Growth4Her Program 2023 for Women SMEs in Nigeria & Cameroon (Cohort 2)

The Growth4Her Program 2023 is now accepting applications. Growth4Her is a 6-month Investor Readiness Accelerator Program for West and Central African women. G4Her aims to close the gender finance gap in Africa by equipping women entrepreneurs with the ability and resources they need to go from small to high potential fundable development stage firms.

Growth4Her is an AFAWA-AFDB-funded project created by Creative Space Startups in partnership with Sociocapital Impact Group, The Learning Gate and WETECH. Growth4Her is a women’s support programme which provides women entrepreneurs with the capacity and tools which enables them to transition from small to high potential fundable growth stage businesses.

In 2021, African Development Bank (AfDB) reported that there is a $42b gender financing gap in Africa. Growth4Her is actively eliminating the Gender Financing Gap in Africa through the provision of adequate skills, knowledge, access to markets, access to finance, advocating for better policies and an adequate representation for women-owned Small and Medium Size Enterprises.

Over the next five (5) years, this programme aims to empower 1500 women entrepreneurs across 10 African cities with a particular interest in Women-led Small and Medium Enterprises (WSMEs). The programme offers beneficiaries investment readiness skills, links them directly to funders, and fosters an ecosystem that supports WSMEs.

Benefits:

The Growth4Her program will provide beneficiaries with:

• Access to Market – they provide you with market linkages across African cities.
• Access to funding – they prepare you for investors and connect you with financial institutions.
• Psychosocial and Policy Support – they advocate for policy reforms and work with communities to enable a culture of support for WSMEs.
• Media Exposure – they provide adequate media representation.
• Mentorship – they facilitate access to skilled and experienced mentors.

Eligibility:

• Open to woman entreprenuers in Cameroon or Nigeria who wish to push their Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) to the next level.
• Organisation should be ≥ 51% owned by a woman or ≥ 20% owned by a woman and have ≥ one woman as CEO/COO (President/Vice President); and
• Have ≥ 30% of the board of directors comprised of women, where a board exists.
• Loan size between US$5,000 and US$1 million (Loans must not be from traditional financial institutions, loans from other sources such as associations, cooperatives e.g. “tontine/njangi” “esusu”, family loans may be considered).
• Between 5 and 300 employees.
• Sales between US$35,000 and US$15 million.
• Assets between US$100,000 and US$15 million.
• Can dedicate 1 week to an intense virtual/ physical Bootcamp.
• Can dedicate 3 hours for mentorship engagement for a period of 8 weeks.
• Must be a C-Level executive in the organization.

Click here to apply