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Her Startup, an accelerator for women-led technology businesses in Africa, has opened applications for its second cohort, targeting 10 early-stage founders seeking to scale their businesses and become investment-ready.
The initiative, led by KSH Foundation, Tomorrow Foundation and EHA Impact Ventures, will provide selected founders with a 12-week training programme delivered by Founder Institute, a global pre-seed startup accelerator.
The programme seeks to address the funding gap facing women entrepreneurs across Africa. According to data cited by Her Startup, women account for 58 per cent of the continent’s self-employed population but secured less than one per cent of the more than $2 billion raised by African startups in 2025.
Selected participants will receive monthly stipends, have their training fees covered and gain access to 12 months of sector-specific mentorship.
They will also have the opportunity to pitch to Her Startup’s Investment Committee for funding through convertible financing or revenue-based financing, under which repayments are linked to business revenue.
To qualify, applicants must be women founders or chief executive officers aged 18 to 35, operating technology-enabled businesses that have been running for at least six months and generating a minimum of $500 in monthly gross revenue.
Founders from Francophone Africa are particularly encouraged to apply.
Khalil Halilu, co-founder of Her Startup and founder of KSH Foundation, said the initiative aims to expand opportunities for women entrepreneurs to build successful businesses across the continent.
The second cohort builds on a pilot programme conducted in 2024 and 2025, which attracted more than 200 applications from 18 African countries.
Ten founders were selected for training, while three ventures secured funding during the programme’s pitch day in Lagos in April 2025.
According to the organisers, participating businesses have since received grants and awards, attracted investor interest and gained greater visibility.
One beneficiary, Dynalimb Technologies, which produces affordable 3D-printed prosthetics, reported increased customer adoption and product sales following its participation.
“Since Her Startup, we’ve seen a steady rise in customer adoption and product sales, as more amputees experience the comfort and mobility that Dynalimb’s affordable 3D-printed prosthetics provide,” said Blessing Aniefiok, the company’s chief operating officer and a 2024 Her Startup associate.
Evelyn Castle, co-founder of Her Startup and EHA Impact Ventures, said the revenue-based financing model was designed to provide founders with more flexible funding arrangements to support business growth.
Maggie Gu, co-founder of Her Startup and president of Tomorrow Foundation, said technological progress presents opportunities for women to play a greater role in shaping economies and societies.
Applications for the 2026/2027 cohort close on October 26, 2026.
Eligible founders can find programme details and apply through the official website: https://www.her-startup.com.
Ogun Govt Pledges to Disburse ₦500m Loan to SMEs
Business
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has pledged to revive the Ogun State Cooperative College and disbursed an additional ₦500 million in soft loans to support artisans, traders and small business owners across the state.
Abiodun made the pledge at the 2026 International Day of Cooperatives celebration in Ijebu-Ode, organised by the Ogun State Cooperative Federation Limited in collaboration with the Ministry of Community Development and Cooperatives.
The event had the theme, “Cooperatives for a Peaceful World: Inclusivity, Security and Sustainable Development.”
The governor said cooperative societies played a significant role in promoting inclusive economic development by enabling people to pool resources, access opportunities and undertake productive ventures.
He explained that reviving the cooperative college would strengthen the capacity of cooperative members, equip them with relevant skills and position them to contribute more effectively to the state’s economic growth.
Abiodun said preparations were underway to improve the college’s infrastructure and position it to award National Diploma and Higher National Diploma qualifications.
“Our objective is to prepare skilled professionals who can manage institutions, assess risks and protect members,” he said.
The governor described cooperative societies as important instruments of socioeconomic development, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to strengthening the cooperative movement and expanding economic opportunities for residents.
He disclosed that his administration had disbursed an additional ₦500 million through the Oko Owo Irinse Dapo Soft Loan Initiative to support artisans, traders and small business owners across the state’s 20 local government areas.
Abiodun also pledged that the state government would provide adequate land for cooperative societies to undertake agricultural activities and housing projects.
According to him, the proposed seaport, expected to span four kilometres, would rank among the best in Africa when completed.
In his remarks, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, represented by his Special Adviser, Victor Oyegoke, commended the governor for sustaining cooperative development and urged other states to follow suit.
He said the Federal Government had engaged cooperative societies in extending development to grassroots communities by empowering members in agriculture and small-scale businesses.
The Commissioner for Community Development and Cooperatives, Adeola Balogun, said Ogun State had about 14,700 registered cooperative organisations contributing to socioeconomic development across the state.
He noted that the organisations provided financial assistance to members while promoting unity and economic development.
Balogun appreciated the state government for providing the ₦500 million revolving loan to the cooperative movement and urged beneficiaries to ensure the funds were used judiciously.
He also stressed the importance of accountability, transparency, membership expansion and adherence to cooperative principles and relevant laws to ensure the sustainability of the organisations.
The President of the Ogun State Cooperative Federation, Wasiu Olaleye, acknowledged the government’s efforts to develop the cooperative sector, saying the ₦500 million revolving loan would help finance the economic activities of members across the state.
Olaleye also called for the upgrading of the Cooperative College in Shasha, Iperu-Remo, to a diploma- and higher diploma-awarding institution to address manpower needs and expose members to modern cooperative management practices.
