities are carried out individually and in groups; expect to participate in 2-3 Zoom-enabled meetings per month between 1pm and 5pm UTC.

For more information:

Visit the official website of the African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative (AWEC) program 2023