The Public Diplomacy Section at the U.S. Mission to South Africa runs a programme called the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE), an initiative of the U.S. Department of State and Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management. As part of the sixth iteration of this programme in the country, they have invited select AWE alumni from countries in the Southern African Customs Union to join the very first Southern Africa Regional Academy for Women Entrepreneurs Alumni Summit, set to take place November 20-22 in Pretoria.

The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) initially launched in 2019 and implemented in 105 countries around the globe. AWE equips female entrepreneurs with the knowledge, networks, and resources needed to build and grow their businesses.

The summit will bring together 60 AWE alumnae, facilitators, and coordinators from Southern African Customs Union (SACU) countries, including Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, and South Africa. Our aim is to foster regional collaboration, promote business expansion, and showcase the impact of the AWE program on women entrepreneurs in the region.

One of the speakers, an award-winning Haitian-American & Ghanaian, serial entrepreneur, global speaker and institutional advisor, Christine Souffrant Ntim spoke to Thelma Hlongwane.