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Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | The 5th cohort of the African Women’s Entrepreneurship (AWE) Program has successfully graduated 85 women entrepreneurs from Kampala, Lira, and Arua covering sectors of building, agriculture, education, health, and technology businesses and tourism courtesy of the US Embassy and SHONA.
The U.S. Embassy Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) launched the AWE in partnership between Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management and global copper mining company Freeport-McMoRan, to provide women entrepreneurs with the knowledge, networks, and access they require to establish and expand their businesses.
Ellen Masi, the U.S. Embassy Public Diplomacy Counsellor said on March 31: “The Department of State continues to support the AWE program because the U.S. government considers the advancement of inclusive economic growth and opportunities for all Ugandans, particularly women entrepreneurs.”
Ellen Masi urged the graduates to use the acquired skills to create jobs and other opportunities. AWE’s reach extends across Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and other regions where promoting women’s economic empowerment is a principal U.S policy priority. AWE was developed to support the White House-led Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative (W-GDP), which is designed to empower women worldwide to fulfill their economic potential, creating conditions for increased stability, security, and prosperity for all.
SHONA collaborated with the U.S. Embassy to implement the 5th cohort of the program that launched in November 2022. Throughout the program, the selected entrepreneurs learned from a combination of the online DreamBuilder program and expert facilitators who led in-person sessions designed to support the DreamBuilder program.
The graduates also learned from their peers who were exposed to US models for business development and will qualify to apply for funding from the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) and will be able to access investments between UGX 3.5 million and UGX 35 million from SHONA Capital, a debt fund run by SHONA.
