She Wins Africa, IFC and World Bank Partner to Empower 1,000 Women Entrepreneurs

She Wins Africa, a powerful program by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank Group, is teaming up with Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) to empower 1,000 women entrepreneurs across the continent. This investment readiness program offers training, mentorship, and networking to help women-led startups grow and succeed. The big announcement came at a closing event in Lagos, led by Oluwatosin Olaseinde, founder and CEO of Money Africa & Ladda, a program beneficiary.

In its first year, She Wins Africa supported 100 women-led businesses in 23 African countries. These startups raised over $4 million in funding, with 17 securing external finance, beating the program’s goals. Participants got 123 hours of hands-on technical help, plus extra advisory for 22 startups. The program linked them to 275 investors from regional and global markets and brought in 100 mentors across Africa. Women also received business coaching, masterclasses, and training to sharpen their operations, fix business models, and attract private money.

Marieme Niang Camara, IFC’s Regional Gender Lead for Africa, explained why they’re scaling up. “When we started with 100 women, it was a successful pilot. But 100 is just the start for Africa. The access to capital and markets it gave them shows this program’s worth. Now, we’re going to 1,000, smartly segmenting startups, growth-stage, and scale-up businesses with tailored support and funding links through IFC-backed banks,” she said.

She Wins Africa, IFC and World Bank Partner to Empower 1,000 Women Entrepreneurs

Dr. Ubon Udoh, Managing Director of ASR Africa, the initiative of philanthropist and BUA Group Chairman Abdul Samad Rabiu, added that the expansion builds on early lessons. “This is one of Africa’s most impactful programs for women entrepreneurs. It strengthens the whole continent’s economy. We’re growing from 100 women in 23 countries to 1,000 across more nations, for deeper, sustainable change and wider reach,” he noted.

A key strength of She Wins Africa is pulling in private investors with small “catalytic” grants. Starting with about $100,000 in grants, it drew nearly $400,000 more from partners like Octerra Capital, IMEX, Sahel Capital, Nubia Capital, and Convergence Advisory. This cash helped startups expand production, build better infrastructure, hire staff, cut risks for investors, and speed up growth. The first group included startups at all stages, from new ideas to established ones.

At the Lagos event, four grant winners were celebrated: Aisha Langat of Sulma Whole Food in Kenya, Ifeoma Uddoh of SheCludded in Nigeria, Julie Cremieux of Neofarm in Senegal, and Ifedayo Durosinmi-Etti of Hereconomy in Nigeria. Their stories show how targeted help, investor meetings, and partnerships close the funding gap for women.

IFC, the top global developer for private businesses in emerging markets, leads with technical aid, investor ties, and strategy. ASR Africa boosts this effort. The expansion is the first of four planned projects under She Wins Africa. Future phases will focus on scale-ready ventures while aiding early ones, creating a strong pipeline of women-led businesses for inclusive growth.

This push matters hugely in Africa, where women entrepreneurs face big barriers to cash and markets. By scaling to 1,000, She Wins Africa tackles that head-on, fostering jobs, innovation, and stronger economies. Early wins prove it works, $4 million raised, lives changed, businesses thriving. As it spreads to more countries, expect even bigger ripples, proving targeted support unlocks women’s power to drive Africa’s future.

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