#HerFutureAfrica: Empowering Women Through Tech Innovation
Location:
Ghana
Background
In partnership with the African Technology Business Network (ATBN) and Women in Tech Africa, Co-Catalyst team worked on #HerFutureAfrica, an initiative aimed at empowering young African women with essential skills, mentorship, and support to build tech-enabled businesses addressing the needs of women and girls. The pilot program was launched in Ghana in 2017 and implemented through 2018 with funding support from Comic Relief.
Our approach
Innovation Bootcamp: Over 2 – 3 days, participants were equipped with business skills and digital tools to develop their innovative ideas into real solutions. Watch the video from Accra bootcamp!
Market Research: Participants were tasked with applying the tools they had learnt to collect feedback from potential customers and stakeholders. At the end of this process, participants developed a more refined business proposal and pitch deck that they could use to present their businesses to potential funders or partners.
Mentorship: Participants were matched with experienced mentors to guide them through the process of refining and implementing their business ideas.
Demo Day: Selected participants were given the opportunity to present their business ideas at our demo day. This was a great opportunity for participants to gain valuable feedback on their ideas as well as gain exposure and build connections to help them launch their businesses.
Impact
Empowering Women Entrepreneurs: Equipped 32 women with the skills, confidence, and practical tools to navigate Ghana’s tech ecosystem from ideation to implementation, resulting in over $35,000 secured to launch their ventures.
Diversifying the Tech Ecosystem: Advanced gender diversity and inclusion in Ghana ’s technology sector by positioning women as innovators addressing social challenges, particularly those affecting women and girls, through tech-driven solutions and by bringing their unique perspectives.
Mentorship and Networking: Expanded access to business resources, customer bases, and industry events through mentorship with experts from 11 countries and peer networks, strengthening participants’ entrepreneurial capacity and confidence.
Broader Impact on Women and Girls: Extended benefits beyond direct participants through products and services designed to improve the lives of 300 women and girls across communities in Ghana, while fostering new role models.
For more details, read our impact report.
Testimonials
“I really loved the teamwork at the boot camp. Sharing my ideas with colleagues gave me more ideas to improve on what I already had. I also learnt that I need to test the market and get feedback first before starting the business.”
— Edna Mate-Kole, #HerFutureAfrica participant, Ghana, 2017
“I can now use the Business Model Canvas to continually refine my business idea and develop a more effective and efficient game plan to solve the problem for my target market.”
— Wilma Amoo-Osae, #HerFutureAfrica participant, Ghana, 2017
“My mentor went over my assignments and gave me feedback on every one of them. He recommended some references and gave me useful insight as well as a global perspective with regard to my problem and the solution.”
— Charlotte Obeng, #HerFutureAfrica participant, Ghana, 2017
