Participants during the launch of the DAW Marketplace in Nairobi.
A new initiative will connect African women entrepreneurs with markets, mentorship, access to finance and digital commerce opportunities under a partnership between Digital African Woman (DAW) and LEAP Africa.
The initiative, launched in Nairobi over the weekend, through the DAW Marketplace, will give 31 participants in LEAP Africa's Leadership Accelerator Programme (LAP) from 12 African countries free access to the platform for 12 months.
The package, valued at $20,000, aims to help the women start, scale and develop their businesses while providing access to a pan-African network of founders and business leaders.
The partnership brings together LEAP Africa's work developing young women leaders through LAP and DAW's work building entrepreneurial ecosystems for African women.
The initiative was unveiled during the fifth edition of the LAP Physical Bootcamp in Nairobi, where entrepreneur and ecosystem builder HRM Khadijat Abdulkadir delivered a keynote address on leadership, innovation and collective action.
“Women do not need another programme that ends when the workshop ends. They need a community that continues long after the applause fades, where learning meets opportunity, and entrepreneurs discover not only customers, but collaborators,” Abdulkadir said.
She said Africa's challenge was not a shortage of talent but a shortage of systems that connect talent with opportunity.
LEAP Africa Director of Programmes and Partnerships Amabelle Nwakanma said the partnership would extend opportunities for LAP participants and alumni beyond the programme.
“The Leadership Accelerator Programme has always been about more than developing leadership competencies; it is about ensuring that young African women have access to the opportunities, partnerships, and support systems they need to thrive long after the programme ends,” Nwakanma said.
She said the partnership would connect participants and alumni to markets, mentorship and support systems for continued growth.
LEAP Africa Executive Director Kehinde Ayeni said the initiative would create pathways for women to turn leadership skills into businesses, expand their market reach and contribute to Africa's economic growth.
“At LEAP Africa, we believe leadership is most powerful when it creates opportunities that extend beyond the classroom,” Ayeni said.
DAW Marketplace launched on August 8 and allows entrepreneurs to join as sellers through membership of the DAW cooperative or a monthly subscription.
Digital African Woman is a Belgium-based social enterprise that works in entrepreneurship, digital skills, mentorship, financial literacy, technology and business development.
The organisation says it has supported more than 20,000 women across Africa and Europe since 2016.
LEAP Africa is a youth-focused leadership development organisation whose programmes cover education, entrepreneurship, employability, active citizenship and health and wellbeing.
