It was a momentous gathering of over 5000 female business owners drawn from 58 countries who converged on Abuja to discuss how they can become major players in the 5 trillion global green economy.

ImpactHER Africa is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to empowering female business owners.

The gathering was the 2nd edition of the Global African Women Sustainability Conference with the theme: Rethink, Reinvest, Regenerate: Women Entrepreneurs As Architects of Global Africa’s Sustainable Future which had in attendance over 10 African ministers, 20 African governments, US mayoral leadership, Latin America government representation, Caribbean government delegations, The African Development Bank, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the African Export-Import Bank.

According to Efe Ukala, founder, ImpactHER Africa, the global green economy is now worth more than 5 trillion dollars a year and is on track to reach 7 trillion by 2030 and it is growing twice as fast as conventional industries.

The global African women who already farm regeneratively, building with waste, weaving with eco-dyes and powering villages with the sun should be a part of the market and not outside it.

“Consumers around the world are now willing to pay nearly 10 percent more for sustainably produced goods.

The premium is real and that tells us there is a market. Furthermore, an estimated 70% percent of informal cross-border trade in Africa is conducted by women. This brings us to the question- why are our women stuck in the informal economy?”, she mentioned.

Ukala noted that “Certifications” have posed a barrier to African women involvement in global trade.

“The UN Women itself names the barrier: limited capacity to comply with regulatory requirements, with safety standards, with quality standards. Our women have the products. They do not have the paperwork. They have the practice- They do not have the proof.

They have the sustainability- they do not have the certificate that lets the world see it. This is the gap that the sustainability conference is seeking to close. One of the sessions in this conference extensively dealt with ‘Sustainable Business Foundations’, certifications, standard and start-up rules. Our women deserve an ISO certification, an export licence and a global buyer for her products”, she explains.

The Ministers from Nigeria, Chad, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Cote D’Ivoire, Zambia, Gabon who were active participants in the conference all pledged to strengthen access to female entrepreneurs in their various countries as they hold the golden torch to Africa’s collective success.

The conference is a premier continental gathering that will spotlight the critical role of women entrepreneurs in advancing Africa’s sustainable economic transformation.

With the theme “Rethink, Reinvent, Regenerate: Women Entrepreneurs as Architects of Global Africa’s Sustainable Future”, the event is expected to attract over 3,000 participants, including senior government officials, investors, development finance institutions, private-sector leaders, policymakers, innovators, and women entrepreneurs from across Africa and the global diaspora.

Positioned as a high-impact platform for dialogue and action, the conference will foster strategic partnerships, unlock investment opportunities, and accelerate scalable solutions that strengthen women-led enterprises.

Through executive panels, technical workshops, enterprise showcases, and curated networking sessions, participants will engage in shaping pathways toward inclusive growth, climate resilience, and sustainable prosperity across the continent.

Efe Ukala, founder of ImpactHER, emphasized the urgency of advancing women’s economic leadership:

“Africa’s economic future depends on the full participation of women. When women entrepreneurs are equipped with capital, markets, and the right ecosystems, they drive innovation, expand industries, and build resilient communities. This conference is designed to catalyze partnerships and mobilize the resources required to scale women-led businesses across Africa and beyond.”

Participation is fully sponsored, reflecting a shared commitment by convening partners to expand access to opportunity and reduce structural barriers facing women entrepreneurs.

Attendees will gain access to tailored business advisory services, brand development support, digital growth tools, and exclusive travel benefits for international participants.

Beyond convening stakeholders, the conference aims to deepen cross-border collaboration and attract investment into high-potential women-led ventures, reinforcing Africa’s position within the global sustainability and economic development agenda.

ImpactHER is a nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the gender financing gap by enabling African women entrepreneurs to access capital, scale their businesses, and participate competitively in local and global markets.

Through partnerships, capacity-building programs, and digital innovation, ImpactHER continues to advance inclusive economic growth across Africa.

The webinar, which was organised by ImpactHER, was held in partnership with the African Union and had in attendance over 260 female entrepreneurs from 29 African countries and 3 non-African countries.

