Women in Business

What is Women in Business?

The idea of a Businesswomen network sparked back in 1998 with a collaboration project between The Association of German Women Entrepreneurs (VdU) and the Business Women of Egypt 21 (BWE21). 20 years later, The VdU and Global Project Partners (GPP), together with selected businesswomen associations from the MENA Region, have launched the Women in Business network, which has expanded to include women entrepreneurs in Senegal and Cote d'Ivoire in 2023. The network supports (prospective) women entrepreneurs from MENA and Africa with expertise and a strong network in fulfilling their potential. Women in Business offers women entrepreneurs, self-employed women and those interested in founding their own businesses the unique opportunity to network with each other and with mentors, associations from the region and partners from the business world, to exchange experiences, to develop competencies and business contacts and thus to create lasting economic perspectives and equal opportunities.

Our approach

Together with women's business associations, Business Women of Egypt 21 (BWE21), Savoir et Vouloir Entreprendre (SEVE) from Algeria, Lebanese League for Women in Business (LLWB), Chambre Nationale des Femmes Chefs d'Entreprises (CNFCE) from Tunisia and Women's Investment Club in Sénégal and Cote d'Ivoire, the Women in Business network follows a three-pronged approach:

Visibility:

Women in Business aims to increase the visibility of female entrepreneurs, to highlight role models and diversity in business and to create an open corporate culture. Increasing the visibility of women entrepreneurs and strengthening the associations involved improves the public dialogue with all relevant stakeholders and give women entrepreneurs a strong voice.

B2B:

Women in Business enables women entrepreneurs to join the networks of the associations and B2B contacts with partners in business to promote innovation and business development. Through direct networking with potential customers, suppliers and talents, capacities are to be built up to expand existing markets and open up new ones.

Growth:

Joint activities and the creation of synergies between the project partners from Germany, the MENA region, and Africa will enable mutual knowledge transfer and competence development in order to strengthen sustainable growth through women-led enterprises through dynamic association activities.