Women in Africa (WIA), the world’s leading international platform for the economic development and the support of African women entrepreneurs launched the 6th edition of its flagship programme WIA54 on March 1, 2022. Women entrepreneurs from Mauritius can now apply for an intensive programme by 31 May 2022 that will boost their businesses and confidence.
First launched in 2017, the programme promotes women entrepreneurs in Africa who are at the early stages of running a business. For 2022, 540 finalists from 54 African countries will be selected to participate in the bootcamp training and personalized mentoring programme and will become part of the WIA community. The best candidates at the end of the mentoring/pitch training phase will participate in the pitching phase which will give them access to investors and “seed capital”.
From this strengthened pool of entrepreneurs, the jurors will select the 54 country laureates and 9 sectoral prize laureates who will receive a comprehensive package of support to further boost their success. This year, 54 country laureates will have the opportunity to join an MBA programme of WIA partner Honoris United Universities and will also benefit from a communication highlight worth €5,000 on WIA social networks; 8 Revelations will benefit from a communication promotion worth €8,000 and the Gold Award will also receive a prize of €10,000.
Through its WIA54 programme, WIA is committed to supporting 10,000 African women entrepreneurs by 2030 through training, mentoring, communication and access to finance. Its goal is to contribute to the creation of 100,000 jobs and to contribute to the generation of $10 billion in revenue for the African economy by 2030. Women entrepreneurs in Mauritius are invited to apply by presenting their company and strategy on the form on the WIA website by 31 May 2022.
Opportunities for women entrepreneurs from Mauritius
Highlighting how this unique initiative can help women entrepreneurs in the island economy, Samantha Seewoosurrun, Women in Africa Ambassador for Mauritius, said:
“The WIA 54 programme provides outstanding opportunities to women entrepreneurs in Mauritius and across Africa, and I would strongly encourage them to apply. In 2021, Mauritius had the sixth-largest number of finalists across Africa, across a diverse range of sectors. This led to 15 talented and dedicated women entrepreneurs from Mauritius being announced as finalists, and two of these were then recognised as the Country Laureate for Mauritius and African ‘revelation’ in healthcare. This shows just how much women entrepreneurs from Mauritius have to offer.”
“This year, the WIA 54 programme will once again offer practical training and mentoring with a strong focus on securing access to finance, which has a vital role to play in scaling the businesses of women entrepreneurs in Mauritius and across the continent, and it will also provide exceptional networking opportunities to connect with like-minded women in Africa.”
15 finalists and two winners selected in Mauritius in 2021
Last year, WIA announced 15 finalists from Mauritius: Sita Jeeneea-Saminaden, Sanjana Jhumun, Nirusha Keerpaul-Toocaram, Sonya Mohadeb, Hethal Mohun, Madvee Muthu, Zaahirah Muthy, Lutchmee Nobaub, Diane Nuteau, Mokshda Pertaub, Tanvi Ramtohul, Davina Sawoky-Gowardun, Tej Soodaye, Poulavi Sornum and Sharanaz Subratty. These women entrepreneurs were recognised for their pioneering initiatives across a diverse range of sectors, including agriculture, digital and tech, education, climate and sustainable development, creative industries and health.
The winners were Hethal Mohun, CEO and Co-founder of Tamarind Leaf Yoga, who was announced as the Country Laureate for Mauritius, and Lutchmee Nobaub, CEO at Clinear Research Ltd, who was announced as the African Revelation in the healthcare category.
Application process and selection criteria
Candidates can apply in the following sectors: Agriculture and Agritech, Food and Foodtech, Education and Edutech, Fintech, Environment and Sustainable Development, Beauty Industries, Creative Industries, Health and Healthtech. The eligibility criteria is a business created or led by an African woman, with a first traction on the market in terms of sales, number of users, funds raised and she should be part of one of the eight categories as her primary business category. The selection criteria for the projects revolves around having an innovative product, service or technology, proven business model scalability, strong growth potential, ambitious team with strong execution ability, market traction in terms of revenue, number of users, funds raised and lastly, potential impact in Africa.
Applications can be made via the WIA website: https://wia-initiative.com/fr/wia54-2/
About the WIA Initiative and the WIA 54 programme:
Women in Africa was launched in 2016. Hafsat Abiola from Nigeria is its current president. It is the foremost international platform dedicated to the economic development and support of African women entrepreneurs. WIA is dedicated to developing programmes that women entrepreneurs need to succeed.
The WIA 54 Programme is organised through WIA’s Endowment Fund, WIA Philantropy. WIA Philantropy’s patrons are Société Générale, Roland Berger, Orange, Stop Hunger, AXA, Inetum, Meridiam, Honoris United Universities, DS Avocats, and Total Foundation.
