 In the last 10 years, the number of women in the global workforce has increased by 250 million, and that trend is only rising. Compared to just a quarter century ago, more women and girls have access to higher education and capital, giving them greater opportunities to leverage their innovative ideas into businesses. Research finds that supporting female entrepreneurs boosts the country's markets by 12% GDP. In 2012, there was an estimated 126 million women starting new businesses and another 98 million running established businesses throughout the world. In the U.S. alone, women are starting 1,200 businesses a day and employing nearly 8 million people, generating $1.4 trillion in sales. Now that's a lot of cash. But what's more, these strong women are building a framework for young women and girls to enter the workforce with fewer obstacles in the future. But our work isn't done yet. Women in developed nations are half as likely to start businesses compared to men and even less likely in countries with fewer opportunities for female entrepreneurship. For success in this space, women need more female mentors, the same access to capital as men, and a change in perception that entrepreneurship is not only a masculine activity. And on top of the numbers, women are often caught between cultural expectations and the expectations of the workplace. Despite this, women entrepreneurs are breaking barriers, benefiting themselves, their families, and their home countries. The numbers are in. When women entrepreneurs are supported, economies grow. Hello, and thank you for joining us for this web chat to discuss women's entrepreneurship in Africa. I'm CD Glenn, president and CEO of the U.S. African Development Foundation here in Washington, D.C. The U.S. African Development Foundation invests in small grassroots enterprises, especially in the areas of agriculture, energy, and entrepreneurship, female entrepreneurship to be specific. I'm truly excited about today's conversation. During this discussion, we'll talk about securing capital, scaling your business, gaining access to buyers, and address the unique challenges women entrepreneurs face as they seek to start and grow their businesses in Africa. Those of you viewing online can ask questions by submitting them in the comment section next to the video player or by tweeting them using hashtag Women Entrepreneurs. Joining us today is Elizabeth Gore, president of HelloAlice.com, a free, AI-driven website that helps business owners find the right path to start and grow their companies. As a social enterprise, HelloAlice.com is open to all entrepreneurs and prioritizes services for women, minorities, and veterans. Prior to Alice.com, Elizabeth was the Dell Technologies Entrepreneur in Residence and the first ever entrepreneur in residence for the UN Foundation. Also with us is Charity Anan Adupong, CEO of Manan Foods. She is joining us from the U.S. Embassy in Accra, Ghana. Charity is an entrepreneur specializing in food processing and packaging and a women's empowerment advocate. Established in 2006, Manan Foods has over 23 product lines that are supplied to retailers in Ghana and exported to Europe. Also joining us from Ghana is Adjo Didi Asar, CEO of Elfie Designs. Beginning as a small seamstress shop, Elfie Designs is now an established fashion label that produces men's and women's designs. The company staff has grown from 25 employees to 105 with three shops in Accra as well as others in East and West Africa. Adjo is also a fellow of the Young African Leaders Initiative, Yali. She's also a grant recipient of the U.S. African Development Foundation. Alongside Charity and Adjo in Ghana, we have a viewing group at the U.S. Embassy in Accra who will be asking the panelists questions and sharing their perspectives. Hello, Accra. We'll turn to you in a moment. And today in the chat space, we have Attetune Ayo Adiola, CEO of Transshipping Inc., who will help answer your questions and share links to resources. Transshipping Inc. provides logistics and transportation services for businesses in Africa looking to explore their product, looking to export their products to the U.S. Attetune is also a member of the Department of State's African Women's Entrepreneurship Program, better known as AWEP. I'm going to start the conversation by reporting the responses to a poll question we shared on social media. We asked people, what topic are the most interested in hearing related to women's entrepreneurship in Africa? We'll show the responses here on the screen. As you can see, networking and mentoring for women was the highest response, followed by securing capital and scaling your business. Elizabeth, as it ranked highest in the poll, can you start off by sharing your insights into networking and mentorship for women entrepreneurs and why it's such a key part of the path to success? Well, first let me just say good morning, everyone. I, Ghana, you guys look amazing. Aqaba, if I remember correctly. So the most important thing with networking is the women sitting to your left and your right. So no matter where you are in the world right now, look to your left and say, you probably have great advice for me. There you go. Nice. So it is statistically so much higher, 75% higher if you as a businesswoman join a network that your business is going to succeed. What we find at hello Alice.com is that if you either get a mentor or join some kind of business organization, you're going to find better resources for your business. But most of all, being an entrepreneur is hard. I'm sure you all have noticed and you need that support for you as a founder in addition to your business. The interesting thing I'll say though is mentorship is not necessarily about the most famous CEO that you all have ever met or see in the pages of a business magazine. It's truly about that person or that woman sitting to your left. Sometimes the best advice comes from a mentor who just went through something in their business six months prior. Maybe she just got a loan. Maybe she just hired her second employee. Maybe she decided to get a co-founder and really asking those questions within an environment where women have just made the same decisions. We feel is your best, best chance. I just want to encourage networking. There is a lot of great resources for networking in your own towns. There's generally chambers of commerce, but also online. There's two groups that I'll just say are great to connect you with other mentors. Mara Mentors, M-A-R-A, is a great one. And then on our very own hello Alice.com, you can also register and find great mentors. So I really encourage you, no matter how busy you are, I know we're all very time poor, to really think about finding a mentor in your life for your business, even if it's the very best friend sitting to your left. Elizabeth, that's fantastic advice. Think about that stat, 75% higher rate of success for women entrepreneurs who have access to a business organization or peer mentors. Fantastic, fantastic advice Elizabeth. Charity, your company has 23 product lines, supplying customers in Ghana and exporting to Europe. Can you briefly describe your process for bringing in the capital needed to launch and grow your business? And what advice would you like to share to other women looking to finance their early stage business? Thank you for the opportunity. I'd like to say that working with 23 products is no joke. Finding the right raw materials seems to be my biggest challenge because most of the time you would have to look for farmers and work with them. Even though I employ just 25 people, indirectly I have over hundreds of farmers that I source from, that I give advice to and I focus mainly on women farmers because working with women is much easier, they are loyal. So they stick to their word, not like the men when they see money then they change their minds. So it's tedious, I mean sometimes I have to abandon everything, go to the village and sleep in the mosquito and get the right material I need to process. And sometimes you process looking at the seasons and people are not even looking for that. You look at the trends and provide the things that you think that would be needed and it turns out to be a different thing all together. But with persistence and the right amounts of encouragement to these women in the villages, organizing them, getting them together, getting them to do the right thing because the challenge I face with them is that oh we've been doing it this way for so many years, our grandmother did it this way and they go on and on and on. But you know the licenses you need to get your products out there is a lot. And if you don't get it right from the start, even how food is stored, if you don't get it right from the start, you fight