The Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) has announced a line-up of headline and international speakers for its prestigious annual conference taking place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), 30 – 31 October 2025, for the advancement of women in Africa as innovators and entrepreneurs.
In its eleventh edition, AWIEF’s benchmarking Conference, Expo and Awards has more than 60 African and global thought leaders across business, politics, and development to share insight and thought leadership on the conference agenda.
The conference theme this year is ‘Breaking the Barriers: Now More Than Ever’. The two-day event aims to promote and accelerate the growth of women-owned and women-led businesses for Africa’s inclusive economic growth; share entrepreneurship trends; and connect and network with trailblazers from all over Africa and the African Diaspora.
AWIEF 2025 keynote speakers include Dr Fatima Elsheikh, Secretary General, Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) and Hajar El Haddaoui, Director General, Digital Cooperation Organisation (DCO).
The speaker faculty includes Vera Kamtukule, Minister of Tourism, Republic of Malawi; Christelle Vuanga, Member of Parliament, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); Marie-Celine Zialor, Minister of Youth, Sports and Family, Republic of Seychelles; LaTanya White and Pamela Ellis, global business and finance experts from U.S.; Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member, Economic Growth, City of Cape Town; Mustapha Zaouini, Interim CEO and Head of Product and Engineering, Alyf, Morocco; Ambassador Natalina Edward Mou, Head of Mission, AU, UNECA & IGAD, Republic of South Sudan; Marvis Owusu-Gyamfi, Executive Vice President, ACET, Ghana; Alice Usanase, Lead, Europe, Middle East & Francophone Africa, African Finance Corporation (AFC); Adesuwa Ifedi, Senior Vice President Heifer Africa, Heifer International; and many more.
Sponsors and partners include OCP Africa, Deloitte Africa, African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), City of Cape Town, UNDP, UN Women, Nedbank, APO Group, Financial Nigeria, Bellanaija, Guardian Woman, Africa.com, and AI in Africa.
AWIEF is a platform that brings together global thought leaders, industry experts, policymakers, academics, development organisations, and investors to engage in dialogue, connection, networking, sharing, collaboration, and transaction, collectively boosting Africa’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The speakers will share practical insights on finance and investing, innovation, food security, sustainability, policy, and digital transformation, and will engage directly with delegates on how to break barriers and create sustainable impact.
