Women Entrepreneurs in Kenya will hold a business meeting next month to discuss innovation solutions.
Dubbed “Breakthrough to excellence: Uncovering business opportunities that give you a competitive edge” the forum will focus on changing the African traditional business model.
The networking event, to be held at Karen Country Club, will bring together Carole Kariuki CEO, Kenya Private Sector Alliance, Wandia Gichuru MD of Vivo Activewear and Maggie Ireri director of TIFA Research among others.
“Women compose over half of Africa’s rising population and their inclusion in social, political and economic spheres is critical if Africa is to reach elevated growth levels” FEWA founder and chairperson, Joanne Mwangi-Yelbert, said in a statement.
According to a report by Ernst and Young, due to limited possibilities for advancement in their home continent, a significant proportion of degreed African women, nearly a third at 28 per cent, migrate out of Africa in search of suitable job opportunities. This is in contrast with only 17 per cent of educated men.
The rallying call is now out for African women entrepreneurs to rise to the challenge of finding solutions for Africa.
“African women are very entrepreneurial, owning a third of all businesses across Africa, however, many women entrepreneurs typically run microenterprises in the informal sector, often in businesses that reap low marginal returns due to minimal value addition on their products. This is a trend we need to change,” she said.
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