Women Entrepreneurship for Africa (WE4A)

Please note that this first edition of the WE4A programme is closed. The current ongoing programme is the WE4A II for 2024. Please use the link below to read about the WE4A II Frequently asked questions about 2024 application process.

Updated: Read the WE4A II FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS) 

Programme Features

€10,000

in grant funding to 120 women entrepreneurs from the TEF alumni network.

3 Months

 of technical support through a virtual acceleration program.

Up to €50,000

additional grant funding for up to 15 enterprises with high-growth potential.

Key Objective

to improve the business capacity of women-led enterprises and increase their chances of raising follow-on funding from private sector investors.

The “Women Entrepreneurship for Africa” (WE4A) program is an action jointly supported by the European Union (EU), the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), and the German Development agency GIZ (E4D program). It is focused on empowering underserved communities in Sub-Saharan Africa comprising of women, youth, and the informal sector. The Acceleration/Growth Programme will be implemented with support of SAFEEM (Swiss Association for Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets).

Read about the WE4A II FAQs

Acceleration Programme Startups

The 100 TEF Alumna who are beneficiaries of this partnership were distributed into eight clusters based on their growth stage and sector, to provide a more personalised approach to the programme. Each cluster is led by an Entrepreneur in Residence (EiR) who provides mentorship and support throughout the programme.

Top 30 TEF Alumnae moving to the WE4A Growth Programme

30 TEF Alumnae have been selected to receive up to an additional €50,000 in grant funding as well as an additional three months of training focused on growth. This selection was made following the WE4A Acceleration Programme demo day where 99 entrepreneurs pitched their businesses.

Africa Wealth Initiative

On-Demand Delivery Solution that takes fresh Agro-produce from farms to homes.

 

Chil Artificial Intelligence Lab

Uses the power of machine learning and AI to aid chronic disease Prevention and Management services.

 

Dial a Pad

Dial a pad deploys an App, e-commerce platform, & smart sanitary towel dispensers to achieve uninterrupted education for women and girls.

Dromedic

Dromedic links blood suppliers with hospitals—reducing waste, increasing fast blood delivery, while maintaining quality control.

Eco Hustle Co Ltd

Equips rural African women with affordable, effective and 100% biodegradable sanitary napkins through an innovative sanitary napkin production unit.

FarmerTribe Company Limited

FarmerTribe provides timely access to agricultural inputs, training and extension services to smallholder farmers in last-mile communities.

Farm Innovation Nigeria Ltd

Developed 2 products that leverage call support, mobile and web applications, database technologies to reach farmers with advisory services.

Farmio Limited

Farmio leverages precision farming techniques to provide affordable greenhouse farms to guarantee about 120% increased productivity.

Farm on Wheels

Provides farmers access to inputs, services and market, on credit at 0% interest, enabling them to increase production capacity, yield and income.

Fenou Packaging

Fenou Packaging helps agripreneurs find the right packaging for their product, respectful of the environment, via an agripack web platform and shop.

Happy Coffee

Happy Coffee is an indigenous Seed to Cup Nigerian coffee company, improving the consumption and production of locally sourced coffee by bringing Fresh Brew Coffee to the cup of an average Nigerian.

Innovate Labs

Innovate Labs
Innovate Labs is a design firm providing cutting edge design and prototyping services that enable entrepreneurs to rapidly take ideas to market.

Kwanza Cocoa

Kwanza Cocoa is a multifaceted business combining agriculture and manufacturing of cocoa products in Malawi.

Kosmotive

Kosmotive, a social enterprise that focuses on improving reproductive, maternal and child health in Rwanda and throughout Africa.

Loom Craft Chocolate

We are artisanal cocoa processors with a strong focus on the quality of our products and the sustainability of our processes.

Mamamoni

MamaMoni aims to provide micro-business loans to underserved women and low-income women in rural and urban areas in Nigeria.

Mukuru Clean Stoves

Mukuru Clean Stoves (MCS) designs, manufactures and distributes improved, efficient, and reliable cookstoves.

MyStash

We help Africans save and invest subconsciously through a save-as-you-spend/earn model. We are like Acorns, but for Africa.

Nyayo Moms Sokos Ltd

A one-stop E-Commerce platform that will host all our vendor listing, paid downloadable resources and women professional listing.

ORIKI Global & Synergy Ltd

ORÍKÌ Group is the first and only all-natural farm to skin brand in Nigeria to operate a luxury spa chain coupled with its own product line.

PaperBags

Paperbags is an eco-friendly packaging manufacturing company that allows SMEs in west Africa, easy access to eco-friendly packaging alternatives.

Plumbee Wholefoods Ltd

Kenyan-based, female-owned agro-processing company putting low income women at the heart of our value chain to increase access to affordable quality nutrition for children in Africa.

Promane and Promade Ltd / M'Care App

M’Care is an AI Super App that detects, diagnoses, treats and limits the spread of diseases and outbreaks for low resource settings.

RedButton

Redbutton is a sustainable fashion company creating more sustainable alternatives, apparel, headwear and accessories for men and women.

SourceMyGadgets

SourceMyGadgets is a platform-based solution creating personalized services that meet the end-to-end needs of consumers and fragmented suppliers.

