The third edition of the BIC Africa Acceleration Programme for Women Entrepreneurs will support 15 women entrepreneurs from Angola, Comoros, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Somalia and 5 others from other African countries willing to scale their businesses while contributing to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The programme will run from May to September 2023, and it will focus on supporting women business owners across all sectors and business types through a combination of online training modules, coaching sessions, individual exercises and a mentoring programme with women experts from Europe and Africa with relevant experience in supporting innovative entrepreneurs and start-ups.
Details:
The programme is looking for women entrepreneurs addressing one or more Sustainable Development Goals and who are willing to explore growing their innovative solutions with the support of the BIC Africa Acceleration Programme.
Twenty selected entrepreneurs will
- benefit from a full online training course (6 modules);
- participate in dedicated group coaching sessions to deepen some of the topics addressed during the training;
- be matched with European and African incubation experts that will accompany their growth trajectory through remote mentoring sessions;
- and be exposed to the alumnae network of BIC Africa Women Acceleration programme.
Requirements
To be considered for the program, you must:
- Be a woman (minimum age of 18-years-old) founder or owner of an already existing business with strong development potential, or an entrepreneur working on a project idea aimed to create a business with high growth potential.
- Aligned with at least one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth.
- Be available between May and September 2023 to participate in the Programme with a maximum of 2 hours per week for online sessions + time to work individually and reflect upon the learnings.
- Already running a start-up /project and seeking to scale up.
- Demonstrate a commitment to participating in all the activities of the Acceleration Programme and assisting in future developments of the programme.
- Have access to a reliable internet connection.
- Have a good working knowledge of the English language.
Duration and reward
Participants are expected to have the following benefits;
- Explore growth and scaling trajectories for their businesses and solutions.
- Assess the team competencies and consider how their business model will adapt to the growth phase.
- Articulate the social value proposition, identifying why and how the proposed solution contributes to SDGs.
- Access to appropriate sector, local, and international experts.
- Join a vibrant community of women entrepreneurs, where to learn, exchange and connect.
- Connect with BIC Africa and EBN networks to unleash the impact of women entrepreneurs.
Benefit
- 6 live training modules (each lasting 1,5 hours)
- 4 group coaching sessions (each lasting 1,5 hours)
- Networking sessions (that will be organised back-to-back to the training and/or coaching sessions)
- Exercises and access to support documents
- Ad-Hoc Helpdesk through international mentoring support
- Certificate of Recognition
How to apply and application deadline
Qualified candidates should complete the application form. Visit the official website for more information. Application deadline is April 7, 2023 6:30 PM CET.
