The program aims to strengthen the capacity of 150 women entrepreneurs through training, to enhance business productivity and growth in a period of 3 years. This will be achieved by equipping them with skills, knowledge, and tools to optimize and refocus their businesses for growth and scale.
About the Program
Africa has the highest number of female entrepreneurs but the least supportive entrepreneurial frameworks. This means that the design and roll-out of innovative financial solutions that offer women access to markets and bring them into the formal financial system can be key to breaking barriers for women-led businesses.
The WONDER investor readiness and business development accelerator program is designed to build 30 formal women-led enterprises with special regard to their innovative potential as well as to their social and environmental sustainability for the next one year. This will be achieved by equipping them with skills, knowledge, and tools to optimize and refocus their businesses for growth and scale-up. The impact of the project will be demonstrated through an innovative approach to improving African enterprises’ access to finance, and delivery of training and services to combine skills enhancement and business acceleration, and individual mentorship.
The WONDER program implemented in Kenya and Cameroon has been funded by the African Development Bank under the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative.
Eligibility
Women-owned enterprises or enterprises with women as majority shareholders;
Preferably, enterprises with women at the management level; CEO/COO;
Where a Board of Directors exists, at least 50% of the composition should be women;
Enterprise should have the capacity to absorb a loan size between $5,000 and $1,000,000;
Enterprise has between 5 and 300 employees, with at least 50% as women;
Have annual sales of between $100,000 and $15,000,000;
The enterprise should be registered in Kenya.
Benefits
Access to expert coaches and mentors to optimize their idea
Participate in a 9-month tailored accelerator program
Networking opportunities across the region
Access to potential investors
Collaboration opportunities with peers in the industry
Recognition and publicity through the WONDER website page and related publications
