The Khalil Suleiman Halilu (KSH) Foundation in partnership with Tomorrow Foundation, and EHA Impact Ventures has launched start-up programme to empower female entrepreneurs in Africa to engender economic growth across the continent.
Known as “Her-Startup,” the new initiative aimed at providing critical resources, training, and support to women-led startups across various sectors.
The initiative was unveiled at a virtual conference with the theme: “Funding issues in female led startups, challenges and solutions,” which is meant to explore challenges faced by female founders in the entrepreneurial landscape.
In his speech, founder of the KSH Foundation, Khalil Halilu, emphasised the significance of empowering women in entrepreneurship as it will propel economic advancement.
Halilu stated that Her-Startup is a significant step towards alleviating the hurdles faced by women and girls in the domains of innovation and entrepreneurship.
He noted that the initiative was poised to make a substantial impact on Africa‘s economy, with forecasts indicating a potential contribution of $316 billion to the continent‘s GDP by 2025, as per Mckinsey‘s report.
„Women serve as the bedrock of economies. By backing their entrepreneurial endeavors, we are not only investing in their future but in that of our communities and nations as well.
„This initiative signifies our unwavering dedication to cultivating an inclusive and fair entrepreneurial environment in Africa.
„The initiative is also expected to facilitate job creation, foster economic inclusion, drive innovation and competitiveness, provide social and communal benefits, and enhance economic resilience,“ Halilu said.
The president Tomorrow Foundation, Maggie Gu said ‚Her-Startup‘ was designed to tackle the specific obstacles faced by women entrepreneurs, such as limited access to funding, mentorship and networking opportunities prevalent in many African nations.
„We firmly believe that the success of women leads to the advancement of their communities and contributes to sustainable economic growth,“ she stated.
For her part, Evelyn Castle, co-founder of EHA Impact Ventures, emphasised the organisation‘s key role in extending financial aid and investment prospects to the female entrepreneurs participating in the initiative.
„Access to capital represents a significant hurdle for numerous women-led startups. Through this partnership, our objective is to eliminate these barriers and establish a conducive environment that fosters innovation and growth for women entrepreneurs,“ she said.