According to the keynote speaker, Uwa Ohiku, senior partner, Jackson, Etti & Edu, intellectual property plays a very vital role in business success some of which includes – helping businesses gain competitive advantage, creating new revenue opportunities, improving access to funding, attracting strategic partners, minimizing legal risks, footprint expansion and earning customers trust.

She said:

“Intellectual Property can help set businesses apart by giving them a distinct brand identity and value. It can also make the business more appealing to investors, acquirers and collaborator with its protected brand value. To access funding, investors and lenders often see registered IP as a sign of value and credibility and can also serve as a market entry strategy when a business is seeking expansion.

Protecting IP puts a business under pressure to deliver on its promises and to continuously improve on its goods and services and through such quality, businesses earn their customers’ trust and continued patronage”.

Panelists who spoke at the webinar on the topic- “Common IP pitfalls for female entrepreneurs”, noted that female entrepreneurs can protect themselves from falling prey of their IPs through Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA), early registration before commencement of the business and having a commensurate budget that matches business strength.

Jenner Akwale, an intellectual property specialist urged female entrepreneurs to do regular audit of their IP, create a policy that guides their IP, desist from using copyrighted work as their own and must always read all contracts carefully.

“There are some investors who would want to hide IP clauses in their contracts, female entrepreneurs need to be very careful about this”, he expressed.

Another panelist, Susan Musyoka, noted that female entrepreneurs should embed their IP into their business strategy to foster creativity in their business.

In her submission, Omotayo Queen Onakoju, the head of Legal at EbonyLife Studios, explained that female business owners should not be tempted to download free online materials and use it for marketing purposes as this constitutes copyright infringements.

“Copyrighted works have two rights- moral and economic. These two go hand in hand and cannot be separated. To use any copyrighted work, they must be given the due credit and must also be paid for it”, she noted.

This landmark event, organized by ImpactHER in partnership with the African Union and the United States Department of Commerce, will take place on December 11-12, 2024, in Abuja, Nigeria.

The event is hosted by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Under the theme, “Igniting Africa’s Green Revolution: Empowering Women Entrepreneurs as Catalysts for Sustainable Growth and Unlocking Access to Eco-Financing,” the conference aims to bridge the green financing gap, recognizing the pivotal role of women-led businesses in Africa’s economies and addressing the significant barriers they face in accessing eco-financing opportunities.

“This is more than a conference—it’s a turning point for Africa’s women entrepreneurs,” said Efe Ukala, founder of ImpactHER. “By uniting government leaders, global financiers, and visionary women entrepreneurs, we aim to unlock millions of dollars in eco-financing by 2026 and position women as the driving force of Africa’s sustainable future.”

Ministers from Chad, Liberia, Malawi, Benin, Zambia, Uganda, Cameroon, The Gambia, Nigeria, and Kenya will join representatives from leading financial institutions and the U.S. Department of Commerce to share insights on eco-financing and sustainability.

The two-day event will feature:

• Executive roundtables with government ministers and global investors
• Intensive workshops on green business certification and eco-financing
• A pitch competition for green business
• Interactive exhibitions showcasing successful sustainable business models

Strategic partners including ToolUP Foundation (an Emmanuel C. Ukala Foundation) and ARUWA Capital.

The MoU outlines a collaborative framework between ImpactHER and the African Union, focusing on strategic initiatives to empower women entrepreneurs across the continent.

This partnership aims to address key challenges faced by African women in business, including access to finance, market linkages and skill development, aligning with the aspirations of Agenda 2063 for a prosperous and gender-equal Africa.

Efe Ukala, Founder, ImpactHER, while expressing enthusiasm about the partnership said:

“This is more than a collaboration; it’s a commitment to the women of Africa. Together with the African Union, we are poised to make significant strides in breaking down barriers that have long hindered women entrepreneurs from reaching their full potential. The partnership will kick-off with a series of joint programs and initiatives aimed at providing African women entrepreneurs with the tools, resources, and support they need to thrive. These initiatives will include targeted training programs, access to finance workshops, and networking events designed to connect women entrepreneurs with potential investors and markets”.