with things like afloat taxes and all of that. And sometimes after buying all those raw materials, you don't even get it right and you have to sell it at a very low cost and you don't even make the right amount of money that you want out of it. So, you would, I don't really see the capital as a problem, like finding the money to do, but finding the right kind of material, the right kind of people to do what you have to do. And you have to play a part in whatever each of these people do to get it right. I love that perspective. A first-hand perspective from a real everyday woman entrepreneurs, it says, hey it's not about the money, it's not all about the money, get the right people, get the right product and the money will find you. That's kind of what I take away from a lot of what you're saying, the real rigors of business. Adjo, good to see you again on this side of the water, if you will, where I am. But Adjo, your company grew from 25 people to 105 employees and expanded from shops in Ghana to different countries across the continent. Can you tell us a little bit about how your company scaled, what went right and I'll be honest, as well as what went wrong along the way? Thank you so much, Sidiya, it's nice to see you again. Hmm, how do I start? The right thing is through networking. So for us to even expand to have more outlets was through people we knew. And I was always one friend who had a shop in front of her house that was willing to give it to you at a very good price and even rent payment schedule. So it was always within the networks, like you said, Elizabeth, within your network, you find your land owners and landlords, even within your friends. And so that's how we expanded. When we went to Sierra Leone, it was through a friend in church. And then so I want to open a shop in Sierra Leone. Can we come? So yes. And she said we should come. She hosted us for free. The same before Uganda, a classmate for the same for Zambia. So it's within the network. And so that's how we scaled up with our shops. And then also from 25 workers to 105 has been opening up. I noticed that as entrepreneurs in Africa, we don't like people to be in our business. And so for you to grow on a large scale, you can't do it by yourself. If you want to go far, you need to go with people. You can't go by yourself. So for us, when we're thinking of expanding, we decided to go for partners and have joint venture agreements so that we'll be able to scale up. So for Alfi's designs to be able to have the scalability is also opening up your hearts to trust people. Yes, we've had people that we paid money to, shops. And they said they didn't even know me and took all my money and didn't give me the shop. I've had people that I send things to and they don't pay. And then me and my mother will have a few nice words that was not easy. But then if also have workers that will leave you in the middle of the road, or you start off a nice partnership along the line, it goes sour. And so with time, I've got to realize that even though we have friends, there are some friends I won't go into business with. They are good as just friends. And then we have those who is business and we sign the contracts and we are biding by the paper with the lawyers there. So for us, those have been some of the challenges. But we've risen above it and always having somebody to talk to and tell the person your issues and how the person will just give you the right word at the right time to be able to come out of your predicament. So they have been ups and downs. Sometimes scaling up can be very painful as well when you want to go bigger. But then it's worth it at the end of the day. That's fantastic advice. We heard it directly from those of you on the front line. Elizabeth, Charity, Ajo, mentoring and networking, securing capital, scaling your business. But what I also heard was the power, the power of people and the importance of people, the importance of really good products, as well as the key ingredient to success for all three of you to date, perseverance. So I think we should really, really, really take heed to what you said. So with that, let me share a little bit of information. A MasterCard study in March of this year revealed that more than 40% of businesses in Ghana are owned by women, making Ghana home to the highest percentage of women business owners worldwide. That's very impressive. And a sign of the strong impact women entrepreneurs are making in the country's economy. We're glad to have a group of Ghanaian entrepreneurs joining us at the US Embassy in Ghana today. Aqaba, that means welcome. And Madasi, this is Naomi Matos from the US Embassy. I'm the Press Attache. And thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to be the anchor posts for this great discussion that we are having. We have people from the Yali network. We also have people from mobile web Ghana and also from AWAP. So we're very happy to be here. OK, does a member of your audience have a question for the panel? Yes. Yes, we do. The first one comes from Dorothy. My name is Dorothy Acidou. And I'm the CEO of Renoud and Renoud Enterprise. And we deal in the production of local beverages. My question is, what are the main issues hindering the growth of women enterprises in Ghana and Africa? Wow, that sounds like a very specific question. I think, Charity, just given your experience in the space that you're operating in, maybe you could give a perspective to Dorothy. Like I said earlier, it's not money. When you start a business, the best is trying to raise money from savings, friends, family, family especially. And then you bank your way to raising money. So record keeping should be number one. Even if you give out a pin out of your business to anybody, write it somewhere. If you cannot account for it yourself, you cannot do the nitty-gritty of debit and credit. Later on, you can hand over all of those documents to somebody to do an account for you. So that when you go to the bank, nobody will give you their money if they don't know what you're about. They would have to have a record of something that they have done to raise money. So that's aside the point. But the main challenges we face are, you know, cultural and social and political, yeah. In Ghana, you can go to bed today, but 15% the next morning is 17.5%. It could even be the same 17.5, but you'd be paying more. It changes every day. The story changes every five minutes. That's how I say it. The challenges we face is dealing with women who are like us. Sometimes they don't like to take instructions. Sometimes they don't want to do the right thing. Sometimes they feel they are older than you. So you shouldn't be telling them what they should do. So it's a lot. But especially as a woman, when you get pregnant or you even get married, it changes everything. You get pregnant, the game changes. And when the baby arrives, it's a different ball game altogether. Those are the things. But in my experience, I'm not shy to ask for help. So I have so many people I've surrendered myself with. I call this person, pick up my voice for me because I can't be there at this time. Do this for me because of that. And you go to the market for me so that I can cook later on in the night. Don't be shy to ask for help. Don't be a superwoman. And do all the housework and do that and service your husband and do all of that. No, ask for help. Get the right people around you to do whatever for you. Response charity, a very important question and a really good response that really drives home the point of why mentoring and networking for women was the top choice. Yes, perseverance is there. But the enabling environment can be crippling and having the opportunity to talk to other people for help, for assistance, for support seems really, really vital. So thanks for sharing that personal perspective. Dorothy, thanks for the great question. Ghana, Naomi, let's give us more. What's next? Is there another question? Yes, we do. Hi, my name is Augustina Didi. And I'm the CEO of Belo Cosmetes and I'm a student. My question is, if the business is not working, how do you know when to quit? I love it. Very, very specific, very specific and not complicated. Because you're looking at cosmetics, Augustina, and I kind of put that into cosmetics in the fashion lane, and Alfie Designs is on the front line, on the front line of fashion, not only in Ghana, but with Adjo, they're scaling across the continent. Adjo, how do you know when to stop? Give some real world advice from your experience as an entrepreneur. I would say that look at your numbers. And within your cosmetic line, see the one that's selling more and the one that isn't, and then know when to divert. So I would use my fashion label, for example. I realize that I do well in selling