In partnership with:
Programme
The Hub Femmes d’Avenir (Women for Future) aims to provide a selected group of Gabonese women entrepreneurs with dedicated support, including training, mentorship, and access to financing.
This program, created in 2022 and rooted in the “Eramet Beyond” initiative developed by the mining group, seeks to promote female entrepreneurship and diversify the economies of Gabon and Senegal.
In Gabon, this hub represents the commitment of WIA Philanthropy and Eramet to create dynamic and innovative ecosystems in Africa through female entrepreneurship. This hub, the first of its kind in Libreville, also hosts events throughout the year to highlight and promote Gabonese women’s entrepreneurship.
Through this program, we aim to contribute to the development of a community of local innovators who provide solutions to the many challenges Africa faces, particularly in innovation and new technologies, Fintech, and agricultural transformation. We strive to make the business models emerging from these solutions viable and sustainable.
Implementation of the program – class of 2025
The program will run in several phases:
First, a call for applications is launched on July, 3rd 2024 to all Gabonese women entrepreneurs.
After the selection phase of the program’s beneficiaries, the program begins with training sessions on technical subjects and “soft skills” such as writing a business plan or speaking in public. Women entrepreneurs are also trained in entrepreneurial pitching and will receive all the necessary keys to accessing financing.
Then, the beneficiaries are put in touch with a dedicated mentor and are coached on a specific issue to support them in the development of their businesses, with consistency and kindness.
Finally, some of our beneficiaries are selected for roadshows to raise funds.
Throughout the program, women entrepreneurs benefit from visibility on WIA’s social networks.
Call for applications
The call for applications will run from July 3, 2024 to July 28, 2024 at midnight Libreville time.
Candidates will have to fill out the application form which includes 2 types of sections:
– personal information;
– information about the company.
The WIA Philanthropy team will proceed to a rigorous selection according to criteria such as motivation, progress and potential of the project presented.
Selection criteria
Eligibility criteria:
- Company created or led by a Gabonese woman
- First traction on the market (turnover, number of users and/or customers, funds raised, etc.).
Project selection criteria:
- Scalability of the proven business model
- Growth potential
- Ambitious team with strong execution capability
- Innovative product, service or technology is a plus
- Potential impact in Africa
A look back at the highlights of the program
CLASS OF 2023
Launch Ceremony of the Hub
The launch ceremony of the « Femmes d’Avenir » program and its first cohort took place on Friday, June 10, 2022 in Libreville (Gabon), in the presence of Her Excellency the Prime Minister of Gabon Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda and Christel Bories, CEO of the Eramet Group.
Training sessions at the hub
The entrepreneurs of the « Femmes d’Avenir » program started training sessions on September 21, 2022.
They benefited from 30 adapted training sessions focused on the main entrepreneurial themes such as finance, management, human resources, management, marketing and communication.
Christmas market
On December 10, 2022, the women entrepreneurs exhibited and sold their products and services at the Christmas market of the Femmes d’Avenir hub.
Sessions with experts
CLASS OF 2024
Sessions with experts
Open Day
Networking
Bootcamps
Several intensive bootcamps open to Gabonese women entrepreneurs were organized throughout the year. In total, four bootcamps took place at the hub in Libreville, covering topics such as business management, commercial development, company presentation, and access to financing. Additionally, a bootcamp focused on business acceleration was held in Moanda, in collaboration with Comilog, aimed at expanding the program’s beneficiaries.
Pitch sessions
On Thursday, June 20, 2024, at the Hub Femmes d’Avenir, 12 selected beneficiaries brilliantly pitched their projects before a prestigious jury composed of influential business leaders:
▪️ Fabrice Nze-Bekale, President of GAIN
▪️ Stéphane Bell, CEO of LATITUDE MONDE
▪️ Danielle Biwawou, CEO of the Gabon Chamber of Commerce
▪️ Patrick Mouloungui, Director of Retail Banking, representing Wilfried Ogouth, Deputy CEO of UBA
▪️ Anselme M’Piga, Director of Retail and Professional Banking, representing Habib Simon Mapangou, Deputy CEO of BGFIBANK
▪️ Dora Mbeng, Director of the Hub Femmes d’Avenir
▪️ Olivier Gillibert, Director at Roland Berger
▪️ Romane Bossard and Sol Castagnino, representatives of Eramet
The participants presented their businesses from various sectors, showcasing their talent and determination to contribute to the economic development of Gabon and the African continent.
Closing ceremony
Interviews with top executives of the program
Christel Bories, CEO of Eramet group
Loise Tamalgo, General Delegate of Eramet in Africa and Marie-Axelle Gautier, Director of Social Impact and Human Rights of the Eramet Group
Dora Mbeng, Hub director and WIA Gabon project manager
Testimonies of Femmes d’Avenir (Women for Future) beneficiaries