Business experts across Africa have highlighted core strategies that can help small and medium enterprises scale and contribute significantly to the African economy.
According to a statement on Monday, these experts stated this at the third edition of the IgniteHER conference organised by ImpactHER in partnership with the African Union.“IgniteHER’s ultimate goal is to help African female entrepreneurs become market leaders by providing them with the necessary training and connections to build scalable businesses and access institutional investors. This year’s conference gathered 6,165 female participants from 61 countries,” the statement read in part.
Earlier, the founder of ImpactHER, Efe Ukala, appreciated the women business owners for finding time to attend the conference.She reiterated the importance of building systems which involve delegation, structure and scalable systems.
In her keynote address, the founder of the Hesed Africa Foundation (South Africa), Dr. Vumile Msweli, called on the need for women to build a system around business.“I want to urge all women in the conference to build a system around their business. If your business cannot survive a week without you, you are not an entrepreneur but rather self-employed, and you do not have a system,” Msweli said.
Also speaking was the co-founder and partner at ATG Samata, Dr. Lelemba Phiri, who spoke on ‘Unlocking Capital for Women Founders’ and encouraged female business owners to change how they approach funding.
“Position yourself as a business partner and not someone coming to beg for money. As a woman who owns a business, your visibility is non-negotiable. Make sure you have an online presence that tells people who you are and what your business does,” she noted.
Other speakers and panel sessions featured intriguing insights on leveraging technology and AI to grow and scale, building operational excellence in women-led ventures, and inspirational stories from trailblazing women entrepreneurs.
ImpactHER is an impact-driven non-profit/non-governmental organisation focused on empowering African women entrepreneurs.
The organisation was founded in 2017, in response to the significant “gender financing gap”, the difficulty many women-owned small and medium enterprises in Africa face when seeking funding, capital, and institutional backing.
