AWE-USADF Summit Honors 2021: Academy for Women Entrepreneurs Grantees 

March 2, 2022

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U.S. Embassy Officer in Lilongwe present seed funding of US$10,000 to Chiza Jika, an AWE alumna and USADF grantee from Malawi during a site visit in September 2021.
The U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) and the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) today hosted a virtual summit honoring the achievements of African graduates of the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs program who received USADF catalytic funding to start and scale social enterprises.

The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) provides women the knowledge, networks, and access they need to launch or scale a business.  Launched by the U.S. Department of State in 2019, AWE currently has trained more than 16,000 women in 80 countries worldwide – including 18 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Matthew Lussenhop addressed the African AWE graduates virtually at the event. “You bring tremendous benefits to your communities through a diverse set of businesses from orthopedics in Ethiopia to eco-friendly cosmetics in Senegal and solar energy systems in Nigeria,” he said.  “Your accomplishments show that when engaged citizens – especially women in leadership – collaborate through the private sector, government, and institutions, they bring immense benefits to both individuals and society.”   

When AWE launched in 2019, ECA and USADF established an agreement in which USADF would provide up to US$10 million in seed funding and technical support for select AWE graduates in sub-Saharan Africa between 2020 and 2025. To date, USADF has provided funding totaling nearly US$1.7 million for more than 125 African AWE graduates in 14 countries. 

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Six AWE alumnae in Malawi smile with excitement after receiving seed funding of US$10,000 each, for a total of US$60,000 to Malawian AWE graduates in 2021. 
"While there is an estimated US$42 billion financing gap between men and women entrepreneurs in Africa, women still operate over 40 percent of the continent's small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs)," said USADF Chief Program Officer Elisabeth Feleke.  "At USADF, we believe in the transformative power of women to positively impact their communities and nations.  That is why through AWE, we are providing financing, technical assistance, and convening opportunities for women entrepreneurs to start and scale businesses across the continent so they can create employment and improve livelihoods."

Seed funding is critical for helping women entrepreneurs to expand their businesses, allowing them to purchase raw materials, upgrade equipment, train employees, and make capital improvements necessary for growth. 

Thanks to AWE grantee Awa Ndiaye, finding access to maternal and neonatal care for Senegalese mothers is as easy as downloading an app.  Awa founded Njureel, a telemedicine app and healthcare training company, to reduce Senegal’s maternal mortality rate and sensitize pregnant women on the importance of doctor’s visits during pregnancy.  “The USADF grant has enabled us to offer 1,500 women and young adolescents instant access to medical care, sensitize 300 girls on intimate hygiene and violence in schools, and train 60 community workers on issues related to the management of women’s sexual and reproductive health,” says Ndiaye. 

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2021 grantees in Zambia celebrate their USADF seed funding award in December.
For AWE grantee Magdalena Haule Njaidi, CEO of Mama wa Shamba food processing enterprise in Tanzania, success is defined not only by how many products she sells but also by the number of women she mentors and empowers.  With US$10,000 in catalytic funding from USADF, Magdalena has trained 15 women, five of whom purchase her products on credit at wholesale prices to sell for profit. 

In Malawi, Chiza Jika used her $10,000 grant to buy embroidery equipment and additional sewing machines for her clothing company Chiza Clothing Line, which services professionals in the health care industry. Jika says the machines will help her improve her product branding and increase her output. She is currently recruiting two more technical staff and a tailor.    

Businesses that received 2021 USADF seed funding ranged from health care to agri-business, culinary to fashion enterprises, including: 

The U.S. African Development Foundation is an independent U.S. government agency established by Congress to invest directly in African grassroots enterprises and social entrepreneurs. USADF’s investments increase incomes, revenues, and jobs by promoting self-reliance and market-based solutions to poverty.   

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