Women agripreneurs are fundamental drivers of sustainable development and play a critical role towards the pursuit of more inclusive and prosperous societies. They play a significant role in job creation, improving household incomes, and in bringing about benefits beyond economic growth, especially in developing countries. The empowerment of female agripreneurs, in particular those who lead and own small and medium enterprises (SMEs) active in agrifood value chains, is therefore key to enhance their contribution to development, as well as to enable them to grow and expand their businesses in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable manner.

In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), women constitute at least 50 percent (over 600 million) of the current population size, and female participation in entrepreneurial activities is considered the highest amongst all regions. In addition, women provide the bulk of unpaid care and domestic work in rural areas, thereby supporting current and future generations of rural workers within their households and communities. African women entrepreneurs are key drivers of development, inclusive growth, and prosperity. Despite their significant contribution to the agriculture sector, rural women typically find themselves in disadvantaged positions. Compared to their male counterparts, they tend to face more restricted access to productive resources and assets, capacity development, financial services and social protection. Gender-biased social norms, laws and practices also limit women’s involvement in gainful work and their participation in workers’ and producers’ organizations, especially in organized labour institutions such as trade unions.

At the same time, SMEs in the region are the backbone of the region’s private sector – representing 90 percent of the private sector in the region, and contributing to over 80 percent of jobs in the continent. Nonetheless, the challenges for SMEs, particularly those operating in agrifood systems, are many, with access to finance being the largest obstacle, followed by difficulties in doing business as a result of burdensome laws and regulations, as well as limited capacities and access to knowledge and technology also considered as challenges preventing them from expanding. COVID-19 has added to the pressures of business survival, growth and sustainability, and has served to urgently highlight the need for partnerships, leveraging knowledge, and innovative business models and strategies. For young women entrepreneurs, these challenges are even greater.

The duration of the programme has been extended to 9 months, to run from October 2024 – June 2025.

The objective of the jointly-led Accelerator Mentorship Programme is to foster a selected number of women entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa with one-to-one mentorship with a panel of experts who are leading women entrepreneurs from around the globe, using a structure through which participants can interact and learn from the expert panel, as well as to provide them with access to knowledge and tools necessary to grow their enterprises and adapt to an ever-changing marketplace.

Specifically, the programme aims to provide selected women entrepreneurs with:

• A one-on-one mentorship/ coaching opportunity;
• A series of tailor-made trainings to enhance hard skills from a selection of available options;
• Knowledge exchange, networking and peer-learning opportunities; and
• Access/links to tools developed by FAO, IAFN and other institutions.