CONFERENCE: ‘Challenges & Opportunities for Women in Business in Africa’

Self Help AfricaEnterprise Development, Featured, Kenya, News, Uganda

‘Women in Leadership – Challenges & Opportunities in Business in Africa” is the title of an online webinar, taking place to mark International Women’s Day (IWD) on Monday, March 8th next.

Hosted by Self Help Africa, the event will feature voices from Africa and Europe speaking as women engaged in enterprise, investment and agriculture. It will look at both the obstacles and the opportunities for women in business in sub-Saharan Africa.

Speakers from Kenya, Uganda and Zambia will be joined by contributors from Norway and Belgium at the event, which will provide real life examples of the experiences of women working in Africa.

The webinar will take place from 9.30am to 11.30am (GMT) on Monday, 8th March next, and will be moderated by Self Help Africa’s Director of Programmes, Orla Kilcullen.

  • Winifred Johansen, Ugandan born but now living and working in Norway, where she is senior vice-president for commercial affairs and Chair of the Board of Quantafuel ApS. She is a director of ethical auditing consultancy Partner Africa. 
  • Hilary Barry, co-founder of Lady/Agri, an Impact Investment Hub and network that is supporting women agri-entrepreneurs in Africa and small islands.
  • Sonali Ruparelia– Programme Manager, Kenya & Uganda, Rabobank Foundation – providing soft loans and grants to producer cooperatives, SMEs, SACCOs and MFIs as intermediaries to benefit smallholder farmers to achieve self-reliance with improved social, economic and environmental impact.
  • Kalongo Chitengi is General Manager in Zambia at AGCO Corporation, one of the world’s largest manufactures and distributors of agricultural equipment and machinery.
  • Margaret Ngetha, senior business advisor to the EU-backed AgriFI Kenya Challenge Fund which is currently providing €18m in financing to promote agri-business growth and expansion.
  • AnnMarie Kathendu is CEO of Picked and Packed Fresh Produce Limited and Kathy’s Fresh Ltd, businesses that buy and sell fresh produce from more than 1,200 small-scale farmers in Kenya.

The event, which marks International Women’s Day will hear about projects, initiatives and personal stories that focus upon ‘Women in Leadership’, the 2021 UN theme for IWD.

Sign up for the Webinar