Eight founders from Ghana, Kenya and South Africa are currently in Berlin to learn networks and to. Your goal: Africa to be digital.
It is an ostentatious construction on Berlin’s Grand Boulevard Kurfürstendamm. Outside, grey on the draw rain clouds, inside the fifth floor of eight computer scientists and engineers speak of the interior, the African Start-up Ecosystems, shaping and digitization of the continent forward.
In the framework of the program “Female Tech Business in Africa” to talk about their challenges. You want to expand your networks, share experiences, and other founders and potential investors meet. The programme is funded by the German Federal Ministry for economic cooperation and development (BMZ).
As Naadiya Moosajee, co-founder of WomEng from South Africa. She is a civil engineer and has built WomEng a platform, the women in engineering occupations coaches and job search help.
“We have a platform for female engineers,” she says proudly, and stresses that WomEng is already in 22 countries. Advising companies is one of them.
Well-formed
Moosajee, who also has a master’s degree as a transportation engineer, is convinced that, especially in Africa, many well-educated and talented women. But these talents need to discover the firms often “need to change their recruiting strategies to engineer more appealing,” she says in a DW interview.
She was selected by the US magazine Forbes to be one of the “Top 20 Young Power Women in Africa”, tells you about it. Your appearance is friendly and modest.
Naadiya Moosajee from South Africa helps engineers in the job search
In Berlin, you want to learn from the experiences of other entrepreneurs. It is important for you, as it comes as the founder of risk capital. To obtain “money is a Problem for many founders,” she says.
The program for the African founder is organized by enpact e. V., a Non-government organization (NGO) that is supported by the German society for International cooperation (GIZ). Berlin is also in Africa as a centre for young company founders, known.
Too small for investors?
This afternoon, the African entrepreneurs are meeting Mali tree, founded by the WLOUNGE in Berlin, a network for Business and technology with a focus on women and inclusion.
She tells you that Start-ups by women are often too small to interest venture capitalists. “The venture capitalists don’t like to leave their comfort zone,” she says, laughing. “But you have to educate them. We must not forget that technology is the future.”
Margaret Mutheu from Kenya is in the platform “1millionstartups” for East Africa
Africa is in the midst of a digital Transformation, the experts agree. Afro barometer, a pan-African research network, has identified that on the African continent mobile networks in the last ten years by almost a quarter have grown faster than all other major areas of infrastructure.
Dreams life
African entrepreneurs, digitalisation offers new possibilities. The Kenyan Margaret Mutheu is part of the global Community, “1MillionStartups,” the objectives of your company in the sustainability of the United Nations-oriented.
Mutheu is a computer scientist and “1MillionStartups” for East Africa. “Entrepreneurs often work in the service sector, they create jobs, but have problems in financing,” she says. “And you often do not know the market value of your services.”
Currently Mutheu builds a Start-up centre. She coaches entrepreneurs with their small Team, things are going digital. “I have dreamed of becoming a businesswoman,” she says and her eyes sparkle. “Now I am living my dream.”