AFRICA – The Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) and the Make-IT in Africa initiative run by Deutsche für Gesellschaft Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) have launched the Tech By Her Accelerator for female entrepreneurs.
The three-month industry-based programme is open to ambitious female founders of early-stage tech companies in Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria.
It aims at fuelling the growth of female-led businesses by recognizing and maximising their unique strengths.
Additionally, it will equip them with resources to scale and sustain their businesses in a competitive African and international environment.
All this will be done through mentoring and coaching of female founders and building an alumni network of successful Tech By Her Accelerator participants to become ambassadors for other upcoming founders.
The move comes at a time when reports show that Sub-Saharan Africa leads the way, with its female entrepreneurship rates the highest globally.
However, Sub-Saharan Africa also has the highest discontinuance rate with most women entrepreneurs in the region citing either unprofitability or lack of finance as a reason for closing their business.
The Tech by Her accelerator aims to develop a strong Pan African female entrepreneurship community. The programme also aims to fuel the growth of female-led businesses by recognizing and maximising their unique strengths.
MEST Africa was launched in 2008 and is headquartered in Accra, Ghana. The organisation launched into the Kenyan Market in 2015 and in 2018, they launched their tech incubator hub at Nairobi Garage.
To date, MEST Africa has more than 30 companies currently in incubation as part of MEST’s portfolio across Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa, and over 400 alumni across the continent.
The Tech Entrepreneurship Initiative ‘Make-IT in Africa’ promotes digital innovation for sustainable and inclusive development from West and East African.
In close collaboration with corporate and financing partners, social enterprises, hubs and networks, they support the growth of an enabling environment for young entrepreneurs in the digital sector – to facilitate better access to finance, markets and skills.
