TFO Canada is pleased to announce the launch of the Women Exporters Fund (WEF).
The WEF is a component of the Women in Trade for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth Project (WIT) funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by TFO Canada. The WEF is designed to benefit women-led small and medium enterprises in 12 countries in sub-Saharan Africa where WIT is being implemented (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia). The Fund reinforces and builds on the WIT project activities – training, technical assistance, and market access activities by reducing financial constraints on women-led SMEs so they can increase their level of export readiness and overcome costs associated with market access. The WEF Fund is also designed to encourage linkages and create synergies with existing local initiatives and financial institutions.
The WEF offers sub-grants to organizations (including civil society/not-for-profit organizations and social enterprises) and private-sector business support organizations/private sector TSIs with operations in a country or group of sub-Saharan countries which falls under the WIT project, and that support women-led SMEs. The sub-grants, each between CAD $50,000 and $100,000 in size, will allow beneficiary organizations to implement 6 to 12 month-long projects that will contribute to the overall goals of the WEF and the WIT project. The funds will be accessed on a cost-share basis, with the WEF providing up to a maximum of 50% of the full costs for any initiative. All project activities must be completed by August 30, 2024.
For more information please refer to the attached WEF Call for Applications (PDF) and Annexes. The deadline to apply is April 3rd 2023.