more men's clothes than women's clothes. So I won't force to want to do women's clothes and children's clothes. That's all my specialty, even though I can do it. And so I look at my numbers. Every quarter, I see, look at the sales from all the shops. And I see, OK, this line is moving faster. This is what is not moving. I reduce the quantities, increase the quantities for what I have to do, and I balance it out. And also, when you are doing the business, you really like cosmetics, but you are not producing a very good cosmetic line. I think you should leave it and go after something else. Because I really love makeup, but I won't do cosmetics. Because I don't know the very nitty-gritty of it. So sometimes you might love to do something as a hobby, but realistically, you don't have all the details about doing a very good product that people will love it. So in the fashion world, yes, my mom is a creative person, but I am the business person. So I won't go and design a shirt because I can't. But I know how to make money and market the things she does. So I'm sticking to what I'm good at. So even though it's nice, I see a nice shirt. I feel it looks nice. It could be the worst seller in the shop. So you should just see. You like it, but that doesn't mean it's a good business for you to do. So that's it. Thank you. I think that was some really great advice, Adjo. I mean, there's the question around, when do you stop? When do you start? It needs to be data-driven as well. Let's get some real data behind that decision. And sometimes it feels like, from what you said, it's not about stopping and starting. It really is when to pivot, when to make some different decisions, when to turn in a different direction. But at the heart of your response was really about knowing your skills and your capabilities and what you're good at, and what you're able to do really well, and then bringing on talent and support with the people to really be able to do more. I love the question, really, really practical question, when to start, when to stop, but really great answer. Now let's take some questions from the comments section or those following along on Twitter using the hashtag women entrepreneurs. The first one from Elise at the American Center in Abidjan, Cote d'Ovoire. She says, my question is for Elizabeth Gore. Is your platform, HelloAlice.com, adapted for use in African countries? If yes, how can I connect? If not, do you, Elizabeth, think you would partner with African companies? Well, thank you for the question. And I also love the previous question about knowing when to stop. And I'll just add that in addition to numbers, I think passion is another thing to think about. If you're not passionate and excited every single day, even on the hard days, I think it's important to put a halt to what you're doing. So HelloAlice.com is for everyone in the world, which makes us really proud. There are basic resources that every business owner needs to launch and grow, such as business planning, branding, customer acquisition that is very conducive, no matter where you live, where you are. But localized resources, of course, are the most important to anyone. And we're proud that we are expanding across different parts of the world. As someone who worked in Africa for 10 years, I'm very proud that we are working hard every day to get more local resources. So anyone, no matter where you're sitting in the world, I think we have friends from Nigeria on, Cote d'Ivoire from Togo, South Africa. You can definitely go to HelloAlice.com. And when you go on, we'll ask you all about your business, so we ensure the resources that you're seeing are specifically for you. So do please join us and tell us what you need. Alice is very friendly and loves advice and feedback. Elizabeth, thanks. That was fantastic. Let me go to you with another question that came in through our comments section. The question is, what do you think are the unique challenges facing women entrepreneurs and how did you overcome those challenges in launching your business? Elizabeth, talk from the perspective of being the entrepreneur in residence with Dell Technologies, the first entrepreneur in residence with you and Foundation. I mean, you've had this entrepreneurial zeal, to be honest, your whole career. Talk a little bit about your perspective on that question. Well, there's two things that I think are uniquely challenging, particularly for women. The first is definitely time. I have never met a woman who says, oh, I have so much time on my hands, I can do everything. We all tend to be very time-for. Women, no matter what their situation, tend to be caring for aging parents, children. Most women who start a business have another job at that time. So I think it's really interesting that we do more with less. So time is definitely the biggest challenge. That's why I always recommend to use as many digital tools as you can to start your business to make things more efficient. I totally agree with these amazing women entrepreneurs in Ghana about leaning on your friends and asking for help because we do need a lot. That might not even mean you're with your business. I also have two children and also childcare is my biggest nemesis that I'm always working on. So it's a juggle with my business. I also care for my mother. So using digital tools to help you with efficiencies, making sure you have an excellent team around you is incredible. So beyond time, capital is definitely, whether you're in the US, Ghana, anywhere, it's very difficult for any founder, women or men. So you might be surprised that in the US, actually we're ranked one of the lowest in the world or women to get access to funding. We only get about 2% of venture money in our country. I know, I see all spaces in Ghana. Isn't that ridiculous? We're also really good at our job so it doesn't make any sense. So access to capital is certainly a struggle but anywhere I go in the world and visit with women entrepreneurs, it tends to be whether you're getting a loan or whether you're managing your own money, getting money from friends and family, government resources, it tends to be tough. So I do encourage women entrepreneurs to make sure that as the CEO of your company, you are thinking about capital as much as you can. And of course capital, the best capital I agree with my friend in Ghana is coming through your customers. So making sure that you're turning a profit as fast as you can is important. But you really manage your time and managing your finances at all times, I think are the most important things facing women founders. That's fantastic. The focus around the unique challenges that women face, I came away with three T's. I mean, the financing was clear but I came away with time, being able to manage your time to really having a team, whether that's friends, families, or your employees, and also really, really focusing on tools, digital tools. So time, team, and tools were really, really great takeaways that I got from what you shared. Let's turn to another online question from the American Center in Yaounde, Cameroon. The question is, how do you know it's the right time to scale up? Ajay, I wanna go to you because we asked you the question around when do you start, when do you stop, when do you pivot? Now, this is when do you grow? When do you really scale up? And I know a little bit about your growth story because the African Development Foundation has been privileged to be able to help you along your way. But talk a little bit about when is it time to really scale and grow? How do you make that decision? How do you know when it's the right time? For me, the basic time for you to know you have to scale up is when you have a lot of work to do and you have loads of customers that you know you need more workers and you need to expand your facility and you need to add on more people to your team. Once you cannot do all by yourself and you have loads and you are not able to apportion the right time for every client, that's when you know you need to scale up your business. And sometimes for some of the clients you want to get to, they want to do business with medium to large scale businesses. And so you need to also see your goals, your end goals, your term sheets or your personal goals, where do I see myself in the next two years, five years, 10 years and work towards it gradually. So I think that if you have all those goals written down and you also have your clients, if you have a client that's ordering 53,000 pieces and you have 25 workers, I think that's when you know you need to hire more people to add on to your team, to be able to meet that order. So for me, I think working hard, growing gradually, step by step, keeping clients and also expanding your capacity to be able to add