Dear friends,

From a South African automotive repair company tackling high vehicle maintenance costs to a Nigerian fashion CleanTech innovator developing eco-friendly apparel to a Kenyan commercial farmer revolutionizing the food system with aquaponics - what do these three diverse businesses all share in common?

They are all among the business ventures run by the 200-strong women entrepreneurs selected for the African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative’s flagship program, which kicked off this week. Representing 23 industries from 27 countries in Africa, the women of Cohort 6 generated a whopping $27 million USD in combined revenue last year and provided jobs for over 1,400 people. Learn more about this impressive cohort  as we keep you posted on their AWEC journey throughout the coming year.

In Africa, the entrepreneurship ecosystem is rapidly evolving and expanding, offering increasing opportunities for businesses to launch and grow. And though there are still challenges and disparities, the passion and drive demonstrated through the accomplishments of our Cohort 5 entrepreneurs serve as a source of inspiration. These are just a few of the many success stories in our growing community, and we’re excited to see what Cohort 6 will achieve. 

Our community grows stronger each year, thanks to the hard work of our fellows and the generous support of our extended network. Long-time Mentor and Session Leader Suzanne Brume epitomizes this support. As we look ahead to the future, we're committed to exploring new and innovative ways to help even more African women and their companies thrive, and we welcome you to join us on this journey. Here's to another year of entrepreneurial adventures, growth, and success!

Cheers,

Dawn Leaness

Managing Director

AWEC Mentoring: Candid Insights from Behind-the-Scenes

Meet Suzanne Brume, a highly accomplished partner at EY, who specializes in helping businesses operate more efficiently. With over five years as a dedicated AWEC mentor and her recent role as a Session Leader, Suzanne shares her expertise in data analytics with aspiring entrepreneurs. Passionate about data-driven decisions and spreadsheet optimization, she debunks common misconceptions surrounding these topics. 

READ: The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward

We all have moments, actions, and decisions that we regret. This book presents various options of how the pain often associated with regrets can be transformed into positive solutions of how you can do things differently today if presented with the same situation, an important ingredient in entrepreneurship. Reading this book reminded me of two topics covered in the AWEC program, the customer journey map and the peer session exercise on “Never Have I [Operationally] Ever.” In the past two months, I've developed the practice of reflecting on the choices I've made in the past and, if necessary, trying to do things differently.

Phidelis Wamalwa, CEO Phywam Financial Services

LISTEN: Navigating a New Promethean Moment: A “Chat” About the Seismic Changes Generative AI Will Bring 

Humanity is on the verge of a new technological revolution powered by generative AI tools like ChatGPT with the potential to fundamentally change the way we live and work. The excitement and expanding use of ChatGPT have ignited a race to develop and deploy even more powerful tools. Two leading figures in global technology sat down with Chris Caine, president of the Center for Global Enterprise, to talk about generative AI (artificial intelligence) and its effects on industry and society. Sam Palmisano, the chairman of the Center for Global Enterprise and a former chairman, president, and chief executive officer of IBM, are among the authors of highly recognized technology-related publications and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The New York Times, Tom Friedman.

The GET Podcast, The Center for Global Enterprise