Belgium Government Awa Prize 2023 for Women Entrepreneurs in Belgian development cooperation countries

Belgium Gov’t Awa Prize 2022 for African Women Entrepreneurs

When is Application Deadline?

5th Sept 2023 (Opening 1st October)

Tell Me About Award:

The Awa Prize is a competition organised by Enabel which highlights women entrepreneurs from Belgian development cooperation countries and their projects.

The Awa Prize celebrates the work of women who have a positive impact on their communities through their business.

Entrepreneurship knows no borders and no gender. All over the world, women and men are enlivening their communities through their businesses.

Nonetheless, a woman entrepreneur’s path is often strewn with obstacles which make her project more difficult to materialise. For example, inequalities linked to social norms, the time given to family care, difficulties in accessing the market and financing, or physical and psychological violence based on gender are obstacles for many women.

Aware of the economic stakes and committed to acting in favor of a better distribution of opportunities, Enabel has developed at the request of the Minister of Development Cooperation and Major Cities Policy, Meryame Kitir, the Awa Prize, Entrepreneurs with impact.

The Awa Prize is a contest which sheds the light on businesses and the women who lead them. But beyond this competition, the Awa Prize aims at federating a community of entrepreneurs around shared values, in order to fight against socio-economic inequalities.

Through the Awa Prize, many events will be organised at the local and international levels in order to raise awareness for men and women about the opportunities that women’s entrepreneurship can create. These events will enable progress on actions which can be developed to remove the persistent obstacles.

What Type of Award is this?

Entrepreneurship, Contest

Who can apply?

• Be a woman of legal age in her country
• Have the nationality of one of the following: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, DRC, Guinea, Jordan, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Palestine, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda.
• Be the (co-) founder and/or non-minority shareholder of a company which has been registered for at least 1 year in a participating country.

You will find the complete rules of the competition here.

Which Countries are Eligible?

Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, DRC, Guinea, Jordan, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Palestine, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda.

How Many Positions will be Given?

Each year, 12 entrepreneurs from the Belgian development cooperation are awarded a prize.

• Start-up
• Scale-up
• Innovation
• People’s Choice

In each category, three entrepreneurs will be highlighted and will receive the first, second and third prize respectively.

What is the Benefit of Award?

The first prize

Up to €50,000*

Spent to support/coaching, based on your company’s needs.

One week in Belgium

To meet entrepreneurship circles and inspire one another.

The second prize

Up to €10,000*

Spent to support/coaching, based on your company’s needs.

The third prize

Up to €5,000*

Spent to support/coaching, based on your company’s needs.

^{*Prizes are awarded after an assessment of the needs of the Winners by the Organiser or by an entity designated by the Organiser. The support plan is to be formalised by the Winners or the Candidates receiving a prize and the Organiser.}

How to Apply for Program?

Apply below

GOODLUCK!

Visit Award Webpage for Details