Lead F Africa

Investing in female founders and innovation enablers is important for every local ecosystem. Especially in times of change, female leaders have proven to be more resilient to  crises. This is why Female Founders and Make-IT in Africa are partnering up to create Lead F Africa. Lead F Africa is a leadership program tailored to support female founders in tech, innovation enablers in entrepreneur support organizations and champions in policy-making in African innovation ecosystems.

About the program

The 10 week program is based on three pillars: learning, mentoring, and networking. The program kicks off in February 2023 with an in-person bootcamp held in Kigali, Rwanda. During two full days of fun, networking and learning, participants get a chance to meet each other in person and learn about their unique leadership style.

After the bootcamp, participants will attend virtual learning sessions every Wednesday afternoon from 3-5 PM CET. They will have the opportunity to exchange and learn from their peers and speakers across the globe. These highly interactive online sessions include insights from top subject matter experts and concrete leadership frameworks that can be implemented right away. In addition, participants will receive feedback on their leadership style through 1:1 peer coaching and mentoring.

Networking is essential for anyone wanting to grow their career and participating in Lead F Africa means building a life-long network of female leaders across Africa and Europe. Relationships will be built during the program, but also through opportunities to connect with the wider Female Founders community at events and conferences.

Apply for Lead F Africa

Applications for the Leadership Accelerator are open until December 9th 2022. After all applications are reviewed, 15-20 applications will be selected to participate in the program.

• Deadline for applications: December 9th, 2022
• Program dates: February 19th – April 26, 2023.
• In-person kick-off:  February 19-21st in Kigali, Rwanda

Want more info? Check out our brochure.

Not sure yet if the program is for you? Have questions about the application & selection? Want to know what to expect from the sessions?
We are hosting an info session on Wednesday November 30th, 2022 from 10:00-11:00 AM CET to answer all your questions!
Register for the event here.

About our partner

Make-IT in Africa believes in the catalytic power of African innovation and digital technologies for green and sustainable development. In close collaboration with digital visionaries like start-ups, innovation enablers and political partners, we empower African innovation ecosystems. Together, we aim to strengthen an environment in which the full potential of African digital innovation can unfold. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH implements this project on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).