Unlocking potential: Promoting female entrepreneurship in Africa

On 28 June 2024, in cooperation with the European Policy Centre (EPC) and the King Baudouin Foundation (KBF), ECDPM organised an interactive panel discussio to explore initiatives to enhance entrepreneurship, self-employment opportunities, and gender inclusiveness for young women in Africa.
With Africa needing 15 million new jobs annually until 2050 due to rapid demographic growth, the economic empowerment of women is crucial to address this challenge and accelerate economic and social development.
The King Baudouin Foundation’s 2023-2024 KBF Africa Prize winner, the Tanzanian organisation Her Initiative, tackles two urgent, interconnected issues: women's entrepreneurship and financial resilience, and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), including the fight against gender-based violence. By addressing these, Her Initiative advances gender equality, financial independence, and inclusive economic development for young women.
Panellists
Lydia Moyo, Founder and Director of Her Initiative (Tanzania), and winner of the 2023-2024 KBF Africa Prize
Bilikiss Adebeyi-Abiola, Founder of WeCyclers (Nigeria), winner of the 2018-2019 KBF Africa Prize
Georgia Brooks, Founder & CEO of The Nine, Belgium
​​​​​Bart Casier, Senior Private Sector Development Advisor, ENABEL, Belgium
Moderator
Geert Laporte, ECDPM Associate