Menu

The Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) has announced the theme for its 2025 conference as “Breaking the Barriers: Now More Than Ever”.

AWIEF is a pan-African organisation, driving women’s entrepreneurship and innovation. For over a decade, it has continued to provide a platform to promote inclusive economic growth and gender equity across the continent.

AWIEF2025 is the 11th edition of the annual conference and will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), Cape Town, South Africa, from 30 to 31 October 2025.

The highly anticipated two-day event is an international platform and gathering of a wide range of stakeholders from the African and global entrepreneurship ecosystem to engage in impactful dialogue and work together on bold, gender-inclusive and forward-thinking solutions for a thriving business landscape for women in Africa.

“Despite notable progress in women's empowerment, today, we are witnessing not just a stagnation but, alarmingly, an active backlash against gender equality and women’s rights,” AWIEF said in a statement sent to Financial Nigeria, a media partner to the event. “This regression threatens to reverse hard-won gains and underscores the need for urgent, collective action.”

According to the statement, the theme of this year’s conference is both a call to action and a statement of urgency. It reflects the growing recognition that, in a world marked by political instability, economic uncertainty, technological disruption, and persistent inequality, we cannot afford to remain complacent. The statement cited UN Secretary-General António Guterres as recently saying, “We are witnessing an aggressive backlash against gender equality – threatening hard-won progress… We must push back against this pushback.”

“In the lead-up to 2030, now more than ever, we must renew our commitment to gender equity and ensure that no woman is left behind in Africa’s development journey,” AWIEF said.

Following the resounding success of AWIEF2024, which brought together over 1,000 attendees from over 50 countries, including 42 African nations, the upcoming AWIEF2025 promises even greater impact and engagement, according to the organiser.

“AWIEF2025 will once again convene a vibrant community of entrepreneurs, corporate executives, investors, policymakers, development institutions, academia, media, and civil society to foster collaboration, drive transformative change, and scale women-led innovation and enterprise,” the statement concluded.

According to information on the event’s website - www.awieforum.org - delegate registration is now open. Exhibition stand bookings are also open, offering opportunities for businesses, startups, and organisations to showcase their products, services, solutions, and innovations to a pan-African and global audience.