They say travel broadens the mind, but it’s more fundamental than that. For entrepreneurs it’s an essential part of growing networks, expanding market opportunities, and making valuable business connections. It’s also a great way of seeing how other parts of the world do business, build brands, and connect with customers - bottom line, it’s a great learning experience. But particularly for women entrepreneurs in Africa, travelling to new cities across the continent and around the globe generally opens up access to important eco-systems in each new market. One of the biggest challenges is always breaking into new markets, so having a headstart by tapping into an existing entrepreneur eco-system and one that is Africa focused, is always going to be an advantage. Ultimately, it’s all about connectedness, the big buzzword of the moment for entrepreneurs. Being connected means being able to tap into local knowledge and specialist knowhow, test out new ideas, better understand the dynamics of local marketplaces. In fact, the importance of global connectedness for entrepreneurs has just been highlighted in the latest 2017 Global Startup Ecosystem Report. It found that Global Connectedness strongly correlates with early-stage funding, the ability of startups to access global markets, and overall ecosystem performance.

Sign up today to receive the #1-rated newsletters for Africa's women entrepreneurs.