on new clients. Cause once you do a very good job, people recommend word of mouth moves around and then more people start asking you. And I think that's when you have lots of people ordering is, I think is the time for you to expand. And so that's for me is the basic thing for expanding and scaling up your business. I'm sure you have something to say about this a little bit, but I also want you, so you feel free to comment if you'd like, but I also would love for you to address a question that we got online from Uria who asked how do you encounter, I'm sorry, how do you encourage other women that they can be both a mother and an innovator, especially when some cultures aren't encouraging of business women? Charity? So, you can be anything. You just have to put your mind to it that I can be this, I can be that. And like I said earlier, you surround yourself with the right people. As we sit here today, what will change? What will be different from me and Ajo or me and the next person sitting by me is the books I'll read and the friends I'll make, the people I'll encounter. So you just keep like expanding your network. You meet people on social media, you meet people every day. You try to get to see which one will help you in your own course, not in the air course, because nobody does anything for free. Nobody does anything without their own interests. We are selfish like that. So you look at what is in it for me first. Is it not wrong? It's good that you are selfish because you want the best for yourself. So as you go along, your children, you know, some of them can be really outspoken. My three-year-old mommy, you are not being fair. They put it like that. Mommy sits, they say things that I couldn't say when I was even seven. So you get them to respect the people around you. When Auntie Agis says, sit down, it is time to sit down. When she says, go bring your pencil to write, it is time to do that. And you don't have to say anything. When Auntie Agis or whoever says it, it is as good as when mommy or daddy says it. So you can have the children and bring them up in the way you want and still run your business. You don't have to be a woman and do it all. Ask for help. Get the right people to help you to be your best. Great, great answer from a woman who is a mother and an innovator and an entrepreneur. So definitely first-hand perspective. We got a question that came in from Benin. And the question is what strategies should be implemented to ensure the sustainability of a company's activities? Now this is a question that I know, Charity, you could talk about from sustainability and food is definitely hand in hand in a food company. Adjo, you're working in fashion. So hey, we eat good and we want to look good. So I know you, how do you sustain your business? But I think I'll go to Elizabeth. Because Elizabeth, you have a first-hand perspective on a number of companies throughout the world, honestly. And what would you say? How do companies and women entrepreneurs really employ strategies to ensure the sustainability of their company's activities? Just some thoughts maybe from your own personal experience or the holoallas.com network. So the first thing is successful founders that I've seen are always looking out ahead. So we get so busy in the minutiae of, I have to do so much today that ensuring that we're looking three months out, six months out, one year out, two years out is so critical. For example, I might be thinking about it's like all of you are my cash flow for this month. Am I gonna meet payroll to pay my employees? Am I gonna get my accounts receivable from my clients? But I have to take the time to also say, am I planning for my finances in six months? Particularly for a CEO, always thinking about my cash flow and finances a year from now might mean I need to be developing new relationships in case I lose another client in three to six months. Or on the positive side I, the previous question is what is it time to scale and grow? Generally that timing hits not when you're expecting it. So will you have the capital to hire more people in that moment? So I think the most sustainable businesses are the ones that are looking every single week and forecasting what is their financial situation going to be in a month and three months and six months in a year. And by the way, that could be if you have a one employee shop that you're always thinking about it. It can also be if you have 200 employees. This is something that any CEO who talks at the time to think about the financial situation consistently I find are very sustainable. The second thing I'll just say is team none of us are good at everything. The two women sitting in the front row it might be good at everything because they look incredibly talented and I very much admire their businesses but they might even agree with me that we all have blind spots, we all have weaknesses. So the most sustainable companies are the ones where as you grow you're consistently hiring people that are better than you at very specific tasks at strategy and so on. So I would say ensuring you always have an outlook on your finances but always hiring the best people possible. Love it, love it, love it, Elizabeth. Outlook on the finances, focus on the day to day but also forecast the future finances and have a team around you that has a diverse skill set in order to make sure you are securing winning the day but also securing the future. Let's turn back to the group in Accra, Ghana for a couple more questions from that great fantastic audience that you have, Naomi. Good evening, I'm Larissa Iguido from Larissa Betheskin Clinic I'm the CEO and founder and I'm a member of Aweb. My question goes, what are the key things taking consideration while in a brand? Thank you. One for me, I mean, if you, Laurie, thanks for the question. The woman next to you, to your left, if you're talking about building a brand, there's no better person on this panel I think. I mean, I think Elizabeth said that between Charity and Adjo, they are super women, they can do everything but I think I'm building a brand. Adjo is probably the person to talk to. Adjo, what do you think? How do you build a brand but also you could elaborate in how do you sort of provide the means for others to build a brand on top of your maybe back office support or your white label designs, if you will. Thank you so much, CD. To build your brand, first of all, you must love your own brand and showcase your brand and then get friends and family to appreciate the brand. And so when you go anywhere, it's a start of the immediate group of people who wear your brand helps to project it. And then if you want to really put it out there on the social media, they are very good visuals. You could use like Elizabeth was saying, you get it done properly by a professional. You don't just put any sketchy logo out there. You must have a very good catchy motto or phrase you want to use. I mean, do it well. Don't just put a caricature drawing out there and then on your Instagram page, you don't have a good picture. Your Facebook page doesn't have good pictures, poor lightning, no. It might not be expensive, but you can take very good inexpensive pictures and have nice captions and then get your friends to wear it and then get good reviews. And then occasionally, if you can give one or two gifts to one or two people, that will get people to get interested in your brand. And then that's how you build it. And then you also have to know who you are targeting with your brand. Is it a certain age, is it 18 to 25? Is this about 30, 40? You need to also know what am I selling and who is my market? So you can have a brand that everybody would like. You need to know what's, because if a young person is buying, they'll buy from H&M because it's used in their market. And then I have my father's group that want to buy from Max and Spencer. No matter what you do, you will not buy anything from any other shop by Max and Spencer. So you should know your niche market and then drive it towards them. And that's how you build a brand. Fantastic advice. That's great for the product space and the fashion space. Any thoughts from you, charity? I'm building a brand maybe in the agriculture and in the food business. Yeah. Whatever you are doing is a representation of who you are. So for me, even though I'm into the food business, when I go out and come back and I don't get three, four people to say you look good, it's a headache for me. So I put all of that energy into what I'm doing. And well, we move from making life excellent as an egg and selling to experience excellent. I sell a lot of eggs. Everybody can buy eggs, but when you buy my eggs, I am guaranteeing fresh, clean eggs. You know when the eggs are going off, when it's good to