Deadline: February 1, 2026
Applications are open for the African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative (AWEC) Cohort 9. The African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative is an innovative, 12-month leadership and business management capacity building program that accepts 200 female entrepreneurs annually.
Through practical learning, mentorship, and a powerful pan-African community, you’ll gain the tools to overcome challenges and seize new opportunities in and for your business. This is more than a program, it’s a movement of women transforming their businesses, communities, and the continent.
Eligibility
Open to women who are:
- Founders of businesses that have been in operation for at least two years in any industry and have at least two employees (either full time or part time). Aspiring entrepreneurs are not eligible.
- Citizens of any African country, currently living on the continent or in the diaspora. For those living in the diaspora, your business must clearly impact Africa through the creation or delivery of its products or services or based on where its customers reside.
- Comfortable with remote teamwork and collaboration, especially using digital tools.
- Proficient in verbal and written English.
- Able to regularly (at least weekly) access the Internet through a computer or tablet.
AWEC admissions do not discriminate based on race, religion, age, disability, marital status, education, business revenue, or geographic location.
Application
Here are some tips to remember:
- Be yourself: The application is designed to get to know you and your business. There are no right answers. They want to know the real, authentic you.
- Be clear and concise: Read the question carefully. Answer THAT question and only that question. No need to use fancy buzzwords.
- Know your numbers: Revenue, employees, customers, capital – what data is the application asking for? This is not a place to make up numbers. If you need to approximate, do so via informed guesses.
- Don’t copy and paste from ChatGPT or the website: Know that they are very familiar with the program you are applying for and scan the applications for plagiarism of ChatGPT. They want your responses in your own words!
- Proofread: There’s always room to improve a first draft! Did you fully answer each question? Did you answer the question being asked? Are there any glaring typos to correct?
For more information, visit AWEC.
