The Africa Women Innovation & Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) is currently accepting nominations for the 2023 AWIEF Awards. These awards aim to recognize, honor and celebrate women entrepreneurs and business owners in Africa who have made significant contributions to the continent’s inclusive economic growth and social development across different industry sectors. The awards will be presented in various categories, and applications will close on July 31.
About AWIEF Awards
AWIEF is a pan-African women’s economic empowerment organization that seeks to close gender gaps in leadership and business entrepreneurship in Africa. The AWIEF Awards celebrate women that have demonstrated outstanding leadership, vision, and inspiration while making a significant social impact and/or achieving success in businesses that align with AWIEF’s areas of innovation, technology, entrepreneurship, leadership, and socio-economic development.
Winners of the 2023 AWIEF Awards will be announced and celebrated at a gala dinner during the AWIEF2023 conference, scheduled to take place on 9 and 10 November 2023 at the Kigali Convention Center in Rwanda. The conference is in partnership with Rwanda’s Ministry for ICT and Innovation and the Rwanda Convention Bureau.
Categories of AWIEF Awards
The AWIEF Awards covers eight categories with the following criteria:
1. The Young Entrepreneur Award:
Nominees should be young female entrepreneurs and start-ups between 18 and 35 years old who have demonstrated exceptional entrepreneurial spirit and skills to build and grow successful and sustainable enterprises. They must exemplify leadership in their field and the importance of entrepreneurship to effect positive change. Nominees should be inspirational and have achieved tangible material success, indicated by revenue and number of employees.
2. Tech Entrepreneur Award:
Nominees for this category should be female entrepreneurs that have created an innovative, ground-breaking, and game-changing technology venture or start-up.
3. Agri Entrepreneur Award:
Nominees for this category should be female entrepreneurs that have achieved significant business success and recognition in the agriculture and agribusiness value chain with evidence of traction and impact for food security and/or environment.
4. Creative Industry Award:
This category recognizes the disruptive, creative, and entrepreneurial success of a woman in the film, music, food, beauty, arts, fashion, media, advertising, design, and crafts industry.
5. Empowerment Award:
Nominees for this category should be women who have greatly contributed and invested in inspiring, mentoring, and empowering women and girls, thereby significantly impacting the communities in which they operate and society at large.
6. Energy Entrepreneur Award:
Nominees for this category should be female entrepreneurs in the oil & gas and/or green energy & renewable energy sectors who are operating successful businesses with impact on energy access and/or availability in their communities and countries.
7. Social Entrepreneur Award:
Nominees for this category should be female entrepreneurs who have developed an innovative, systemic, and sustainable solution that directly tackles a social issue, thereby having a transformative social impact on their communities and countries.
8. Lifetime Achievement Award:
Nominees for this category should be established women entrepreneurs and role models that have demonstrated prolonged and consistent achievements in business and exceptional and outstanding business leadership. The award also recognizes significant contributions made to job creation and the economy.
Nomination Process
To nominate a business owner for the AWIEF Awards, follow these simple steps:
1. Register an entrant profile by clicking “SUBMIT AN ENTRY” located at the top-right-hand corner of the page.
2. Fill in the nomination form and submit.
3. Nominations for the 2023 AWIEF Awards close on July 31, 2023.
4. Nominees can either self-nominate or nominate someone else.
Conclusion
The AWIEF Awards for Women Entrepreneurs recognize and celebrate the hard work and dedication of women in business across Africa. These awards provide an excellent opportunity to spotlight the achievements of female entrepreneurs and promote gender equality in leadership and business entrepreneurship. Nominations are currently open, and winners will be announced and celebrated at a gala dinner during the AWIEF2023 conference in Kigali, Rwanda.