Africa needs a new generation of young women entrepreneurs to thrive

In a few days time, the winners of this year’s Anzisha Prize will be announced, Africa’s biggest award for the youngest, brightest entrepreneurs on the continent. The award celebrates innovation and looks to recognize and encourage a new generation of young business builders in Africa. It is a reminder, not that one should be needed, that our young people are the future and we should be encouraging them to think more entrepreneurially. We need more young women in particular to consider starting a business that can change not only their own lives, but those around them in their communities and in their families. We should be educating and informing them to consider entrepreneurship as a first choice, not a last resort. They should have access to strong women role models who are successfully building businesses that are making a real difference on the continent. So when we see the bright young winners of this year’s Anzisha Prize being celebrated, let’s use it as a source of inspiration for the thousands of young women in Africa who are waiting to turn their dreams into business realities.