Store2Door

E-commerce that bridges the gap between farmers and consumers by allowing them and sellers to list their harvest, products on our website.

The Ecobarter Company

Ecobarter is an integrated waste resource reduction, recovery and recycling platform provider.

360 Psyche

An online presence (website and mobile app) is convenient for people to access mental health services 24/7.

ZAAF Collection

ZAAF is a collection of handcrafted leather goods & accessories proudly produced in Africa from the finest materials beautifully integrated with ageless patterns created on traditional looms.

Women Smiles Uganda

Women Smiles Uganda provides affordable, reliable and modern training in sustainable vertical farming concepts for underserved women in Africa.

Program Overview

What is Women Entrepreneurship 4 Africa?

Women entrepreneurship for Africa is an EU, OACPS and BMZ funded program, that seeks to provide 120 female entrepreneurs from the TEF alumni network, with access to €10.000 in grant funding that will be paired with 3 months of technical support through a virtual acceleration program.

 

The program aims to improve the business capacity of women-led enterprises to increase their chances of raising follow-on funding from private sector investors. Additional grant funding up to €50.000 in conjunction with a growth program will be provided to 15 enterprises selected by an expert panel as having the most high-growth potential. This program will be an additional 3 months.

 

Both the initial acceleration and the follow-on growth programs aim to support women entrepreneurs, in Sub-Saharan Africa, to flourish and contribute to employment creation in their communities through enhanced business capacities, access to formal financial services, and integration into local and regional value chains.

Who are the partners?

EU (European Union), Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (OACPS) jointly with the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), TEF (Tony Elumelu Foundation) and GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit).

TEF Entrepreneur Female

Application Process

Female Entrepreneur
Who is eligible?

Female entrepreneurs from the TEF Alumni network.

Why do I need to be an Alumni of TEF to be a part of the program?

TEF is the sourcing partner for this program and will only source female entrepreneurs from their network.

What stage should my start-up be to qualify for the program?

You should have a working product and ideally already have customers.

Does my start-up need to leverage technology to qualify for the program, if so what technology?

No, the program is open to businesses operating across all business sectors.

Once applications are closed, how long will the selection process take?

6 to 8 weeks.

How will I know if I have been accepted to the program?

The execution partners will inform you via email if you have been accepted to the program.


Please make sure to regularly check your emails and spam folder.

Program Details

How long will the program last?

The program will last for 3 months of acceleration, and if you are selected, it will be followed by a growth program and technical assistance for an additional 3 months.

How many cohorts of startups will there be in the program?

There will be 2 startup cohorts

How many start-ups will be in each cohort and how do I know which cohort I am a part of?

There will be 60 startups in each cohort and every startup represented will be informed on what cohort they are in.

Is the program virtual or do I need to relocate?

The Acceleration Program is implemented in a virtual environment.

How many hours per week do I need to commit to, to be successful in this program?

Participating female-led entrepreneurs need to commit to up to 5 hours per week for program activities.

How will the training be delivered?

Training and all related program activities will be delivered virtually via Zoom. There will also be an online program management and e-learning platform.

What are the different program activities?

In total, there will be 20.5 hours of activities provided to you per month. Every week you will have:

 

● 1.5 hours of workshop/training session
● 1.5 hours of 1:1 mentor session
● 1.5 hours of EIR Peer 2 Peer learning session

 

There will also be 1 hour per month of networking and 1.5 hours per month of an expert/fireside
chat session.

What is the demo day?

The Demo Day is the event where you pitch your idea to stakeholders, partners, mentors, donors and investors. A marketing campaign will be included to increase visibility.

Do I have to pitch on the demo day?

Yes, all startups going through the program are expected to pitch on the demo day.

Who will be attending the demo day?

External and Internal stakeholders, partners, mentors, donors and investors.

Does my startup need all-female founding team members?

There needs to be at least one female entrepreneur from the TEF Alumni network in the startup that takes part in the program.

What do we get from the growth program?

The growth program will only be open to the top 15 high-growth startups and is designed to help startups build a Growth Team and implement a Growth Methodology in order to support scaling up the venture and raise Series A and beyond. Grant of up to €50,000 will be a growth capital that is needed to scale up.

Do I have access to mentors?

Yes, the program provides you with a dedicated mentor based on your startup’s needs.

Who do I talk to if I need support with the program or have additional questions?

We will have a team of Acceleration Program Manager, Program Coordinator and Community Manager to assist with any organizational questions you might have. On top of that for all content related questions, there will be a Startup Growth lead and Entrepreneur in Residence that work closely with you.

What is the selection process for entering the acceleration and growth programs?

A team of investment analysts will review all applications and conduct any necessary interviews in order to select the startups that have the most high-growth potential.

What does it mean to be a high-growth company?

For this program, we recommend selecting and supporting women entrepreneurs that have the potential to become high-growth enterprises and thus have the biggest potential impact on future job creation.

 

High growth enterprises typically have disruptive business models and are targeting large addressable markets. They also have high growth and scale potential and are typically led by ambitious entrepreneurs with significant risk tolerance. By supporting these types of ventures, we support both economic and social impact.

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