By Juliet Umeh

Academy for Women Entrepreneurs, AWE, a US government initiative that supports women entrepreneurs around the world, have graduated 250 women entrepreneurs in its 3rd cohort.

AWE is a three-month online course called DreamBuilder, developed by Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management and US copper mining company Freeport McMoran.

Speaking during the graduation ceremony held in Ile Ife, Osun State, Ambassador Mary Leonard said the initiative is designed to cultivate entrepreneurial know-how, help women entrepreneurs connect with funding opportunities, enhance opportunities for business expansion and increase the likelihood of entrepreneurial success. 

Leonard expressed great pride in the graduates, acknowledging their commitment to the successful completion of the program despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

She said: “We have been impressed with the enthusiasm of the program’s participants and the expertise of the trainers.

“I know that you will carry this training forward, become leaders in your own right, and increase the success of your businesses and those of other women,” she added.   

She explained that the participants came from a range of backgrounds and levels of business expertise.   

This year’s participants included 50 repatriated irregular migrants who are in various stages of building their businesses.

Their successful participation has equipped them with the requisite skills and knowledge they need to take their ventures to the next level while helping them to reintegrate into society. 

Vanguard News Nigeria