eat, whatever. I can even guarantee that if you don't like it enough, come back to me, I'll replace it. If somebody wants to buy so much and I think he cannot sell, I'll not carry everything to him because he wants to sell because it is my brand. When people buy it, they have to see charity in it. So it is you first and then the product. So sometimes when people buy my product, they are not really able to tell if it was made in Ghana until they take the time to go and read it. I go the extra mile to let the packaging looks good. I love watching JaJudy and she says, why would you dress shabbily, come to my court and use 15 minutes to tell me that you are a good person? There is absolutely no point. I'm well dressed. It speaks a thousand words for me. Sometimes I enter a place and I want something and for the first five minutes, they are talking about the shoes or whatever I'm wearing. That is me. It speaks for me and before I say I want this, it will be given to me. So it is you first. Present yourself well and people will take it more serious. That's really, I mean, I think we all agree that's really excellent advice that you provided charity because in building a brand, it does start with the entrepreneur. It does start with the founder and how they are presenting themselves and the product that they're delivering. But I have to say to you charity, even though I'm in Washington DC, the next time I go to a shop and I buy eggs, I'm going to ask, are these excellent eggs? Are these eggs, are they truly excellent? You branded eggs in a very different way across the globe just in this webinar. Akra, more panelists, more questions. Let us know what's on your mind. Okay, I'm Augustina Alavi. I'm from G.S. Specialty Chemicals. We produce laundry detergents. Yeah, Augustina Alavi from G.S. Specialty Chemicals and I produce laundry detergents for their hospitality industry. I just would like to know how we can present our, as our businesses are going, how do we present the business in such a way that it will attract funding from banks and other financial institutions? That's way what I can say is to bank your way up. Because even if my child comes to me to ask for money, I'd like to know what they're going to use it. So when you start, bank your way up. Keep your records, like I said earlier. When it comes to the time that the bank has to give you money, that's what they will look at. If you can't do the dividend credits, along the line, get your classmates who was good in accounting or whatever to help you pay them something small to put together something for you that somebody can look at and say, I will bank my money. Hey, that's real again. Real advice from a real entrepreneur. How do you start? How do you attract capital? Bank your way up. Friends and family, maybe you're fortunate enough like Adjo and you find philanthropic funding and grant funding to expand your business, but I think that's really good advice. Bank your way up, start somewhere and grow. We have some more good questions from online viewers, from Elise at the U.S. Embassy in Niger and that her question is, is a business plan really necessary when you wanna create a company? I think that's a really important question that we often hear, what's the business plan? What's the five year projected outlook for the potential business? Let's go to Elizabeth. Elizabeth, I'm sure you hear this question a lot with a lot of people with a lot of great ideas and say, if I just write my business plan then money will flow and my company will thrive. Is a business plan really necessary when you wanna create a company? I'm gonna give that a huge yes. And it is important, but I wanna be cautious that there is no magical format for a business plan. The way I really think about it is that you have your ideas out on paper, on your computer, it's not just in your head because the first thing you're gonna have to do is start selling your plan to that first employee, that first customer, that bank. So you absolutely have to put your plan down on paper. We have a lot of example business plans. On hello Alice.com, you can just do the search. However, don't let that scare you. A business plan in my mind is simply ensuring that you have your thoughts organized. You know how much money you need to start that business. You know what the talent and team is to run that business. And you also really understand the goals and objectives. How much money do you wanna make? What kind of product is it? Where do you want to sell it? So it's really getting your thoughts organized. I think what's really unique about entrepreneurs is that we create things in our brains. Sometimes at three in the morning, but we have to translate that in a way that is shareable with the folks that need to buy into our ideas. So again, there is no perfect format but it's important to get all that down on paper so that you can start sharing it in a digestible way to other stakeholders, very important. Great response, really important question. I'm sure we hear it all the time as a business plan necessary. Hey, a resounding yes, but make sure it's the right one and it meets the needs and the opportunity. So another point, a viewer asked, how do we work with businesses that are at the grassroots development stage? I work with and source my products from women in rural areas and we like to empower them and improve their community. Let me first take a first stab at this by sharing a little bit of perspective on the US African Development Foundation. We talk about our work and our investment providing seed capital and local technical assistance is giving Africans a voice and a choice in their own development. And with that choice, giving them a choice in their development, that gives them a chance, a chance to really succeed and it gives them the opportunity to change their lives and their communities. And there are tenants to really working with grassroots early stage, community enterprises in rural areas and it literally focuses around local ownership of the actual activities. It talks about meeting the demands, the local demands and needs of those communities that they can see a benefit in that endeavor as well as they see an opportunity to change their lives. And it really is about being participatory, really having them participate in the business activities so that they aren't necessarily service providers but they see how those businesses are really helping them help themselves and then it's also helping meet a market demand. So that's one perspective from a government agency that provides seed capital and direct technical assistance and direct capital to rural organizations, to rural enterprises to help them transform. But we know charity, we know charity from your organization that Menon Foods that you sourced, you said as one woman you started and now you have over a hundred women that are really helping you grow your business and supply the customers and clients that you really have. How would you address that question? How do you support grassroots organizations, grassroots economic development while you also make sure you're securing the supply you need to grow your business? Yeah, first of all, I'll say beliefs are strong. When people believe that this is how it has been done and we achieved results. Changing their minds is difficult. So there is no need convincing them. Tell them what it is and let them see reason for doing it your way. So what we as women who are here normally do to the rural folks is that we want to buy as cheap as possible and sell maybe a hundred percent more. But if you go and tell this person, I wanted this way and she keeps saying, this is how my grandma and my great grandma and whoever did it. So this is how I'm going to do it. Tell them more for the one who wants to do it your way so that they can understand that if I do it the right way or her way, then I'll get more. So it's not always about getting it affordable or cheap, but let them see reason why they have to do it the right way. You can support them not with money, but little education here and there. You do it this way, your child can also get this out of it. Tomorrow, if I am buying six cities and I come and you are doing it my way and I'm paying eight cities, it means you can save a lot more money the next time we can go and buy a simple machine instead of getting folks around to come and peel the cassava for you and then you give them something small of it, you would now start to pay them something. So they will value the services that they are giving you. So it's too little education and always try to do the right thing yourself and then they will follow you. Otherwise, if they believe that this is how it should be done, oh, you don't even understand what we do. This is, sometimes they use