During the MOU signing ceremony, Albert Muchanga, commissioner for Trade and Industry at the African Union, underscored the importance of this partnership.

“Africa is on the rise and its women are the key agents that will drive the next level strategic growth phase. This is why we are passionate that for us to achieve our 2063 agenda, we must tap into the enormous resources that our women possess. African female entrepreneurs are at the heart of this MOU that we have signed. The AU wants to make sure that they are carried along and to achieve this, we will be working with ImpactHER due to its verifiable track record of success African female business owners. We at the African Union are certain that the story of the African women will change with the partnership”, he expressed.

ImpactHER is an impact-driven organization that focuses on bridging the $42 billion financing gap for women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Africa.

ImpactHER has directly trained and supported over 130,000 African women entrepreneurs, on a pro bono basis, in 53 African countries.

The organization helps African women business owners access institutional capital, scale their businesses, tackle operational challenges, access new markets through technology, and become investor-ready providing them with the digital skills they need to succeed.

Mastercard and Women Choice have expanded their partnership to launch two programs – ImpactHer and EmpowerHer – to support women entrepreneurs grow their business and create jobs across the Middle East and Africa.

Women Choice – an international organization dedicated to advancing women’s personal and professional development – launched the pilot cohort in 2023.

The next cohorts will be participating in the new programs this year and will aim to impact 50,000 women.

Mastercard has been at the forefront of providing women with access to digital tools, training to help them start and grow their businesses, creating mentorship and networking platforms and working with employers to create more jobs for women.

The collaboration with Women Choice is a step further in reinforcing their joint commitment to empowering female-led businesses with resources and growth opportunities with a goal of providing 1 million employment opportunities for women by 2030.

These programs will offer comprehensive support via trainings and mentorship for women entrepreneurs and helps them create employment opportunities for other women in their chosen field.

“At Mastercard, we are committed to creating a more inclusive and equitable world, where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Our expanded partnership with Women Choice will not only have a significant impact on women in the workplace across the region, but also provide women entrepreneurs with the right skills, resources and tools to succeed and drive economic growth in the region,” said Amnah Ajmal, executive vice president, Market Development, EEMEA, Mastercard.

“We are proud to see the successful results of the program launched in 2023 in collaboration with Mastercard and are excited to see the partnership continuing to grow through 2024. We are now focusing on scaling the impact. Bringing change and improving the situation of women in the workplace and providing support to women-led businesses is a key element to help economies in the Middle East and Africa region grow and further thrive,” said Nezha Alaoui, founder & CEO of Women Choice.

Globally, 15,000 women are already part of the Women Choice network and have participated in 100+ accelerator programs and conferences organized in recent years.

This was made known at the 2024 International Women’s Day celebration organized by ImpactHER, a foremost non-profit organization with a mandate for empowering African female entrepreneurs by bridging the gender business financing gap so as to help them realize their full economic potentials in partnership with the African Union, ToolUp, BRAVE Women, GIZ and Lotus Bank.

The training had in attendance over 400 female entrepreneurs.

In her remarks, Efe Ukala, founder, ImpactHER, urged the women to forge a strong bond of unity, pull resources together and serve as a torch bearer in their various business enterprises. She explained that ImpactHER is an inclusion platform that seeks to help female entrepreneurs become the best version of themselves.

She said:

“Inspiring inclusion is more than just a theme for International Women’s Day. It is a guiding light for us all, especially the vibrant community of African women entrepreneurs. It means creating spaces where every woman’s voice can echo with strength, where her ideas can flourish without boundaries and where her dreams are nurtured by the collective support of a community that sees no limit to what she can achieve. It means each of us committing to lift as we climb ensuring that our success is not a solitary journey but a shared voyage that paves the way for more women to step into their power”.

“For this training, we had a slot for 250 women, but today, we have over 400 women in attendance. These women came from all parts of Lagos, Ibadan, Ogun State and even Benin Republic to learn. This shows that women across Nigeria and even Africa, truly need platforms like this where they can learn, network and receive guidance for sustainable business progression.

“Generally, ImpactHER helps even the most marginalized women to get free resources that allows them to build a more structured and sustainable business. For example, we provide free business registration service, book keeping and accounting so that they can access the finance needed to build their businesses.

