The Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF); one of Africa’s largest and most prestigious women entrepreneurship platform has today announced it will hold its 6th Annual Conference and Awards online from December 2nd to 3rd, 2020. Since its inception, the AWIEF still remains a women entrepreneurship platform where they come together from across the continent to network, connect and build new business relationships.
Irene Ochem, the CEO & Founder of AWIEF said in a press statement that, “Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s AWIEF Conference and the AWIEF Awards ceremony will take a vastly different form and tha AWIEF2020 and AWIEF Awards will be held fully online.”
She adds that, “While we concede that the human touch that accompanies physical and face-to-face interactions at all of AWIEF events will be greatly missed, it is believed that going virtual presents a unique opportunity for us to partner with even more high-level speakers and sponsors with a much larger online audience across the globe.”
This year’s conference is themed “Reimagining business and rebuilding better” hoping to bring together pan-African and global stakeholders to engage inspiring industry experts and thought leaders through keynote presentations, panel discussions, and testimonials.
AWIEF has also revealed some of the speakers to headline the event. Meanwhile, the keynotes will be delivered by H. E. Wamkele Mene; the Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area, Landry Signe; Senior Director and Full Professor at Thunderbird School of Global Management, and Ayodele Odusola; UNDP Representative for South Africa.
Government and diplomatic sector representatives include Honourable Vera Kamtukule; Malawian Deputy Minister for Labour, Skills and Innovation, and Veronique Haller; Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Switzerland to South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mauritius and Namibia.
A special panel on “Conversation with African business leaders” will include an elite group deeply versed in African business and economy: Aida Diarra; Senior Vice President and Head of VISA Sub-Saharan Africa, Kunle Elebut; Senior Partner KPMG Nigeria and Chair, KPMG Africa, James Mwangi; Executive Director of Dalberg Group, and Robyn de Villiers; Chairman and CEO Africa of Burson Cohn & Wolfe (BCW). Pratibha (Pat) Thaker, Editorial Director, Middle East and Africa, The Economist Intelligence Unit, will moderate this session.
Top level executives which include Cathy Smith, Vanessa Adams, Katya Blouin, and Jonathan Smit will handle the panel discussion on “Rebuilding in Africa: The bridging role of technology”.
Other high-profile global speakers include Dorothy Nyambi, Monica Delores Hooks, Onyeche Tifase, Toyin Sanni, Salma Okonkwo, Saul Molobi, Ken Etete, and Amith Singh.