things like, well, it doesn't taste the same if you use machine, we have to use our hands and I don't have to wear the gloves because they give all sorts of reasons but you have to let them see reason why it should be done your way. And that can be done and achieved only through examples. So providing real life example, being there with them, meeting them where they are in order to possibly take them to another place to institutionalize a new practice but it really is respecting and understanding where they are right now and working with them and showing them. We talk about the proof of the pudding is in the tasting, if it's really good it'll taste good and so I think your example of really showing those community members how these new methodologies or new tools or new ways to do things can improve their lives and being there with them and working with them but meeting them where they are, not just coming and trying to force a solution, is really good practical advice. Not only how you can do well as a business but how they can do well as a community that's trying to improve their lives and transform their community. So really great advice charity. Another online question from Juliet from the AWAP, the African Women's Entrepreneurship Program in Delta State, Nigeria. Juliet asked, how can women entrepreneurs make their products and goods acceptable in international markets? And to follow up, Eunice and Togo asked, how do you test your products to ensure they fit health and legal requirements for export? I know both of you, Adjo and Charity, both of your businesses are Pan-African now. Anything on how do you test products? How do you ensure they're really tested and suitable for international markets? What have you gone through on the exporting your products front? For me, I had to get international auditors and technical advice to come and test my products and to see the quality because I realized that we were trying our best but then it was not meeting international standards and who else to tell us about international standards is from somebody who actually works with an international company? And so by doing that, you realize that it helps your products to be streamlined and then it meets your client's expectation instead of just producing so much and then nobody's buying it. You rather get somebody pay a little bit more, get somebody to come and do quality check, come and test everything and then present it to the international market. So for me, I had to go and look for international expertise to come and help build my brand or the work we are doing for it to meet international standards. In retrospect, I'm looking for, personally, I'm looking forward to buying some excellent eggs here in Washington, DC from your company. I want you to be exporting here from Ghana to the US. What will it take? What do you do now to really export and meet international standards and international requirements to really grow your business and to sell your products? Okay, so it's unfortunate that sometimes around here, you don't even have the standards in place to go buy them. So like I just said, you may have to look out. Or I love Google. I Google a lot about maybe 10 times a day and I try to use standards out there. I also go to places like food research, CSIR, ask for advice, what I need to do and no cutting corners. Because for food, after you do all the tests here, when they get out there, they will still pick randomly and do their own tests. So you get people, fortunately for us, now there are two kids that are inexpensive. You can get a flotoxin kids, you can get whatever kids, and then you do it yourself. You go, sometimes you pay a lot more to do it outside in the labs. And if you cannot find it here, you can Google it. You can send your product somewhere, pay for them for it to be done for you. And if the standards are not even here, then the honest now comes to lie on you like I'm doing now with a standards authority to help us get standards. So it goes so far, goes so far, we are here now and we have to help build our country, whichever small way that we can. So if you cannot find it, you don't stop. When the lady asked about when you stop, in my mind I was saying there is no stopping. As an entrepreneur, when the shops come, you go to your room and you cry and you do whatever and then you get on with it. It is what it is. So there is no stopping, you just keep going and hope and trust the process that you get the results along the way. Again, we hear that important P word around perseverance. There is no stopping, there is no cutting corners, and it really is doing the hard work and the research to learn the international markets. I'm Elizabeth, I know time is short on your end. I'd love to get your perspective on this, on the international markets, on export, on the opportunities, on the challenges that UC entrepreneurs face. Yes, and I think one of the biggest challenges is how fast things change. So I agree with keeping up with everything you can read, write, pay attention to. I just wanna add an idea though. So we have tend to scale or go to new markets or release big products with other enterprise companies. So one way to go to other markets is to partner with a company that is much larger than yours. We actually launched Alice with Dell Technologies as one of the areas they were focusing on. And so what I would encourage you is whenever market you are in, look at some of the largest companies within your country that are in that same vertical and try to develop a relationship with them. So potentially you can do a go to market partnership with those companies. You would be really surprised that even some multi-million dollar companies still cannot pivot or launch things fast enough because they've gotten so large. So they need you to innovate. So I always encourage entrepreneurs to think about going to partnerships with very large enterprise companies if you're looking to expand in another country, if you're rolling out a new product. The only thing I would say is just legally protect yourself within that environment, but it is a great way to scale fast with much more resources. Fantastic, fantastic advice. Thanks, Elizabeth. Thank you for all that you do for women entrepreneurs around the globe. Hello, Alice.com. Everyone look it up. Join, use the resources. Fantastic. Thanks, Elizabeth. Let's go back to our group in Ghana for one final question. Naomi, does your team there, your fantabulous, fabulous women there, do they have a question for us? Hello, I'm Dora. And my question is what type of support does the United States government give to women entrepreneurs in Africa? Fantastic question, Dora. Thank you, thank you for that question. I think let me go to, well, Chair DeAnne Ajo, if you have thoughts or perspective or if you've received any support or aware of the support that the US government in different ways gives to women entrepreneurs. Of course, as the US African Development Foundation, I have a perspective, but I'd love to hear if you've seen or know of other women who've gotten support from US government programs. Ajo, our charity. I have. You have to have a very good business plan. And like Sidi said, I'm one of the grantees from the US ADF. And so the US government is supporting women in Africa. You just have to have your business plan together and what you're passionate about for you to be able to express it to them. And then if you pass the processes, they would support you knowing that you are making an impact in your community, in other lives. It's not just all about you, but you are impacting other women, other people. So, but it's not only you that's going up, but you're going up together with others. And so I believe that's what the US government is there for and they really want to support such things. And especially with the Yali too as well. Once you are in the Yali network and you are part of the group, you get all that. Yali does that with the regional centers with Mandela Fellowship, with even the Yali Lens. Although there are all these resources out there that can really help you as an entrepreneur in Africa. Yeah, I'm not really sure because I haven't experienced any support from the US government, but I have experienced it from other like the DFID that need all of those. I've raised grants to support my business, to scale up, to do campaigns and all of that. But what I'll tell you as a person is that get yourself ready. You need to have a personal profile, a business profile, a business plan. You need to be able to pitch your business under two minutes. And for somebody to give their money to you, if you tell me that there is a $100,000 now, like nobody can beat me here. I'll pitch my business under one minute and grab it and go. Get yourself