After 10 months of dedicating time and energy to learn, challenge themselves, try business solutions they never had before, 34 women entrepreneurs met to celebrate and be celebrated by others on June 6th. These Women Creating Wealth (WCW) Tanzania programme participants graduated at an event held in Dar er Salaam signaling the end of one part of their journey with the Graça Machel Trustâs flagship entrepreneurship programme.
The WCW entrepreneurship programme supports women entrepreneurs to develop the skills, tools, and networks they need to transform their businesses from income generators to wealth-generating enterprises. It addresses the growth mindset, agency, personal mastery, and leadership, and provides participants with coaching, mentorship, and technical support. Additionally, the programme facilitates access to markets and finance for women entrepreneurs while working to highlight and dismantle discriminatory economic systems and processes.
It currently has over 2 500 participants in South Africa, Zambia, Kenya Malawi, Senegal Tanzania, and Uganda who have been in business for longer than two years and are ready to gain the skills and tools to strengthen and scale their businesses.
Part of the mission of the Graça Machel Trust (GMT) is to unite women across the continent to have one voice to remove the structural barriers that have kept them back from unleashing and realising their full potential, which is part of why we work with networks and partnersâ said Korkor Cudjoe, GMTâs Senior Entreprenuership Manager.
The mood was electric as the graduates received their certificates and were congratulated.
Present to also celebrate the graduates were (from left to right)Â Anabahati Mlay – GMT”s WCW Tanzania Country Lead;Â Vida Nassari â Chairperson of the Network of African Businesswomen, Tanzania; Korkor Cudjoe, GMT Senior Entrepreneurship Manager; John Ulanga â Ambassador and Director of International Trade and Economic Diplomacy Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation; Dr Patricia N. Laverley â Â the African Development Bank (AfDB) country representative; Emma Kawawa, Chairperson of New Faces New Voices Tanzania (GMT Network) and Gloria Lema â GMT Coordinator and Coach.Â
Having been a core partner to this roll out of the WCW programme through the AfDB Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA), Dr. Patricia N. Laverley acknowledged the effort it takes to add work on top of an existing full life: âThe ceremony this morning is not just a conclusion, itâs a testament to the power of dedication, resilience, unwavering belief in our collective potential as women across the continent to transform our societies.â
In addition to the graduation, those who went the extra mile received special awards.
Comprising GMT Country Project Coordinator Brenda Evelyn Mihanjo, Dr Deogratias Mbona WCW Technical Coach, GMT Coordinator and Coach Gloria Lema, with WCW participants Regina Fumbuka and Sabrina Othman a panel discussion unpacked the importance of holistic support for entrepreneurs. Dr Deogratias emphasised how technical coaching helps the programme participants apply the theory learned through the course to their businesses and with guidance from their coaches throughout the 6 months of the mentorship phase. This enables them to make practical adjustments the create long-lasting impact.
Participants praised how the programme has impacted their personal lives and businesses, with Sabrina, who has been in business for 14 years sharing how the it helped put systems in place that have made it easy to manage teams of her two businesses. She also encouraged new participants to embrace the Know Find and Grow Your Money course which challenges women to familiarise themselves with their business finance âYou have to know what comes in and what goes out, that helps you to know your numbers, plan, and project.â
Engineer Regina who helps students to love and excel in mathematics through her project MathGenius, says the programme has helped her to put a business portfolio together as well as systems in place that help her to reach out to much more parents as she delivers the service online and physically.
âA lot of women who have been part of the programme across the 7 countries say: âbefore the programme, my chances of raising capital were 20% and after going through the programme itâs 80%.â We want of more them to raise the money and have accountability partners that help them truly grow their businessesâ Korkor Kudjoe said, speaking to the importance of and impact of supporting the women entrepreneurs.
After graduation participants benefit from being part of a business community that offers support and business opportunities. Speaking to the women about what comes next, Kudjoe said: We want you to be part of our audacious goal to support 10,000 women entrepreneurs on the continent to collectively generate $1 billion revenue and create 200,000 jobs within the next five years. So, we want you to thrive and grow so you can help us create those jobs and that wealth.â
*The next call for applications will start on 14 June 2024.
 *Watch the ceremony stream hereÂ
The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting childrenâs rights, to carry out advocacy and action across Africa. Special focus is placed on Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia where child marriage continues to be a problem largely driven by poverty, gender inequality, harmful traditional practices, conflict, low levels of literacy, limited opportunities for girls and weak or non-existent protective and preventive legal frameworks.
Education is a fundamental right for all children, which is also a vehicle for social, economic and political transformation in communities, countries and the African continent at large. Recent studies indicate a lack of progress in some of the critical commitments aimed at improving education quality, access, retention and achievement, particularly for girls. In most African countries, girls may face barriers to learning, especially when they reach post-primary levels of education. By implementing multi-dimensional approaches to education which includes core education, personal development, life skills and economic competencies, the Trust partners with funding partners, governments, civil societies and the private sector to improve education access.
The Nutrition and Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition, (RMNCAH+N) of the Childrenâs Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescentsâ health within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda. The strategy emphasises on the importance of effective country leadership as a common factor across countries making progress in improving the health of women, children and adolescents.
Through its Early Childhood Development (ECD) plan, The Trust will seek to put into action the new science and evidence Report that was presented by Lancet Series on Good and early development – the right of every child. This will be achieved by mobilising like-minded partners to contribute in the new science and evidence to reach all young children with ECD. The Trustâs goal is to be a catalyst for doing things differently, in particular, to rid fragmentation and lack of coordination across ECD sectors. In response to evidence showing the importance of political will in turning the tide against the current poor access and quality of ECD. Even before conception, starting with a motherâs health and social economic conditions, the early years of a childâs life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.