“All these, we believe will help foster inclusion to help bridge the gender gap. During the event, we organized a market place with over forty vendors to showcase and sell their items. We appreciate all our sponsors for making this event very successful”.

While delivering her training on the topic- Inspire Inclusion- Unlocking opportunities in exports and empowering African women to conquer the global market, Florence Okafor, Chief Trade Promotion Officer, Nigerian Export Promotion Council urged the women to invest in quality packaging, acquisition of international licences, have an excellent knowledge of the laws guiding imports in various countries and international trade terms.

Another facilitator, Olanrewaju Oniyitan, founder/CEO, W-Holistic Business Solutions who spoke on the topic Growing Wealth: Growing an investable company as a woman founder hinted that people, a wonderful business model, track record of business growth, financial viability, scalability and risk management are some of the pointers needed for female entrepreneurs to become successful in their business.

She said:

“I urge you women to have a rich portfolio of your work and be deliberate about ensuring that you seek the right information always. Regulatory compliance is also very important in accessing finance. You need to be conversant with the tax laws, PAYEE and many more. On a final note, I want you all to know that innovation doesn’t mean you have to go digital or online. Innovation means, you can look at your process, refine it, add something to your product to make it unique and different and you have already innovated. You do not need an app to innovate. Continuous research and development can set your business on the path of innovation”.

In a special message from the U.S. Consulate in Lagos, who was represented by Brittany Orange, to the women, she lamented the low representation of women in the country’s political and economic space and urged the government to provide a level playing field for more women to be active in politics and business.

In partnership with the African Union and supported by other sponsors such as GIZ and Brave Women, the free  training which will hold at The Zone, Gbagada will bring together over 250 small and medium scale female entrepreneurs who are engaged in various business activities where they will undergo training on market expansion strategies, digital skills, packaging and export, business book keeping, business financing and various other topics which will help them navigate the challenges of running their businesses.

According to Clementina Uzogor, director, ImpactHER, the theme of the training “Inspiring Inclusion: Unlocking Opportunities Using Digital Skills and Market Expansion” is sacrosanct this period as SMEs need to know that business success and expansion is possible once they have a good grasp of the various digital skills available to them.

“Excellent use of digital skills will help SMEs create a niche for themselves and reach a global set of customers. This is the essence of this training. We have put together wonderful facilitators to explore in details the various digital marketing skills and how they can help with business and market expansion”, she said.

She hinted further that this year’s training is of a different make owing to the speakers and facilitators that have been scheduled to impact the women.

She said: “The speakers for this year’s celebration have been carefully researched and put together. Olanrewaju Oniyitan, Founder and CEO, W-Holistics Business Solutions; Florence Okafor, Chief Trade Promotion Officer, Nigeria Export Promotion Council; Olatunde Shobajo, Youtube Expert at Valor Reviews and Chidinma Ndukwe, Social Media Manager, Robert Taylor Media will be on ground to share their business experience and expertise at the training. Our panelists include: Adaku Ijara, MD/CEO, Emerging Africa Group; Oluwatoyin Aralepo, Director of Finance, Mastercard Foundation; Dr. Oluseyi Olanrewaju, Chief Financial Officer, Digital Reality, Ayisat Olanrewaju, Founder, Corporately Lucid and Adesuwa Rhodes Okunbo, Founder, Aruwa Capital”.

While enjoining female entrepreneurs to take advantage of this uniquely structured training to enhance business growth, Efe Ukala, Founder of ImpactHER, informed that participants only need to register and attend the training for free.

“We urge all our female entrepreneurs to register for this event. They stand a chance to win $1,000 business grant, free websites and business registration, business advisory and free digital marketing strategy session too. This training is going to be a springboard for a reverberating business success for female entrepreneurs in Lagos and Nigeria” she expressed.

ImpactHER is an award-winning not-for-profit organization awarded at the African Union as the Best Women SME (small and medium sized enterprises) Support Organization in Africa.

The organization has trained over 130,000 female entrepreneurs across the 54 African countries.