ready. So when the opportunity comes, you grab it with both hands. First and foremost, what I got from that was be prepared. No matter where the funding is coming from, US government or otherwise, but in the US government, there are a number of programs through USAID that have support for African women entrepreneurs, programs within YALI, the Young African Leaders Initiative, within the Department of State with AWEP, the African Women's Entrepreneurship Program, and increasingly, the US government, the Department of State, we have an increasingly, increasingly strong, strong support for women's economic empowerment. So there are programs that exist now, but there are also new programs that are gonna be coming to really support the transformation that's occurring in Africa and that's being led by women entrepreneurs on the continent. Watch this space, but also get prepared for what's out there now. And as Charity said, whether it's a dollar or $100,000, be prepared to put in your application and showcase how what you are trying to do in your business will not only transform your lives, but really create jobs, increase incomes, improve quality of life for hundreds of others throughout the continent. And I think there'll be some support at your front door. Let's go now to some more online questions. Thanks, Dora, for that question. Online questions. We have Mademba Sisei from Cote d'Ivoire. Her question is, an enabling environment for business is important. So how can we, as women entrepreneurs, fight for better governance? Really important question. I think on the front lines of change and creating a better environment for business, Ghana is sort of leading the way and it's women entrepreneurs in Ghana who are helping the government to actually enable policies and regulations that really are more supportive of business. Charity, you mentioned a little bit of this earlier around the enabling environment. Any comments for the entrepreneur in Cote d'Ivoire who's really asking how do women entrepreneurs play a role in fighting for better governance? Yeah, you need to be involved, take part when people get together wherever and you hear that they are going to talk about the cause of women getting involved. There are a whole lot of young girls who come to my place to understand, to learn and to experience what I'm doing. So when people get together, get involved, I am not the type who wants position but I push people into positions to try to drive the cause of women. So when people gather, wherever you hear there is a gathering for women, that is promoting the cause of women. Go there, speak up, make your voice heard and contribute to whatever they are doing. You never know because when such things happen, most of the time what happens is that there will be a government person, there will be somebody there who can take whatever information you put up, the people that matter, the people that make the decision in the high places. So when they gather to hear the voices of women, be there and let your voice be heard. Can I also add one more thing to that is whatever business you are doing, do it very well and then put your heart out there because the little that you are doing, the difference you are making, it will attract attention. With coming for Yali, getting the school, having the free education for young women, underprivileged women sponsored by USADF, have had the attention of a few government officials coming to the factory to see what I am doing. And so I would say to women that maybe you are trying to get major policy change but then when you start affecting lives, hundreds of lives on your community level, it will cost any government official to set up and know that this woman is changing lives. And to do even want to come to you and learn from you and see how they can even support you to do better. So I would say that wherever you find your hands to do it well. And then you might not have the opportunity to talk to the government official but from the grassroots level, it will spread, your name will spread and now it will cost people to set up because now there's one of my mentors that has the largest factory in Ghana that makes t-shirts. She has 1,600 employees. Anything got to do with employment, I see her being called for a meeting. So if you are employing so many people and touching so many lives and you are a woman, they will call you to come and sit at the table. So I'll tell you, if you start doing what you're doing, they will expand and then they will invite you to the seat. Really, really great advice for a tough question. The enabling environment for business in general in Africa is challenging at times, it's improving as well but to really give practical advice for women to say, be present, show up, show out, let your voices be heard, be an excellent example. Really great advice because you can actually lead by example, especially in this space where as you said, a woman factory owner is employing thousands of people, government will listen to her as a woman but also as a business tycoon in that country and I think that's a really important point that really be an example, be present, show up and let your voice be heard and that will have an impact on the enabling environment for business in general but for growing and spurring greater number of women entrepreneurs. Thank you for that perspective, not only in Ghana but also that can be used across the globe for women entrepreneurs. We have one final question. Several viewers and viewing groups have asked, how can female entrepreneurs find mentors and expand their professional network? This is something that Elizabeth Gore is committed to and I think HelloAlice.com is one of the ways and one of the answers but Adjo and Charity, what would you say African women entrepreneurs need mentors? How do they find mentors? How do they expand their professional networks? What networks are you a part of? Okay, I would say that join that trade associations wherever you find yourself in. So I for instance, I'm in an association meant for government manufacturing on a large scale. So find out the associations, go be present at the meetings, go and have interactions and there you will find mentors. So for me being part of the association, I found this woman that has the largest factory in Ghana with 1,600 and I speak to her every month and she's encouraging me and she even wants younger people to do what she's doing hundred times more. So when I go and I tell her my very big dreams, she tells me it's possible, she just didn't start any but then even with the little she's been able to do she has 1,600 so I can do anything I want to do. So you need to be part of trade associations based on your field and that's where you can get some of the mentorship. Sometimes you go online and you like HelloAlice, you can join and you find somebody who might not be in your field but will be able to encourage you and then push you, set goals with you and push you to do what you have to do. So look for them and find it. If you set a one place, you'll find it. You actually need to search for these things and then join. The next person sitting by you, actually is my mentor now. I'll be calling her a lot for more advice. I connect with people on different levels. I am a pastor's daughter, but I don't talk religion when I meet people because people become touchy when it comes to those things. So you find neutral ground to try to speak to people to get them to listen to you. So it could be your shoes. I could say your shoes are nice and then we start a conversation. I could be polite to you when you sneeze and I say bless you. You say thank you, then the conversation starts. It could be anything on social media and when people give you nice comments, you go back and say thank you. You say thank you, then you can check the inbox and say thank you for saying that about me. And then it connects from there. I've connected with people that there was nowhere I was going to meet them anywhere on social media and it's fantastic. They look out for me, they just sit in my factory. They want to give every access I want to me, just on Facebook. So I see something and I say oh, you are looking great. I just love you. And people, everybody loves a great comment about them, especially women, especially women, because I love shoes. I am a shoeholic. So when you tell me my shoes are looking good, definitely you'll be my friend from your left point. You understand? So I go to say oh, your glasses are fantastic. I like your arm rest in your living room. It can start from anywhere and they become your friend and they love you and they look out for you. Even your children's birthday, they want to send you something. You'll be amazed what great words do to people. And they feel a path