Countdown to She Leads Africa Accelerator Begins

With just a few days to the close of the application timeline for the She Leads Africa (SLA) Accelerator programme, the countdown has begun for the emergence of the next generation of Nigeria’s brightest female entrepreneurs. Selected young female entrepreneurs looking to grow their businesses across Africa will compete in the Accelerator programme for a N2 million cash prize, media features in international news outlets, exclusive meetings with top investors and dedicated mentoring from leaders of industry.

Sponsored by Africa’s leading bank, Guaranty Trust Bank plc, and the Work in Progress! Alliance, the She Leads Africa Accelerator presents a veritable platform for young female entrepreneurs to acquire basic business skills and grow their businesses. The 3 month programme will feature a one week residency program for budding entrepreneurs to acquire basic business skills with a key focus on growth, marketing and distribution. Upon the completion of the residency program, the participants will undergo a 3-week practical session to enable them implement their skills. The climax of the event will be a Demo Day where participants can pitch to domestic and international investors for a N2 million cash prize.

Registration for the SLA Accelerator programme will remain open until the 31^st of May, 2016. To apply, the budding female entrepreneur must be between the ages of 18 and 35, lead or be a shareholder in a Nigeria-based company that has been in existence for less than three years and must not have raised more than $50,000 in external funding. Also, the business idea of the entrepreneur must have already been launched, as ideas only on paper will not be accepted.

Among the many benefits of applying for the SLA Accelerator are the increased media attention which will boost the female entrepreneur’s local and international profile, her direct access to Nigeria’s best business minds, a potential N2 million investment, the opportunity to pitch to a room full of investors and, most important, three months of hands-on support from a team of experts. Past editions of this programme have already played a crucial role in uplifting African women and businesses such as Charae Robinson, CEO of Tastemakers Africa and Kasope Oladipo-Ajayi, CEO of OmoAlata Foods who emerged respective winners of the 2014 and 2015 editions of the She Leads Africa pitch.