Over 90 leading women from across Francophone and Anglophone Africa gathered for the inaugural
Business Women in Africa (BWA) on the 28th February 2024 at the Art Hotel, Victoria Island,
Lagos,Nigeria.
Organized by the Francophone Africa Business Summit (FABS), the purpose of this side event was for networking, with women industry leaders and business owners representing Côte d’Ivoire, the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Mauritania, and Nigeria respectively.
These business leaders assembled to forge bonds across common borders. More than a gathering, the event was a watershed moment, giving rise to meaningful partnerships, business synergies, and
lasting relations – the foundation driving pan-African prosperity.
In her opening speech, Managing Partner at Epena Law, Johanna Monthé, said “I really want you to
leave this place having met at least 10 people. For those who haven’t met the francophone crowd, we
have an amazing group of strong women coming from the DRC.”
During her speech, the Managing Director of BGR Consulting, Habibah Waziri, noted that the lunch
program is a welcome idea as it would help African women forge bonds across common borders.
She urged women to embrace their similarities, saying, “I understand the importance of one Africa
even though we haven’t gotten there yet. There is a different perspective in this room; we have
Francophone and Anglophone speakers, and if you break it down, we have at least ten to fifteen
countries represented here.
“It is important that we see more of our similarities than our differences, but one conversation will help you whether it’s agro, consulting, finance, mining, oil and gas, or whatever the case is, these are the kind of rooms that we all have to start with.”
As they departed, the women carried with them a renewed commitment to collaborate across borders and industries.
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