Egypt’s Minister for International Cooperation, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat has announced that Egypt will host the 8th edition of the Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) (www.AWIEForum.org) conference and awards on 26 – 27 September in Cairo.
The minister made the announcement on Tuesday, 10th May 2022 at a joint press conference held by the International Cooperation Ministry, AWIEF and the Egyptian Businessmen’s Association.
In her remarks, Dr. Al-Mashat said: “The hosting of this event reflects Egypt’s keenness and support for empowering women and enhancing their economic participation and important roles on innovation and entrepreneurship to achieve sustainable development.
Such a step also reflects the state’s pivotal roles and national efforts on women empowerment to strengthen women’s contribution to the labour markets”
The prestigious AWIEF conference to be held at the Cairo Marriott Hotel is co-organised by the Egyptian Businessmen’s Association, a non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation that seeks to unify the efforts of private Egyptian interests in contributing to the productivity and efficient national economic and social development of Egypt.
AWIEF CEO Irene Ochem said at the press conference: “We are truly excited and happy to be hosting AWIEF2022 in Egypt and partnering with the International Cooperation Ministry and the Egyptian Businessmen’s Association.
Egypt is at the forefront of African entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem drive. Hosting AWIEF in a country known for its strong support for women’s economic empowerment and sustainable development is important for us.”
Commenting on the partnership, Dr. Mohamed Youssef, Executive Director of Egyptian Businessmen’s Association said “EBA is so proud to have such a strong partner as AWIEF to co-organise this important and prestigious forum, a platform that will include more than 1,300 entrepreneurs, SMEs, decision makers, international development partners, investors, and media to discuss women empowerment, entrepreneurship, trade, technology and innovation in Africa.”
Previous high-level guests and speakers of the conference, which has also been hosted in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Lagos, include a former African President and Vice-President, Ministers, Mayors, a UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Agency representatives, Development Finance Institutions and Financial Institutions, Multinationals, a Nobel Laureate, Vice-Chancellors, and C-Suite corporate business leaders, amongst others.
The theme for this year’s conference is “Advancing Africa through Gender Integration”.
The two-day AWIEF2022 will include a dedicated onsite exhibition called The Creative Lane where businesses in the creative industry are invited as exhibitors to promote and showcase their products and services. The conference will be attended by African and global participants and will feature a stellar line-up of speakers, high profile keynotes, interactive panel discussions, B2B meetings and high-level networking.
AWIEF2022 is a hybrid event (in-person in Cairo and online), with an easy-to-access virtual platform for speakers, delegates, and virtual exhibitors to participate.
The conference will be capped by an awards ceremony and gala dinner which will take place in a very special destination in Cairo on 27th September, where the eight winners of the 2022 AWIEF Awards will be announced and celebrated. The Headline Sponsor for the AWIEF Awards is Amazon Web Services (AWS)