of you and give you the best. Sharing, compliment. Make up with everybody here. Exactly. Elizabeth Gore started with that. Look around. Look to your left. Look to your right. That's your network. Those are your mentors. Those are the people that are going to inspire you. And I can say that the two of you, along with Elizabeth, I'm sure are going to be considered mentors to thousands of women who participated, women entrepreneurs who participated in this webinar and this program today. So look out on your social media. Be prepared for the transformation that's going to happen as you and your stories have gone global through this opportunity. All right. Okay. It looks like we're almost out of time. Thank you all so much for your fantastic questions. We've really covered a lot of ground today. Hopefully those of you watching will continue engaging on these important issues. So Charity, just as we close out, do you have any final thoughts to share? Yeah. I do have final thoughts. I would like to tell everybody here that appreciate small beginnings. Trust the process. Grow from one to two to three to four. If anybody gives you money to start a business and you know you're out there, they are not your friend. They are your enemy. Because in every business, there are shocks. You need to absorb them bit by bit and build a tenacity to stand the big ones when they come. So trust the process, appreciate small beginnings and grow gradually. Step one, step two, step three. Know step three to six or five or whatever. Grow gradually. And be known for something. Be known for something. When they see your products, they have to see you in it. Writing the corner where you are. If you are doing the right thing, the right people will find you at the right time. Chaiti has said it all, but I will also say that sometimes you can also, all entrepreneurs I've met always want to start off fresh. There are some of us out there that can actually build on existing businesses and make it bigger. So I'm coming from a family-owned business. And so I always tell young people that if you see something your parents are doing or even an uncle can help, help to make that thing big. It doesn't have to be your own thing and start from scratch and struggle. But if it can help build on, there are some people who are good at the foundation or they are good at planting. And there are others like me who come along to water the thing to make it into a big tree. So wherever you find yourself, you are an entrepreneur. It can be a startup or you can actually grow a business to become the next big thing everybody is talking about. So see yourself as an entrepreneur anywhere you are and work on it and it will be a big thing. You two are so amazing, so inspiring, and truly, truly excellent in your sharing the knowledge and the inspiration and the wisdom from how you as entrepreneurs, as women entrepreneurs, as African women entrepreneurs are not only transforming your lives but transforming your communities, your countries, and ultimately the continent. I mean, I'm truly, truly privileged to have the opportunity to talk to you today. I'm grateful to every single panelist that was here today for their great insights including Attitoon, who has been working with the comment section of this program of the webinar. This has really been an amazing opportunity. So let's, let me also say those who joined in the questions and the comment section, again, thank you was Continental, people from all over Africa. Hopefully this discussion can serve as a launching point for a larger conversation on the importance of women's entrepreneurship in Africa and across the world. A big shout out as well for the excellent questions from our online viewers, the audience at the U.S. Embassy in Accra, Ghana, and to other live viewing groups at Embassy Lomé Togo, Embassy Brazzaville Congo, Embassy Niemme Niger, the American Center Abidjan Cotevoie, Embassy Yaoundé Cameroon, Embassy Asmara Eritrea, Embassy Winhoek Namibia, Embassy Monrovia Liberia, Embassy Freetown Sierra Leone, Embassy Kampala Uganda, American Center Kigali Rwanda, Embassy Haberone Botswana, Embassy Dar es Salaam Tanzania, American Space Addis Ababa Ethiopia, and 14 AWAP African Women's Entrepreneurship Chapters and Business Centers in Nigeria. Thanks again for taking part in today's discussion. Please keep watching for a brief message from Elizabeth Fitzsimmons, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of African Affairs at the State Department about the U.S. Government's commitment to facilitating trade and investment between American and African entrepreneurs. Thank you and have a great, great, great day. Hi, everyone. My name is Elizabeth Fitzsimmons. I am Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. I am delighted that you were able to join us today from the U.S. Embassy in Accra and at over 20 other embassies and American spaces around the continent for our web chat discussion on women's entrepreneurship in Africa. Web chats like these are important to kickstart the conversations needed to facilitate an investment between American and African entrepreneurs and to catalyze economic growth on the continent. When our Assistant Secretary, T. Bournage, arrived in Washington nearly five months ago, he emphasized two key priorities to focus on during his tenure. Number one, he wants to encourage many more U.S. businesses to pursue commercial opportunities in Africa. American firms have a good record of developing local talent, creating opportunities for women and youth, and ensuring worker safety. And two, he wants to do all he can to help African states develop ways to provide the type of enabling environments beneficial to their own people and attractive to global investors. Of course, African governments have the most critical role to play in helping women entrepreneurs and the younger generations succeed, and we will do all we can to ensure that the United States continues to provide helpful support. Africa is at an historic crossroads. By 2050, Africa's population is projected to double to 2.5 billion people, with over 70% of them under the age of 30. This rapidly growing youth population will demand education, skills, and jobs. The African Women's Entrepreneurship Program, better known as AWEP, and the Young African Leadership Initiative, YALI, and other initiatives like these will continue to provide critical opportunities to African women and young people who are the future leaders of their communities and their countries. Unless we harness the entrepreneurial spirit and dynamism of women and young Africans and help to create the jobs and job opportunities that will anchor them to their countries, we will see more African brain drain and more young people risking their lives in dangerous migration. We must acknowledge the urgency of creating new opportunities and jobs through entrepreneurship for the rapidly increasing population across the continent. We must also demonstrate together that African women and young people are both stakeholders in their own futures and are capable of leading their communities and their countries in addressing these challenges. Empowering women and young people is at the heart of U.S.-Africa relations. That's why, across the U.S. government, we are making significant commitments to further deepen U.S.-Africa commercial engagement and to create pathways for long-term trade and economic partnerships. For example, the U.S. Department of State has provided $50 million in funding to the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, or WIFI, and together with international partners we have catalyzed over $340 million for projects mobilizing innovative private sector-focused solutions for women-owned and women-led SMEs. The first round of funding will include $21 million for 10 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa over a five-year period. As you progress towards your entrepreneurial aspirations, I want to offer you a couple of quick suggestions. Number one, stay connected with our embassies and consulates. They are anxious to hear about your A-web and Yali experiences and how they might partner with you. Number two, stay connected with each other. Serve as each other's mentors, sounding boards, and support systems. Together, you are your greatest network of connections and collaboration. On June 4th and 5th, the United States and the Netherlands will co-host the 9th Global Entrepreneurship Summit in The Hay. Go to GES2019.org for updates on how you can apply to join other entrepreneurs, investors, and entrepreneurial ecosystem builders from around the world at the 2019 Global Entrepreneurship Summit. A special thank you to Elizabeth, Charity, Ajo, Adeytun, and CD for serving as panelists on today's program. Good luck.