AIF is an eight-month leadership and business development programme for African women innovators with early-stage businesses in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Manufacturing (STEM) sectors.
It is the only pan-African programme that has a specific focus on supporting female-led businesses in STEM and serves as a feeder programme to the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation. The programme has been supporting African women innovators since 2019 and is run by WomHub, in partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Empowering female voices
Over the course of the week, founders had the opportunity to learn from experts on topics ranging from leadership development and vision setting, to developing business strategies and revenue models, and understanding tools and processes for operational efficiency. The week culminated in a pitching competition where each founder had the opportunity to pitch for up to five minutes to a panel of judges. Huge congratulations to the winners Emanuella Tordman from Ghana, Jenny Ambukiyenyi Onya from the DRC and Chiemela Anosike from Nigeria for their excellent pitches.
The founders also learned more about the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation from Catriona MacArthur, Senior Manager for the Africa Programmes at the Academy, who joined the bootcamp for the week. On the last day, Africa Prize alumni Aisha Raheem and Elohor Thomas joined the bootcamp remotely and shared their experiences of participating in AIF in 2019 before going on to be successful in being selected for the Africa Prize in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
They encouraged the female founders in the room to persevere with their visions, to not be afraid to put themselves out there with opportunities, and to ensure they have a strong why for what they are seeking to achieve through their businesses.
Key takeaways
One of the key takeaways from the event was the importance of creating supportive environments specifically tailored to the needs of female entrepreneurs. Both WomHub and the Academy firmly believe that by providing the right resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities, we can empower women to succeed in the world of tech and innovation.
Applications will open again in the summer.
Keep an eye out on the WomHub and Africa Prize web pages for more information.
