• Women entrepreneurs, business leaders and those running micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from three Regional Economic Communities across sub-Saharan Africa are invited to apply to a UNITAR entrepreneur training programme.
  • The Advancing Gender Equality and Women Empowerment 2023 Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy Training Programme will teach participants the foundational concepts of entrepreneurship and financial management to build their capacity as entrepreneurs.
  • The application deadline is 31 July 2023 (midnight, EAT).
UNITAR Division for Prosperity calls on women entrepreneurs, business leaders and those running micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from three Regional Economic Communities across sub-Saharan Africa to apply for the Advancing Gender Equality and Women Empowerment 2023 Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy Training Programme. The programme is open to women in West, Central, and Southern Africa (ECOWAS, ECCAS and SADC). The application deadline is 31 July 2023, midnight East Africa Time (UTC +3).

The training programme aims to equip participants with the fundamental concepts of entrepreneurship and financial management. It seeks to support their motivation to learn and contribute to the advancement of their communities. The programme will span seven weeks, running from August 2023 and will be delivered in both English and French.

 

Participants will enrol in a self-paced online course covering women’s entrepreneurship, the entrepreneurship mindset, design thinking, building a scalable and sustainable enterprise, managing finances, and risk management. Participants will also join weekly discussions, work on assignments and have access to supplemental resources.

The programme will be run by the UNITAR Division for Prosperity / Hiroshima Office in partnership with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and with the financial support of the Government of Canada.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Call for Applications: Great Ideas Space (GIS) 2023 Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy Training Programme
Photo courtesy of UNDP

At the end of the programme, learners will be able to:

  • Outline current opportunities and challenges in promoting gender equality, specifically in the context of entrepreneurship.
  • Understand the entrepreneurial process of identifying opportunities and mobilizing resources to bring a new enterprise to life.
  • Apply tools and techniques to create desirable, feasible, viable and sustainable solutions for customer needs and problems.
  • Design a business model appropriate for their enterprise and customer segment(s) and develop revenue models to capture value in all its forms.
  • Apply accounting and financial management tools and techniques to monitor their finances and make informed business decisions that lead to sustainability and growth.
  • Craft financial and risk-mitigating strategies for business.

ELIGIBILITY AND HOW TO APPLY

Approximately 10-15 candidates will be selected from each member country to participate in the programme. To be eligible, applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • women aged between 18 and 45
  • established or aspiring entrepreneur with a solid entrepreneurial idea or initiative and a deep interest in entrepreneurship and financial literacy
  • keen passion and motivation to learn and contribute to society and country
  • commitment to actively engage in the programme for its entire duration, including attending webinars

Applicants need an electronic device (e.g. desktop, laptop, smartphone) for the entire programme and must have good oral and written skills in English or French. The programme will accept applications from women entrepreneurs in the following countries: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, The Gambia, Togo, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Applicants are encouraged to apply early.

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS (ENGLISH)
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS (FRENCH)