The TAW (Tech African Women) program, launched by the UNECA (United Nations Economic Commission for Africa) in partnership with Betacube, closed its 3-day Ethiopian bootcamp on September 9th, 2022. The event was organized in partnership with AdoreAddis and the two Ethiopian winning startups were each awarded the program’s participation prize of $2,000.
The selection process was based on the market potential of each startup idea and was made after a pitching competition in front of a local jury panel representing different actors in the ecosystem. The focus on social impact and women entrepreneurs makes this an important initiative that is sure to have a positive effect on the development of Africa as a whole.
The goal of this bootcamp was to provide young entrepreneurs with the tools they need to start their own businesses. In addition to the training and mentorship provided, the candidates also had the opportunity to pitch their business ideas to a panel of expert judges.
On the final day of the Ethiopian bootcamp, an award ceremony was held for the candidates. The two nominees were Tenaseb, an educational online platform about SRH for women (1st prize), and Makoyamoms (2nd prize), a platform that connects young graduates with mothers seeking a babysitter for their children.
The eight selected winning startups from Tunisia, Senegal, Tanzania and Ethiopia will take part in a 2-month online incubation program. A final ceremony will take place in Ethiopia at the UNECA Conference Center in Addis Ababa, where each startup will pitch its idea to win the program’s final prize of $7000. In support of digital innovation in Africa and women entrepreneurship, the TAW (Tech African Women) aims to achieve the objectives of the Connected African Girls Coding Camp program. This program was initiated by the UNECA to provide young women and girls with education and technological skills in order to promote Africa’s integration, generate inclusive economic growth, boost job creation, break the digital divide and eradicate poverty for Africa’s socio-economic development and ensure Africa’s ownership of modern digital management tools.