As we celebrate Women’s Month, it is essential to have high-quality programs that support women’s endeavors in different spaces. One such initiative is the RevUp Women Initiative by AfriLabs and the VISA Foundation. This groundbreaking program is dedicated to fostering the growth of women-led businesses across Africa.
Expanding Opportunities Across Five African Countries
The RevUp Women Initiative supports 500 women-led businesses in 10 cities across 5 different African countries. These countries include Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. The Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct has been appointed as the implementing partner for the Johannesburg part of the initiative.
Empowerment through Training and Mentorship
The initiative has drawn almost 100 applications from women-led businesses primarily based in Johannesburg. Tshimologong kicked off the initiative on Tuesday, 22 August in Braamfontein for the 50 shortlisted women entrepreneurs in an affair filled with genuine support and empowerment for women.
Women-to-Women Mentorship
The women will go through an intense training and capacity-building program that will be supplemented with business coaching and mentorship for each program participant from identified women mentors. Women-to-women mentorship is very important to develop more women-led businesses that are aware of the challenges they will face in the world of business and the solutions they can glean from those who have been down that road before.
Skills for Success
The participants can expect training on Design Thinking, which is an innovative problem-solving technique, and storytelling/pitching skills amongst many others. Research has found that, in comparison to men, women tend to be overly critical of themselves such that they fail to tell a compelling story when engaging with investors and stakeholders.
A Rewarding Opportunity
The most promising entrepreneur will receive a $10,000 equity-free grant courtesy of the VISA Foundation. She will also join the AfriLabs Annual General Meeting in Kigali Rwanda to connect with fellow winners from other African cities and open up an opportunity to expand her business across the continent.
Honoring the Vision of Pioneers
If the gallant women of 1956 saw this opportunity for a young woman entrepreneur, they would certainly agree that despite the challenges that women still face today, this is the kind of initiative they envisioned when they fought for freedom all those many years ago.
For More Information
To find out more about this initiative, please contact ed@tshimologong.joburg.