Business
AfDB Commits $750,000 to Support Women-Led Businesses in Nigeria
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has committed $750,000 in grants to support women-led businesses across Nigeria under a three-year programme aimed at improving access to finance, strengthening entrepreneurship and creating jobs.
The funding will be shared equally among three Nigerian institutions, with each receiving $250,000 to deliver business development support to female entrepreneurs.
The AfDB disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday, announcing a partnership with the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) under the second cohort of its Women Entrepreneurship Enablers Project.
The three beneficiary institutions are LSETF, the Pan African Women Empowerment Network (PAWEN) and ImpactHER Foundation.
According to the statement, LSETF will use its $250,000 grant to support 610 women-led businesses, while PAWEN and ImpactHER Foundation will each receive the same amount to implement interventions targeting female entrepreneurs.
The statement said the three partnerships represent a combined $750,000 investment to strengthen women-owned and women-led enterprises across Nigeria through tailored support.
Speaking on the initiative, the AfDB’s Acting Vice President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery and Director General for Nigeria, Dr. Abdul Kamara, said the investment would help women entrepreneurs expand their businesses and contribute to economic development.
“Women-owned and women-led businesses are essential to Nigeria’s economic growth and job creation. Through these partnerships, we are helping entrepreneurs gain the skills, networks, and financing opportunities they need to grow sustainable enterprises and participate more fully in the country’s economic development,” Kamara said.
He added that investing in women entrepreneurs was a catalyst for stronger and more resilient economies.
The programme, financed through the AfDB’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa initiative, will provide financial literacy training, business formalisation support, mentorship, business development services, and access to markets and financing opportunities.
The bank said the interventions were designed to address barriers limiting women’s participation in economic activities and strengthen the capacity of female-owned enterprises to expand and generate employment.
At the launch in Lagos, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Sam Egube, welcomed the partnership, describing it as a boost to existing efforts to support small businesses in the state.
Sanwo-Olu said the LSETF had provided targeted business support and access to affordable financing to more than three million small businesses in Lagos State over the past decade.
He noted that women accounted for nearly 60 per cent of businesses supported by the agency, expressing optimism that the AfDB funding would improve their performance.
“With close to 60 per cent women-owned businesses in our portfolio, this seed funding from the AfDB will add catalytic results in the revenue growth, business scalability and job creation factors of these women MSMEs,” he said.
The governor assured participating entrepreneurs of continued support from the state government and its development partners.
The AfDB said the initiative formed part of its broader efforts to promote inclusive economic growth and expand opportunities for women entrepreneurs across Africa.
It recalled that the first cohort of the Women Entrepreneurship Enablers Project was launched in 2022, with a target of supporting 16,000 women-led businesses across 26 African countries.
The latest intervention also aligns with the bank’s Nigeria Country Strategy Paper for 2025–2030, which prioritises inclusive growth and economic opportunities for women and young people.
The $750,000 commitment complements a recent $61 million financing package to the Development Bank of Nigeria aimed at expanding access to affordable financing for women-owned and women-led businesses nationwide.
Business
Anambra Awards ₦2.5m Grant to InnovateNaija Champion
Anambra State Government has awarded a ₦2.5 million matching grant to the state’s InnovateNaija champion, bringing the total financial support to ₦5 million to promote indigenous innovation, technology development and youth empowerment.
The grant was presented at the InnovateNaija and Future Makers Awards held at the State House, Abuja, on October 7.
Governor Chukwuma Soludo was represented at the ceremony by his Special Adviser on Innovation and Business Incubation and Chief Executive Officer of the Solution Innovation District (SID), Chinwe Okoli, who delivered a goodwill message on behalf of the state.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was represented by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh.
Organised by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), the event brought together government officials, innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders to celebrate Nigerian ingenuity and promote technology-driven development.
Among those present were the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande; Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe; and NASENI Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, alongside representatives of AfriLabs and NARDA.
Delivering the state’s goodwill message, Okoli reaffirmed Anambra’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for innovators to transform their ideas into practical solutions, sustainable businesses and employment opportunities.
She presented the ₦2.5 million matching grant to Anambra’s InnovateNaija State Champion, raising the total support to ₦5 million.
The intervention aligns with the state government’s efforts to strengthen its innovation ecosystem through the Solution Innovation District, a flagship initiative supporting Soludo’s “Everything Technology, Technology Everywhere” agenda.
“Building a thriving innovation economy requires celebrating ideas, building infrastructure, forging strategic partnerships, creating access to finance, and enabling policies that translate innovation into viable businesses, jobs and real-world solutions,” Okoli said.
The ceremony also featured the presentation of more than ₦400 million in cash prizes to innovators, researchers and Future Makers across various categories.
These included the Future Makers Recognition and Awards, NASENI inter-agency and intra-agency innovation awards, as well as the unveiling of state and national InnovateNaija winners.
The awards highlighted the growing role of indigenous research, engineering, technological advancement and youth-led innovation in driving economic development.
For Anambra, the event provided an opportunity to showcase its efforts to nurture local talent and strengthen partnerships that could help innovators access funding, develop their ideas and compete in wider markets.
The state government reiterated its commitment to building an innovation-driven economy where homegrown ideas can generate practical solutions, create jobs and contribute to sustainable development.
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