Women in Africa Philanthropy, WIA, a social impact company whose mission is to support African women entrepreneurs and leaders, has unveiled the finalists from the WIA54 program. The 5th edition of the WIA54 program saw 540 women entrepreneurs selected for the 2021 class. These 540 women will receive WIA’s signature training program, personalized mentoring and communication support. Amongst the 540 finalists, six of them were selected from Botswana into this illustrious programme. These finalists include Dimakatso Leteane, Shingani Poloko, Tshegofatso D. Moatswi, Neo Jalal, Therisano Masukusuku and Kutlo Molefe.
From the very beginning WIA54 set out to empower African women in their journey to impact the continent’s economy by offering an extensive training programme, networking and mentoring with the ultimate aim being to achieve objectives that include supporting at least 10,000 women by 2030; Indirectly supporting the creation of more than 100,000 jobs; and making a contribution to developing solutions to meet the financing needs of African women entrepreneurs.
The number of women entering the competition has increased every year since inception of the WIA54 Program. 2021 saw the number of applications received increased to 4,000 African women entrepreneurs. The applicants came from a wide spectrum on sectors that include agro-food, creative industries, education, digital & technologies, sustainable development, health and fintech amongst many others.
Ultimately the hope is for WIA54 finalists, such as Botswana’s very own Dimakatso Leteane of DLM Training & Development Institute or Neo Jalal of Thebe Capital, may ultimately be declared as Country Laureates of which 9 will receive Sector Prizes as Luminaries embodying the very best of the African continent. Coincidentally, one of the 5 beneficiaries of the 2021 Young Leaders program from WIA is Ms Néné Maïga who is the newly appointed CEO of Orange in Botswana. The coincidence of the occasion serves as an opportunity to inspire finalists in the country and the region to see the calibre of women that WIA54 programme develops and celebrates.
Botswana WIA54 Finalists 2021
Fintech
Neo Jalal – Thebe Capital (Pty) Ltd
Education
Dimakatso Leteane – DLM Training & Development Institute
Creative Industries
Shingani Poloko – Valtex Construction (Pty) Ltd
Therisano Masukusuku – Falo’s Spice of Life (Pty) Ltd
Digital & Technology
Tshegofatso D. Moatswi – Zollie ‘Ella
Agriculture & Agri-Food
Kutlo Molefe – Khadi Agri Holdings
Ends
For more information please contact:
Tebatso Lekalake
WIA Ambassador
Email – TLekalake@gmail.com
About WIA54
The WIA 54 program was launched in 2017 by Women in Africa Philanthropy and exists thanks to the support of its patrons: Société Générale, Roland Berger, Orange, Stop Hunger, AXA, Inetum, Meridiam, Honoris United Universities and DS Avocats.
Method: Following the receipt of applications, 540 finalist entrepreneurs were screened and shortlisted in 54 African countries by WIA and Roland Berger’s teams. Each application submitted was examined according to specific criteria: social impact, innovativeness, scalability of the business model, growth potential and team execution capacity.