Business Opportunities for African Women – Apply Now

The Leading African Women in Food Fellowship (LAWFF) Program is a transformative initiative designed to empower and celebrate women leaders in the African food and agriculture sector. Over a six-month period, the program provides training, mentorship, and a supportive community for outstanding female disruptors, entrepreneurs, policymakers, chefs, trendsetters, and storytellers. The program’s comprehensive approach includes media engagement, global recognition, and ongoing monitoring and evaluation to ensure its effectiveness and impact.

LAWFF actively promotes gender equality, contributes to poverty reduction, and fosters sustainable economic growth, aligning with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Objectives

• Build a strong sisterhood of women leaders supporting each other as they advance their individual and collective efforts to transform the food ecosystem​.
• Facilitate access to critical resources and connections to advance the innovative work of female changemakers in the food ecosystem.​
• Amplify the voices of female changemakers via media engagement/Visibility for program fellows, both locally and internationally.
• Accelerate gender equity in the food and agriculture landscape.​

Award Categories

• Top Chefs in Africa: Culinary artists who, through their creativity and innovative cooking methods, are changing narratives about African food.
• Disruptors: Create or adapt tools, models, approaches, and/or harness technology to solve challenges within the food system (e.g., inventor, researcher, product developer, intrapreneur, etc.)
• Trailblazers: Accomplished change agents who have made ground-breaking contributions to the African food ecosystem and paved the way for others.
• Ecosystem Enablers: Private, public, and non-profit leaders who introduce and scale innovative products, ideas, and/or opportunities that contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive food system
• Food/Beverage Narrative Changers: Story-tellers and digital media gurus that create content, experiences, or products that amplify positive changes and opportunities in the ecosystem, change global narratives and connect people to different African foods and beverages (e.g., journalist, food blogger, food stylist, curator, content creator, consumer packaged goods entrepreneur, etc.).

Eligibility Criteria

• Women only
• Ages 25-40 years
• At least three years experience working in the agri-food sector
• Demonstrable impact
• A citizen of an African country
• Resident in an African country at the time of application
• They accept nominations from across the African continent. Their goal is to be inclusive and celebrate the diversity of women in the food industry.

Selection Process

• The selection process involves a comprehensive review by their expert panel.

Assessment Criteria

• They assess nominees based on their impact, innovation, and dedication to advancing the food and agriculture sector.

For more information, visit African Food Changemakers.

By offering both financial and non-financial support, IAP helps these businesses, which are often too large for microfinance yet too small for commercial investment, scale and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

IAP aims to improve the livelihoods of low-income populations by enhancing access to essential goods, services, and employment opportunities, while also addressing the capital gaps for inclusive businesses in developing markets. By supporting innovative businesses, IAP seeks to maximize their economic, social, and environmental impact for sustainable development.

Focus Areas

• Specific focus areas of the challenge fund include:
  • Clean energy at household and community, including improved & clean cooking
  • Climate change adaptation and mitigation
  • Enhanced food security, nutrition, and (regenerative) agriculture
  • Women or Youth entrepreneurship and economic empowerment
  • Business models in water (alone) or water, sanitation, and/or hygiene (including waste management)
• Businesses in the above themes that have an element of financial inclusion or digitalisation can be considered!
• Your innovative Inclusive Business idea should be relevant to at least one of the target thematic areas.
• This call for proposals does not include business models solely based on health or education.

Funding Information 

• Innovations Against Poverty (IAP) Challenge Fund offers matching grants ranging from €50,000 to €200,000 to businesses ready to scale their inclusive innovations.

Benefits

• IAP also offers tailored non-financial support, including business development advice, inclusive business strategy development, and marketing, distribution, and investment readiness training.  For select grantees, IAP offers matchmaking with investors and funders, including local and regional investors, as well as access to ongoing investment mentorship.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible for an IAP matching grant, your business must meet the following criteria:
  • Inclusive Innovation: Your business must be offering a product, service, or business model (or business line) innovation that directly benefits the base of the economic pyramid.
  • Market Focus: Your business must operate in Cambodia, Ethiopia, Uganda, or Zambia.
  • Commercial Viability: Your business should have passed the pilot stage and be generating revenue from the innovation. You must also have robust financial systems and processes in place that allow for timely reporting.
  • Co-Investment: Businesses must be able to co-invest at least 51% of the total project cost, either through cash or in-kind contributions
  • Sustainability and Scalability: They are looking for businesses with the potential to grow sustainably and scale their impact.
  • Responsible Business Practices: All applicants must comply with local laws and ethical standards, including labor rights, environmental regulations, and anti-corruption measures.

For more information, visit IAP.