"Let's unleash the potential of African women entrepreneurs!"

March 29, 2019

Credits: SEYLLOU / AFP

Africa is the only region in the world where the majority of entrepreneurs are female entrepreneurs. They work longer than men and even those who do not run businesses help to support their countries through engagement in the agricultural sector. Yet, there are several obstacles to their participation in the economy.

Thus, the issue of women's education continues to weaken our fundamentals. According to the World Bank, only 30% of business women has completed high school, while 40% of business men has received specific training on entrepreneurship. If we could solve the problem of access to quality education adapted to our needs, we would be at full speed. On the other hand, addressing the issue of girls' education is not just an African challenge: according to the World Bank, the structural problems that limit access to girls and women to the twelve-year-long education cost countries between $ 15,000 and $ 30 trillion (between 13,300 and 26,600 billion Euros) in lost productivity and revenue.

Lack of access to land

As wealth creation is our goal, it is equally important to recognize the vital organs that will enable women to run Africa at full speed. In this sense, the agricultural sector is our vascular system: we must therefore provide more resources adapted to the majority of African women working in agriculture. They must overcome many obstacles, including lack of access to land, agricultural markets, innovations and inputs such as seeds and fertilizers. If we do so, African women will reap the benefits of their labor, knowing that according to the African Development Bank, the size of the food market in Africa will reach $ 1 trillion mark in 2030.