Deadline 24th October 2022

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

Why the Awa Prize?

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.

1 prize, 4 categories, 12 winners

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

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

1. Start Up- For Companies existing less than 3 years
2. Scale Up- For Companies existing more than 3 years
3. Innovation - For companies that innovate through their products, services or approaches
4. People's Choice - You choose the winner

Who is the Awa Prize for?

1. Be a woman of legal age in her country of residence
2. Have the nationality of one participating country
3. Be the co-founder and / or non minoroty shareholder of a company which has been registered for at least 1 year in a participating country

Participating countries for the 2022 edition: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, DRC, Guinea, Jordan, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Palestine, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda.

You will find the complete rules of the competition here.

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.

Apply Here >>>