Exciting New Funding Opportunity: Apply now for the I&P Acceleration WE4A Program – Women Entrepreneurship for Africa
Closing Date: 6 January 2026
Exciting New Funding Opportunity: Apply now for the I&P Acceleration WE4A Program – Women Entrepreneurship for Africa
I&P is implementing I&P Acceleration WE4A (Women Entrepreneurship for Africa), an acceleration program dedicated to financing and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises owned or co-owned and managed by women in the green and transition sectors.
Overview
The I&P Acceleration WE4A program is part of the pan-African initiative Investing in Young Businesses in Africa – Women Entrepreneurship for Africa (IYBA WE4A), co-financed by the European Union, the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), and the German development cooperation implemented by GIZ.
Led by Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P), the I&P Acceleration WE4A program aims to strengthen the development and resilience of high-potential women-led businesses, particularly in green and transition sectors.
Calendar 2025-2027
Size €3,5 million
Geography Cameroon, Uganda, Senegal, Togo
Sectors Green and greening sectors
Portfolio 140 businesses
Sponsors UE, OEACP, BMZ
Why this program?
In countries such as Cameroon, Senegal, Togo and Uganda, small businesses, often informal, make up the bulk of the economy but face a financing gap estimated at over €15 billion. Caught between microfinance (costly and limited) and commercial banks (requiring collateral and financial history), they struggle to grow and formalize.
Women entrepreneurs face even greater constraints: limited access to collateral and networks, gender biases, cultural barriers, and the double burden of professional and domestic responsibilities. Despite their strong presence in entrepreneurship, they receive less than 10% of commercial loans and very few equity investments.
This challenge is especially critical for green and innovative businesses, which struggle to attract funding despite their essential role in combating climate change and creating sustainable jobs.
Program Components
The program is structured around three components aimed at removing the main obstacles faced by women-led small businesses:
Track 1: Investment Readiness
Provide tailored support and assistance to early-stage, women-led businesses, helping them better structure, formalize, and prepare for access to finance.
Criteria: Early-stage businesses, willingness to formalize, fundraising project
Target: 80 SMEs divided into two cohorts
Country coverage: Senegal, Togo, Cameroon, and Uganda
Support
Individual mentoring: 5 hours with a mentor (professional investor from I&P Conseil) and support in setting up a Fundraising Data Room (pitch, financial statements, etc.)
4-month training course via a dedicated e-learning platform and 3 live webinars with investment and impact professionals from I&P Conseil
Track 2: Access to Debt
Facilitate first-time access to credit for women entrepreneurs, with an average loan amount of €22,000, through a dedicated loan guarantee mechanism combined with technical assistance.
Criteria: MSMEs without access to credit, with annual turnover under €50,000; fundraising
Target: 40 businesses
Country coverage: Uganda
Technical assistance: Group training on selecting financial institutions, creating repayment plans, calculating APR, collection processes, etc. Individual mentoring by credit access experts: review of financial, legal, and commercial documents; strategic support during the loan process.
Financial assistance: Loan of €22k per company over 12 months. Security deposit of €11k per company to secure the loan
Track 3: Access to Capital
Provide reimbursable financing averaging €52,000, at zero interest and without collateral, along with technical assistance to support business growth and prepare entrepreneurs for equity investment.
Criteria: Growing ventures, strong traction, Turnover comprised between €50,000 and €500,000, Fundraising
Target: 20 businesses
Country coverage: Senegal, Togo, Cameroon
Technical assistance: Diagnostics, financial and market analysis, ESG e-learning, and co-creation and implementation of the Value Creation Plan, with mentoring by partner funds and external experts.
Financial assistance: Repayable financing averaging €52,000, at zero interest and without collateral. Venture financing and networking with local and international investors, in connection with the deployment of the VCP
Implementation Consortium
The program is rolled out by three partner teams from the I&P-sponsored African impact fund network (which finance and support high-potential small and medium enterprises) : Comoé Capital in Côte d’Ivoire (oversees Togo), Fako Capital in Cameroon, and Teranga Capital in Senegal.
In Uganda, the financial institution Finance Trust Bank (FTB) is responsible for implementing the pilot guaranteed loan project.
Click Here To Apply
Follow Opportunities For Everyone on Social Media
