Background
This session, part of the Greenovations seven-part webinar series, focused on three thematic domains of gender, enabling environment, and emerging issues within Africa's green innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. This session falls under the gender theme and convenes experts in gender, entrepreneurship, and green growth to catalyze collective action towards gender equality in Africa’s green transitions. It brings together experts, policymakers, innovators, industry leaders and entrepreneurial support organizations to foster dialogue, share knowledge, and inspire action towards creating a more robust, sustainable, gender-responsive green innovation ecosystem across Africa.
In Africa, women constitute 58 % of the continent’s self-employed population, yet they make less profits than their male peers and face challenges such as institutional structures and social constructs - that hinder their visibility, recognition, and effective support. The African continent stands at a critical juncture in its pursuit of sustainable development and economic growth, such that recognition and supportive provisions for women green entrepreneurs are pertinent to catalyze the transition to green transformation. It is essential to effectively address the constraints women entrepreneurs face across their business entrepreneurial journeys and create a conducive enabling environment that accelerates female green entrepreneurship. It is pertinent for Africa to make sure that women entrepreneurs in emerging markets are recognized, empowered, and supported to enter green sectors and create relevant and inclusive solutions to the climate challenges in their local communities.
The webinar aims to comprehensively review the key support needs and existing practices and mechanisms supporting female green entrepreneurs in their business journeys in Africa. It also aims to explore the effective roles donors, policymakers, and tech hubs can play in supporting and empowering female green entrepreneurship in Africa.
Session Objectives/Deliverables
- Present the result of the Greenovations project study on the structural and cultural challenges facing female green entrepreneurship in Africa
- Strengthen understanding of the role and contribution of key actors in supporting female green entrepreneurship in Africa
- Highlight the existing gaps and opportunities for accelerating female green entrepreneurship
- Highlight the existing gaps and opportunities for strengthening the empowerment of women entrepreneurs in Africa’s green transformation
Event outcomes
The webinar brought together 92 participants from 35 countries to discuss the challenges and opportunities for women-led green businesses in Africa. Ms. Nambula Kachumi, CEO of WEAC Zambia, emphasized the regional imbalance in support for women-led green entrepreneurship and mapped key stakeholders involved in the green businesses. She highlighted challenges in areas such as finance, capacity building, and role modeling, and provided recommendations on addressing these issues.
The panel discussion further explored the green innovation ecosystem, focusing on small and medium enterprises led by women, especially in the energy sector. All four speakers highlighted the importance of private engagement in global climate action. They shared experiences from Africa and Europe, emphasizing support through innovative finance models, mentorship, networking, and multi-stakeholder engagement.
The webinar has indications for empowering women entrepreneurs to scale up positive change at the local level, accelerate the sustainable energy transition at the national level, and drive bold climate action at the global level. The seven-part webinar series of the Greenovations project will conclude with the final webinar on ‘Blueprint and Open Platform for Virtual Tech Hub Services.’
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Key insights
During the webinar, panellists shared their experiences in supporting women entrepreneurs to access networks, technical support and funding. They noted limited financial resources and literacy skills as key challenges for entrepreneurs to overcome, along with insufficient information on the impacts of climate change, and the applicability of emerging technologies.
The webinar brought together over 111 participants from 39 countries, fostering a rich exchange of perspectives from across the continent. This broad representation enabled discussions on the dynamics of women's green entrepreneurship in Africa. Participants' insights highlighted the importance of understanding the local context in accelerating inclusive and coordinated climate action throughout the continent.
