09:45 – 10:00
Opening ceremony
MC – Leanne Manas, Broadcast Anchor/TV Presenter, SABC
Opening remarks
Irene Ochem, AWIEF Founder and CEO
AWIEF2020 is a two-day virtual event featuring leading high-profile keynotes, a ministerial panel, industry stakeholder panels, fireside chats, masterclasses, exhibition, AWIEF Pitch n Grow/Demo, the AWIEF Awards, and of course, networking opportunities.
MC – Leanne Manas, Broadcast Anchor/TV Presenter, SABC
Irene Ochem, AWIEF Founder and CEO
H. E. Lana Marks, Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of South Africa
COVID-19, a global pandemic of the century, has turned the world upside down. Global economies, from developed to the developing world, have been hit very hard. What have been the greatest impacts, challenges, and opportunities? We must rebuild fast and differently. We must reimagine structures, leadership, and policies. What can and must we do differently or better to put the continent on a stronger footing and return to a path of sustainable development? Speakers deeply versed in African economies will highlight the identified structural problems and how to reimagine and rebuild better.
Moderator
Pratibha (Pat) Thaker, Editorial Director, Middle East and Africa, The Economist Intelligence Unit
One of the biggest challenges facing early-stage businesses and, in a particular way, women-owned businesses, is the lack of investment opportunities to grow and scale. COVID-19 has disproportionately affected women-owned ventures. How do we fund the recovery or finance entrepreneurs out of the pandemic? As concerns about inequality and financial inclusion become increasingly urgent, many investors are eager to generate both business and social returns. They want to “do well by doing good”. Impact investing – directing capital to businesses that are expected to yield social and environmental benefits as well as profits – and gender lens investing are becoming more and more critical and fast-evolving.
Moderator
Ononuju Irukwu, Head, Private Banking, FBN Bank UK
H. E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated progress in digital transformation and digital economy expansion in Africa. Findings indicate technology has fundamentally changed business and is set to play an even much larger role in key growth sectors such as agriculture, education, healthcare, e-commerce, and ICT. We are going to see an increased adoption of homegrown innovations and technologies. How then do we create stronger structures and policies to build innovation resilience? How do we foster and support inclusivity in innovation and technology, including removing barriers and addressing the gender gap in access to connectivity, data, and digital learning?
Moderator
Justin Norman, Founder and Host, The Flip Africa
Networking Sessions
Landry Signé, Senior Director and Full Professor, Thunderbird School of Global Management, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution’s Global Economy and Development Program, Distinguished Fellow, Standford University’s Center for African Studies
Despite recent re-opening of economies across the continent, women traders still experience the knock-on effects from the pandemic triggered shock. Different stakeholders, including governments, private sector, development partners, women business networks, have implemented measures to help women who were severely affected by the pandemic shock. The Regional Food Trade Coalition Women in Trade Thematic Working Group will host this session to discuss experiences and lessons from interventions implemented across the continent to help women in food trade build back better from the devastating impacts of the pandemic. The discussions will also focus on necessary conditions to build and strengthen women traders’ resilience to multiple shocks.
Moderator
Vanessa Adams, VP Strategic Partnerships and Chief of Party, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
Ayodele Odusola, UNDP Representative for South Africa
Saul Molobi, CEO, Brandhill Africa
Only ten years left! In view of the important milestones for Africa of not only the UN SDGs but also the African Union Agenda 2063 and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), how do African governments and the public sector step up to address the challenges and reposition the continent for a resilient and innovative future?
Moderator
Rose Sibisi, Chief Executive Officer, CBC Television, Zambia
Networking Sessions
The pandemic has exacerbated Africa’s food insecurity, disrupting entire supply chains, and widening gender and social inequality gaps. Agriculture remains the continent’s largest industry employer, offering huge potentials for value chain enhancement and scale across borders. Digital technology offers opportunities for farmers, entrepreneurs, and investors to leverage innovative agritech solutions and improve the efficiency of food production and consumption in Africa emerging from the pandemic. African agriculture is seeing inspiring innovations and technological advancing. However, this trend is deeply gendered in research, access, use and extension services. What are the roles of women and technology in agriculture? What opportunities does technology offer for boosting gender equality and women in agribusiness growth? How do we address gender technological gaps and develop gender-responsive policies?
5 minutes presentation: VALUE4HERConnect – Africa’s first women in agribusiness digital market place
Moderator
Sabdiyo Dido, Head of Gender and Inclusiveness, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
Africa still suffers from widespread and large-scale energy poverty. As business, education, and health shifted to technology platforms during COVID-19 pandemic, the critical role of energy and power could not be overemphasized. The energy landscape and the energy mix are rapidly changing, driven by technology and environmental concerns. How do you address the energy challenge for rebuilding back better in Africa? What does the AfCFTA mean for the energy sector and what will be the major new opportunities in energy infrastructure? How do you accelerate female participation and increase the proportion of women leaders in the African energy sector?
Moderator
Bertha Dlamini, President, African Women in Electricity and Power
Networking Sessions
Robert Ochola, Director and Global Head for Strategy and Innovation, Afreximbank
Juan Pablo Davila, Industrial Development Expert, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO)
Past AWIEF alumni and Award winners; and youth entrepreneurship enthusiasts, share stories and entrepreneurial journeys with no holds barred. In candid accounts of their successes and setbacks—from launching start-ups to helping their communities—they are poised to share how their passion and purpose are helping them advance their business goals and redefining leadership across Africa. How have the youth been affected by COVID-19 and what matters to them most at present and moving forward? The panel provides profound inspiration and ideas for every young man and woman who hopes to lead change in Africa.
Moderator
Edith Njage, Co-founder and CEO, ARIELLE for Africa, Kenya
AWIEF Awards
– celebrating excellence in African women entrepreneurship
APO Group African Women in Media Award
– recognizing the support of female journalists for women entrepreneurship in Africa
AWIEF Exhibition
AWIEF offers an exhibition platform for companies, organisations and women-owned businesses to showcase their projects and innovations.
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This is a provisional programme and may be subject to change.