In a bid to increase the impact of African women entrepreneurs in the African economy, the Coca-Cola Foundation has partnered with Women in Africa (WIA) to support 20,000 female business owners on the continent.

The entrepreneurs selected for the Jamii Femmes initiative would be picked from Kenya, Nigeria and Ivory Coast over the next three years.

For the first year, 7,000 women from the three countries will partake in a multi-phase programme. The first phase is a 4-month digital training phase, conducted by WIA’s knowledge partner, Honoris United Universities.

In the second phase, selected beneficiaries will have access to grants. In the third phase, selected entrepreneurs will be able to participate in an accelerator programme, after which a special prize of $10,000 will be awarded per country.

The programme, which had more than 3,000 African women entrepreneurs in the first cohort, is open for the second cohort.

Speaking at the launch event held at the University of Nairobi, which hosted participating women entrepreneurs from Kenya, Debra Mallowah, vice president and general manager of East and Central Africa franchise at Coca-Cola, said the company is happy to have Kenya as one of the beneficiary countries in phase 1.

“Women empowerment remains one of our key pillars in driving the sustainability agenda and we are keen to bring on board more initiatives that deliver the desired positive impact in the lives of women in Kenya and Africa,” she said.

The Jamii Femmes initiative aims to support the creation of innovative solutions for sustainable development in Africa.