By Adedapo Adesanya
Leading payments solution provider, Visa, has collaborated with She Leads Africa to create thriving businesses for women entrepreneurial communities.
This partnership is part of Visa’s Where you Shop Matters initiative launched in June and about 700,000 female entrepreneurs across Africa would be empowered.
The initiative aims to champion and enable entrepreneurs across Africa while encouraging consumers to support small businesses by shopping local.
According to data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Women’s Entrepreneurship Report 2018/2019, the highest rates the total entrepreneurial activity for women are found in Sub-Saharan Africa (21.8 per cent). Despite this, women in Sub-Saharan Africa tend to face a much higher likelihood of business discontinuance than men.
Through the She Leads Africa Spotlight series, Visa will provide a platform for successful female entrepreneurs with incredible stories. They will share their business journeys, especially by transitioning to digital channels, in a bid to inspire and help upcoming entrepreneurs across Africa.
The partnership also includes a This is how I did it series which features digital marketing experts that will provide women with the tools to advance their digital businesses.
Through a merchant platform known as Visa Small Business Hub accessible here, Visa’s initiative is helping to support small businesses by providing tools and information on how to start, run and grow small businesses.
Speaking on this, Mrs Kemi Okusanya, Vice President, Visa West Africa said: “our partnership with She Leads Africa, will enable us to engage over 700,000 female entrepreneurs across Africa through digital channels and direct engagements with female-owned businesses.”
She also expressed Visa’s commitment towards supporting female entrepreneurs, especially with the current economic realities, and the need for more collaborations within the ecosystem to drive economic recovery.
“There are too many reasons why female-led organisations fail to flourish and we as Visa are committed to addressing these challenges by partnering with organisations such as She Leads Africa so that we can empower the next generation of female African business owners with the tools to not only survive but to thrive,” she concluded.
On the part of She Leads Africa, Ms Afua Osei, Co-Founder noted, “we are so grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Visa to support the incredible women in our community with learning and growth opportunities.
“Our community is passionate and committed to making an impact with their businesses and partnering with Visa enables us to share resources that will help them take it to the next level.”
