UNECA (United Nations Economic Commission for Africa), in collaboration with Betacube, has announced the launch of its first Tech African Women (TAW) program, inviting female-led idea stage startups from Ethiopia, Senegal, Tanzania, and Tunisia to apply.

UNECA announced the launch of the TAW (tTech African Women) program last Thursday, to empower female founders to leverage their skills to build strong tech startups from scratch, accelerate the transformation of project ideas into validated business models, and develop alliances between different African ecosystems.

The UNECA, in collaboration with Betacube, a tech venture builder that invests, builds, and grows B2B-based startups in fintech and mobility, launched the TAW scheme, which will run from August to December 2022 and consist of three major phases.

The phases will include intensive three-day training boot camps and pitching competitions in Tunisia, Senegal, Ethiopia, and Tanzania in collaboration with local ecosystem players, with the winner receiving a $2,000 prize.

The program will also run a two-month online incubation program for the best two startups from each country. The startups are expected to have reached the market and investment readiness during the incubation period, as well as a final event in Rwanda where eight startups will be invited to pitch for the program’s final prize of $7,000.

“TAW targets female-led and idea-stage tech startups and offers teams an exclusive opportunity to acquire new entrepreneurial skills, establish partnerships with their African peers, increase regional business visibility, and access funds,” the UNECA said.

It stated that the initiative supports ideas addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by building the capacity of female entrepreneurs who want to understand how to play a role in the development of the continent and dive deep into building impact-driven startups.

How to apply

Participants in the program must be Tunisian, Tanzanian, Senegalese, or Ethiopian nationals, have a tech startup idea that addresses at least one of the SDGs, be female between the ages of 18 and 35, and be fluent in French or English.

Applications are now open for candidates from the four countries on the program’s official website (www.techafricanwomen.com) until the 10th of August 2022 for Tunisia and until the 17th of August 2022 in Ethiopia, Senegal, and Tanzania.

About UNECA

The United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) established ECA in 1958 as one of the UN’s five regional commissions. Its mandate is to promote the economic and social development of its member countries, foster intra-regional integration, and promote international cooperation for Africa’s development.

The ECA is uniquely positioned to address the continent’s development challenges. Especially with 54 member countries’ strength and a dual role as a regional arm of the UN as well as a key component of the African institutional landscape.

About Betacube

Founded in 2019, Betacube is a venture builder that collaborates with exceptional founders to co-create tech startups. Betacube has so far focused on fintech and mobility, and it works closely with corporations as development partners for both its startups and corporate innovation programs. The core business of Betacube is the creation of high-quality startups while ensuring their growth and funding.