Staff Writer
U.S. Ambassador Lisa Johnson officially launched the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) program in Namibia.
The program was established in 2019 and provides women with the tools needed to create and grow their own businesses, raise capital, and effectively network with other successful business owners.
The first cohort for 2020 will consist of 28 participants from Windhoek who will receive the training virtually, due to the COVID pandemic. In 2021, the AWE program will deliver additional training courses to cohorts in Walvis Bay, Ongwediva, and Keetmanshoop. The U.S. Embassy hopes to grow the program to train more than 100 Namibian women annually.
“Women in Namibia have made outstanding achievements in the private sector, starting businesses in fields as diverse as software development, skin products, agriculture, hospitality, and business consulting. These businesses employ people and provide meaningful services that strengthen their communities, regions, and Namibia as a whole. The Academy of Women Entrepreneurs program will empower Namibian women to continue launching and growing successful businesses,” said Ambassador Johnson during the virtual launch.
The program will be facilitated locally by U.S. exchange program alumni Claudine Mouton (SME Compete co-founder), Elzaan de Wee (Theatre Nights co-founder) and David Sebulon (Glowdom Foundation founder).
The Academy of Women Entrepreneurs is a global program run by the U.S. Department of State and currently empowers women entrepreneurs in more than 50 countries.
The program was developed to support the White House-led Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative, which is designed to support women worldwide in fulfilling their economic potential.
