Jean Chawapiwa
Country Director, South Africa
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South Africa
WEConnect International in South Africa identifies, educates, registers, and certifies women's business enterprises that are at least 51% owned, managed, and controlled by one or more women. WEConnect International is the only non-profit organisation in South Africa that provides the seal of certification uniquely to Women Business Enterprises (WBEs), and also, that connects these WBEs with multi-national corporate purchasing organizations across diverse industries. Our signature seal of certification is a formal guarantee to corporations that they are purchasing goods and/or services from South African businesses that meet universal standards for WBEs. Find out more.
Click here to learn more about South Africa's economy, top industries, and top exports.
News and Events
On May 17th, 2019, Procter & Gamble (P&G), in partnership with WEConnect International, launched the second edition of the P&G Business Development Program in South Africa. This year, over twenty women-owned businesses were selected to attend the five-week training event designed to further develop their capacity as suppliers and, ultimately, help them grow and scale. The program, set in Johannesburg, is in its second edition after a successful pilot cohort in 2017.
On February 22nd, 2019, over 200 women business owners, corporate representatives, and delegates from the US Embassy and South African government convened together to celebrate female entrepreneurship and the opportunities for collaboration to drive business growth with WEConnect International. The event was the 4th WEConnect International in South Africa Annual Conference, hosted by EY, in Sandton, Johannesburg.
In the lead up to the Annual Conference, WEConnect International in South Africa hosted six targeted training workshops for over 100 women business owners on February 21st, 2019. In a true collaborative spirit, WEConnect International Certified Women’s Business Enterprises and representatives of WEConnect International corporate members took on the role of workshop leaders.
With the theme of “Collaborating For Business Growth,” the workshop leaders focused on topics relevant to women business owners seeking to work with one another. Topics of the workshops included alignment of self-branding and personal values, legal implications of doing business within collaborative entities, cybersecurity, change management, brand building for collaboration, and pricing for collaboration.
Interested in learning more or participating in the next training workshop? Contact South Africa Country Director Jean Chawapiwa at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..