The Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) has announced the speakers for its 7th annual conference. The conference will host high-level industry experts, business and public sector leaders from across Africa and the world.
This year’s AWIEF conference will take place on 2nd and 3rd December, 2021 under the theme “Advancing inclusive, resilient and sustainable growth in the post-COVID-19 African economy.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused enormous global upheaval and has exacerbated and laid bare existing and enduring inequalities in African societies and economies. The 2-day virtual AWIEF 2021 event will be a platform to ponder on the aftereffects, experiences undergone by African countries, their societies and economies, in order to plot a way forward for an inclusive, resilient and sustainable growth and transformation.
Speakers will dialogue on the opportunities that have been created by the pandemic, the challenges to be encountered, and how best to reposition the continent for sustainable development and transformation.
“The SME sector, the real engine room of the African economy and responsible for job growth in the private sector, has been severely affected. Women are suffering disproportionately. The AWIEF conference plays a hugely important role in promoting and driving urgent action towards women empowerment, entrepreneurship and innovation in Africa,” said Irene Ochem, AWIEF founder and CEO.
The AWIEF 2021 speakers include the following.
- H. E. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, Egypt
- H. E. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ghana
- H. E. Paula Ingabire, Minister of ICT and Innovation, Rwanda
- Beth Dunford, Vice President, Agriculture, Human and Social Development, African Development Bank (AfDB)
- Virginia Rose-Losada, Global Coordinator and Senior Technical Officer, Women’s Entrepreneurship Development, ILO
- Virpi Stucki, Chief, Rural Entrepreneurship, Job Creation and Human Security Division, UNIDO
- Mamadou Biteye OBE, Vice President, Inclusive Growth, Global Social Impact, Visa
- Olugbenga Agboola, Co-founder and CEO, Flutterwave, Nigeria
- Brett King, Founder and Executive Chairman, Moven, USA
- Eleni Giokos, CNN Anchor and Correspondent
- Izabela Milewska, Digital Skills Global Leader, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- Bethlehem Tilahun-Alemu, Founder and Executive Director, SoleRebels, Ethiopia
- Shirley Machaba, CEO, PwC Southern Africa
- Buhle Goslar, CEO, Africa Region & Pakistan, Jumo
- Jenna Clifford, Founder, Jenna Clifford, South Africa