JOHANNESBURG - A woman from the Northern Cape is basking in the excitement of beating thousands of applicants to claim a place in a US-run programme that seeks to empower women worldwide.
Masego Moncho, 35, who was born and raised in Pampierstad, Northern Cape and now lives and works in Bloemfontein, Free State, has been chosen to be part of the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) South Africa 2021.
AWE is part of the US government and White House-led Women’s Global Development and Prosperity initiative.
The AWE training is anchored on DreamBuilder, an online training platform for women entrepreneurs that was developed by Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Management in partnership with the global copper mining company Freeport-McMoRan.
The objective of the programme is to provide women with the help and skills needed for building and growing their businesses into sustainable enterprises, and aims to economically empower 50 million women worldwide by 2025.
Moncho, who is the founder and owner of MSG IT Solutions - a 100% black women youth ICT Company in Free State - remembers the day she got the good news.
“I was home busy on my laptop when I received an email of confirmation. I was excited; this is a great opportunity,“ she said.
Moncho said she had applied to join the programme programmes because it offered entrepreneurs opportunities for growth in terms of development and market reach not only in the country but abroad.
“This is an exciting opportunity for a young leader like myself and other women in the country.
“This opportunity will open doors for the African market since I operate in technology industries and all industries have transitioned to digital technology.
“I am passionate about technology and dedicated to the advancement of women and youth. We run a Cisco International Academy which was established in 2019 to close the gap in the market by equipping youth with the latest skills and certification.”
The training sessions, which will be held virtually, started on Tuesday and will until December.