File: Women
By Joseph Erunke
Connect Lab, an African focused Innovation Lab has launched a female entrepreneurship development programme designed to reduce the inequalities and barriers affecting women in business.
The programme, tagged:”Women in Business Growth Lab”,according to a statement by Mercy Olorunfemi,its Programme Manager,is at “accelerating progress in gender equality through entrepreneurship development, linking and learning and access to finance.”
READ ALSOForum commends DSS DG, wants tough action against security threats
“The Women in Business Growth Lab is a 3-month programme for early-stage women-led start-ups in Nigeria, created to stimulate businesses into profitable and sustainable enterprises to accelerate the creation of jobs on the continent,” the organisation explained in the statement.
According to Connect Lab,”The project is aimed at fostering gender equality and bridging the gap in the African tech ecosystem through impact investment for the attainment of Africa we want: Agenda 2063.”
According to the African Development Bank, with the elimination of gender roles in the labour market and achieving gender parity, the African continent could add $1 trillion or 34% of GDP by 2025.
“Through the Women in Business Growth Lab, Connect Lab will be supporting 40 female entrepreneurs covering four programme components; The Co-creation and Value Proposition Bootcamp, Incubation Programme, Women in Business Deal Day and the Growth Mentorship Exchange,” it added.
Selected female entrepreneurs,it explained,”will learn the following: Value Proposition;Customer Development;Product Development; Operations;Branding and Design; Go to Market/ Scale; Legal and IP; Hiring and Onboarding;Growth,Revenue, Equity and Funding.”
“The Women in Business Growth Lab will feature weekly working session facilitated by African entrepreneurship experts,and selected female entrepreneurs will be attached to the female mentors throughout the program circle and pitch to investors at monthly deal days,” the statement further read.
It said:”At the end of the program, Connect Lab will be awarding $1500 equity-free grant to one impact-driven start-up.”
It called on female entrepreneur between the ages of 18 to 35 years with an early stage start-up looking to grow your business to apply.
Disclaimer
Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.