She Wins Africa partners ASR Africa to empower 1,000 women entrepreneurs

She Wins Africa, a comprehensive investment readiness programme designed to empower women entrepreneurs across Africa, is set to reach 1,000 African women by offering training, mentorship, and networking opportunities that will help their startups succeed.

This was revealed during the program’s closing event held recently in Lagos. The event, anchored by Oluwatosin Olaseinde, founder and CEO of Money Africa & Ladda – a beneficiary of the program –  follows the encouraging early outcomes of the mobilisation of more than $4 million in financing by participating women-led startups.

This initiative was established by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, in partnership with Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa).

IFC is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. Through technical assistance, investor linkages, and strategic support, the initiative helps women-led startups access the capital and resources to scale their businesses. 

This expansion would be added by a strategic partnership with ASR Africa, the brainchild of African Industrialist, Philanthropist and Chairman of BUA Group.

L-R: Patience Ekeoba; Acting Deputy Country Representative UN Women; Edidiong Idang, Social Development Specialist, ASR Africa Initiative; Najaatu Rabiu, Social Development Officer, ASR Africa Initiative; Marieme Niang, Regional Gender Lead, IFC Africa; Dr Ubon Udoh, MD/CEO, ASR Africa Initiative; Nelly Elimbi, Senior Operations Officer, Gender, IFC, West and Central Africa; Adaorie Udechukwu, Gender Solutions & Advisory, IFC Africa; Barbara Onyejeose, Programs, VC4A; Mohammed Aliyu, Senior Country Officer, IFC during the SheWins Africa Phase 1 closing ceremony in Lagos, Nigeria.

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She Wins Africa has supported 100 women in 1 year

Over the past year, She Wins Africa has supported 100 women-led small and growing businesses across multiple African markets, delivering tangible results in business growth, investment readiness and access to finance.

Participating startups collectively raised over $4 million, with 17 women-led enterprises successfully accessing external financing, exceeding the program’s initial targets.

To strengthen business fundamentals and investor engagement, the program delivered structured technical assistance at scale, including 123 hours of targeted technical support,  22 startups receiving tailored advisory support beyond standard training,  275 investor connections facilitated across regional and international markets and 100 mentors mobilised across Africa.

Additional support included business coaching, masterclasses, and investment-readiness training, enabling founders to strengthen operations, refine business models, and improve their ability to attract private capital.

Speaking on the impact of the initiative, Marieme Niang Camara, Regional Gender Lead, IFC for Africa, said the decision to scale She Wins Africa from supporting 100 women entrepreneurs to 1,000 was driven by the clear impact the pilot created, particularly in improving women’s access to capital and markets. 

She explained that the expansion is being done deliberately through segmentation across startups, growth-stage, and scale-up businesses, with tailored technical support, investment readiness guidance, and direct access to funding through IFC-backed financial institutions.

“When we started with 100 women entrepreneurs, it was a successful pilot, but we realised that 100 is just the beginning for a region like Africa. When you look at the impact it created and the kind of access to capital and markets it gave to those women entrepreneurs, you see this is a program worth scaling. Now we're moving from 100 to 1,000, and we're doing it strategically through segmentation from startups to growth-stage and scale-up companies,” she said.

Dr Ubon Udoh, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative, explained that the initiative is expanding from an initial cohort of 100 women across 23 countries to 1,000 women across more African nations, applying lessons from the first phase to deepen impact, improve sustainability, and widen its geographical reach.

“This is one of the most impactful programs on the continent, empowering women entrepreneurs. What they do is not just for individual countries; it's strengthening the economy of the whole continent. We're scaling up from the first phase of 100 women from 23 countries to 1,000 women across Africa, with an increase in both the number of countries and beneficiaries. This expansion will create a more sustainable impact and extend the program's geographical reach,” he said.Donors and beneficiaries during the SheWins Africa Phase 1 closing ceremony in Lagos, Nigeria.

How She Wins Africa crowds in private investors

A pillar of She Wins Africa is the use of catalytic funding to help crowd in private investment for women-led enterprises.

Through an initial catalytic grant envelope of approximately $100,000, the program helped mobilise nearly $400,000 in follow-on investment, working with regional and local investment partners including Octerra Capital, IMEX, Sahel Capital, Nubia Capital, and Convergence Advisory.

These funds supported startups in making critical operational investments, including expanding production capacity, strengthening infrastructure, and hiring additional staff, while reducing investor risk and accelerating business growth.

The inaugural cohort comprised women-led startups at different stages of development, from early-stage ventures to more established enterprises. 

Beneficiaries of She Wins Africa’s grant

During the event, the recognised beneficiaries of She Wins Africa’s grants were Aisha Langat, CEO and founder of Sulma Whole Food, Kenya; Ifeoma Uddoh, CEO of SheCludded, Nigeria; Julie Cremieux, CEO and founder of Neofarm, Senegal; and Ifedayo Durosinmi-Etti, CEO of Hereconomy, Nigeria.

Through targeted investment-readiness support, investor engagement, and strategic partnerships, She Wins Africa has demonstrated the value of tailored approaches to addressing the financing gap faced by women entrepreneurs.

The expanded phase represents the first of four projects initially envisioned under the She Wins Africa umbrella, with the scale-up significantly increasing the program’s reach and potential impact.

IFC and ASR Africa say the next phase will prioritise scale-ready ventures while continuing to support early-stage businesses, building a stronger and more resilient pipeline of women-led enterprises positioned to drive inclusive economic growth across Africa.

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