This May, Africa’s female innovators and entrepreneurs will be in the spotlight based on an opportunity to represent Africa at the 2016 World Economic Forum for Africa as part of the top five role models on the continent in the area of wealth generation and economic empowerment. These five female innovators will be selected from Africa’s “brightest and best” at the discretion of a panel of experts, and will then be invited to participate in the forum at Kigali, Rwanda.
The event will take place from the 11th to the 13th of next month, but the search is already on to determine the crop of female innovators and entrepreneurs who would shape Africa’s next generation. And because the World Economic Forum (WEF) is “committed to improving the state of the world”, application for the challenge is not limited to individuals occupying the technology space.
Fashion designers, farmers, artists, retailers, social entrepreneurs, and other such women who have set a standard with their innovative business models and have significantly improved their societies and the lives of the people around them can all register to be one of the top five making a difference at the forum this year. This is also in the spirit of championing inclusivity in the field of innovation which up until recently has been credited to professionals in the technology space.
African female innovators/entrepreneurs are being increasingly disruptive and recognised with several impressive an award-winning innovations in the fields of art, business, science, technology, and social entrepreneurship. From, developing online and physical communities for health and, entrepreneurship to educational and lifestyle applications that make life easier, and more. Going by their numerous achievements, it might prove quite challenging for the judges to select just five women.
According to WEF Head of Africa Elsie Kanza, Africa’s best resource is its people, and the female half of Africa’s population desperately need champions and role models to help empower a new generation of wealth and job creators by creating an environment where they can flourish. WEF is providing one of such environments in Rwanda this year as the top five female innovators/entrepreneurs will be able to meet with top leaders from across business, government and civil society as well as potential investors.
Recent changes in the global economy have put Africa under noticeable pressure, and this has caused analysts to forecast that the investment climate in the region will witness slow growth. This year’s forum in Africa will centre its discuss on how digital transformation can contribute to the generation of wealth across the continent under the theme “Connecting Africa’s Resources Through Digital Transformation”.
Interested participants can enter the challenge on behalf of themselves or others. The closing date is Monday 25 April.
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