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Mastercard announces winners of 2024 Women SME Leaders Awards

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Mastercard has announced the winners of the third edition of its Women SME Leaders Awards which celebrates the achievements of women-owned and led businesses across diverse sectors in the Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (EEMEA) region.

The winners included women entrepreneurs from Egypt, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Turkey, Lithuania, UAE and Ukraine

The Mastercard Women SME Leaders Awards which was launched in 2022, is the first initiative of its kind to recognize outstanding female entrepreneurs shaping the future of the region, according to Amnah Ajmal, Executive Vice President, Market Development, EEMEA, Mastercard.

“At Mastercard, we believe when we support women entrepreneurs, we are not only supporting the economy but also their desire to solve real needs,” Ajmal said while announcing the winners of the award.

“That’s why we are committed to creating an enabling environment for women to fulfil their potential as business leaders. The Mastercard Women SME Leaders Awards is an integral part of our women’s empowerment journey.

“This initiative helps us generate momentum so we can continue to uplift the most impactful women changemakers,” Ajmal stated.

He added that this year’s edition of the awards was “open to all women owning or leading businesses with a turnover under $13.6 million and 6-50 employees that have their offices or offer their services in the EEMEA region.”

The Women SME Leaders Awards 2024 jury included Mastercard’s Ajmal, Tamara Pupic, Managing Editor, Entrepreneur Middle East, and Nezha Alaoui, Founder and CEO, Women Choice.

“The Women SME Leaders Awards aligns with Mastercard’s global pledge to connect 25 million women entrepreneurs to the digital economy by 2025 as part of its efforts to build a more sustainable and inclusive world,” Amjal said.

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Facebook returns to Uganda after 4-year ban

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After four years of being in the cooler as a result of suspension by government, Facebook, now Meta, is making a return to Uganda after prolonged negotiations saw the Ugandan government reverse the ban it placed on the platform since 2021.

The suspension of the social media platform had stemmed from accusations by the government that Facebook was meddling in the country’s political affairs during the 2021 presidential elections which arose after it deleted government-affiliated accounts for allegedly spreading disinformation.

This ban of Facebook has led to widespread disruptions across the nation, affecting not only political discourse but also personal connections and business operations.

But according to reports, with a potential re-launch on the horizon for December 2024, Facebook’s comeback could be a game-changer with approximately 2.5 million Ugandans poised to reconnect on the platform, while the Uganda Revenue Authority stands to gain financially from its revival just as businesses, especially smaller enterprises, stand to benefit from advertising incomes.

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20 African tech-preneurs embark on Korean innovation tour

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The African Development Bank Group’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab has selected 20 promising tech entrepreneurs from various African technology ventures and enterprise support organisations to embark on a two-week study tour of the Republic of Korea, with the aim of seeking investment and insights from the country’s innovative tech ecosystem.

The selected entrepreneurs are from 133 ventures that participated in last month’s Africa Tech Startup Forum.

The forum which will hold under the auspices of the lab’s “Leveraging the Entrepreneurial and Innovation Success of Korea to Strengthen African Enterprise Support” project, had selected entrepreneurs who pitched the best business models during the week-long virtual market access and acceleration programme preparing, training, and connecting technology ventures with opportunities.

The 20 young tech-preneurs were selected from eight African countries including Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda, with the delegates spanning various sectors in the technology space.

While in Korea, the African delegates will pay visits to prestigious institutions such as Global Startup Centre, LG Science Park, the Korea Software Technology Association, and the Global Digital Innovation Network.

Speaking on behalf of the delegates, founder of Kenya-based health technology venture Zuri Health, Uche Ezadinachi said:

“I am excited to go to Korea because the country has made serious technological developments. The country is a technology-driven society, and this tour is an opportunity for me to see how we can bring such technology to Africa.

“We will share experiences with our Korean counterparts; they will learn from us as much as we learn from them,” he added.

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