FIT4Mentorship Program for Women and African Innovation Support Organisations

May 24, 2024May 24, 2024 oppor4u 0 Comments

The African technology industry has experienced significant growth in recent years, attracting over $5 billion in investments in 2022 alone. However, despite this growth, there is still a significant gender imbalance in the industry, with only 20% of tech startups funded in Africa in 2022 having a female founder.

To address this issue, the FIT4Mentorship Program for Women and African Innovation Support Organisations was established. This program is implemented by SPARK, BongoHive, and Zanga Metrics. SPARK is a project implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The program aims to target 30 female tech role models across Africa and 10 African Innovation Support Organisations (ISOs). It offers comprehensive training and practical mentorship experiences to these individuals.

Through a careful selection process and tailored training, FIT4Mentorship aims to create a more inclusive tech ecosystem. By equipping female role models with mentorship skills and facilitating meaningful connections between mentors and startups, the program seeks to promote gender equity and entrepreneurship in the African tech industry.

For mentors

To empower women in the tech industry across Africa, a program has been designed to train them as mentors and role models for their fellow female entrepreneurs. The training will focus on enhancing their mentorship skills, including the mentoring process, effective communication and relationship building, personal development, and incorporating a gender perspective in entrepreneurship and innovation.

Once the mentors have completed their comprehensive training, they will be paired with female-led startups. Their role will be to provide tailored guidance and assistance based on the specific needs of each startup. The mentors will put their skills into practice by facilitating peer exchange sessions and offering one-to-one coaching to the startups. Regular evaluations will be conducted to ensure that the mentors are effectively supporting the startups, and those who demonstrate success will be recognized upon completion of the program.

Application