Call for Applications: Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE Cameroon) Program 2025 for female Entrepreneurs

The U.S. Embassy in Cameroon is seeking proposals to implement the 2025 Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) in Cameroon! AWE is looking for innovative organizations to design an export-focused program that empowers women entrepreneurs across Cameroon.

Eligibility Requirements:

Eligible candidates

PDS encourages applications from the United States and Cameroon:

• Registered non-profit organisations, including think tanks, community associations and civil society organisations/non-governmental organisations with experience in project programming;
• Former participants in U.S. government exchange programs;
• Non-profit media organizations;
• Professional and commercial organizations;
• Non-profit or government educational institutions;
• Private educational institutions.

For-profit or commercial entities are not eligible.

Project Activities

Phase 1: Development and Recruitment

• Develop a training program and training materials.
• Identify, recruit and train facilitators and mentors from the U.S. Government alumni community, the U.S. Embassy, ​​USAID, the American-Cameroonian Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) and the African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP) network.
• Announce, conduct awareness-raising activities and recruit participants.
• Produce an export preparation standard operating procedure (SOP) for entrepreneurs wishing to export products to the United States. Proposals should provide a strategy for recruiting target participants and specify the Embassy’s involvement.
• Phase 2: Formation of the Cohort
  • Organize a 3-day Bootcamp on export preparation in parallel with the official launch ceremony in Yaoundé.
  • Facilitate training for DreamBuilder or Thunderbird’s 100 Million Learners online courses through weekly virtual or in-person sessions to discuss challenges, share best practices, and receive guidance from facilitators
  • Organize activities that integrate localized content to complement DreamBuilder or Thunderbird’s 100 Million Learners online courses.
  • Establish a support network among participants to foster peer learning and collaboration. Proposals are encouraged to incorporate a variety of interactive activities, workshops, field trips, case studies and other learning experiences to help participants develop their export readiness skills.

Phase 3: Final Stages

• Organize a 2-day final gathering themed “AWE Alumni Trade Show and Export Forum” in Douala to showcase AWE participants’ and alumni’s businesses, connect them with potential investors and US buyers, and increase their access to financing and export opportunities.

Participants and Target Audiences

The AWE 2025 program will include 50 dynamic Cameroonian women entrepreneurs, including AWE alumni, who:

• Resident in Cameroon.
• Have social enterprises or businesses with demonstrable export potential in the US market.
• Have a proven business history of 2-5 years, indicating operational maturity and entrepreneurial resilience.
• Demonstrate advanced digital literacy, including computer literacy and reliable internet connectivity.
• Demonstrate a commitment to business growth and expansion into international markets.
• Have innovative business models with scalable export potential.

Substantial involvement

• The beneficiary will propose for the Embassy’s opinion:

• Details of the content and design of the program
• The participant selection strategy
• List of speakers and former participants
  • The beneficiary may request assistance from the Embassy for:
• Share promotional content of the project on the social media platforms of the United States Embassy in Cameroon
• Invite the press
  • The Grant Officer must provide final approval on the following items prior to any grantee action:
• Keynote Speakers, Facilitators and Participants
• Promotional materials
• Date and place

Deadline: January 10, 2025

Click HERE to Apply