Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) in Cameroon 2025

Deadline: 10th January 2025.

The U.S. Embassy in Cameroon announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications to implement the 2025 Women Entrepreneurs Academy (AWE) in Cameroon. AWE is a U.S. Department of State initiative led around the world to support gender equity and equality by fostering economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs and giving them the knowledge, networks, and access they need to start and grow successful businesses.

The Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Embassy in Yaoundé invites proposals to design and implement an export-focused AWE cohort, to support the mission’s goals of strengthening economic ties between Cameroon and the United States of America, and supporting women entrepreneurs. This specialized program will provide six-month training during the summer or fall of 2025 to 50 women business leaders. The training will focus on product quality improvement, compliance with export requirements, and U.S. market entry strategies. The program will build on Thunderbird’s “100 Million Learners” platform, complemented by specialized workshops on U.S. FDA regulations, USDA requirements, packaging best practices, and export compliance procedures. The programme will culminate in an “AWE Alumni Trade Fair and Export Forum”. This targeted approach aims to create a pipeline of export-ready and women-led businesses in Cameroon.

Eligibility

1. Eligible Applicants

PDS encourages applications from the United States and Cameroon:

• Registered non-profit organizations, including think tanks, community associations, and civil society organizations/non-governmental organizations with experience in project programming;
• Alumni of U.S. government exchange programs;
• Non-profit media organizations;
• Professional and commercial organizations;
• Non-profit or government educational institutions;
• Private educational institutions.

For-profit or commercial entities are not eligible.

2. Co-financing or matching

Co-financing is NOT mandatory.

3. Other eligibility requirements

All organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) issued through SAM.gov and a valid registration on SAM.gov. Please see section D.3 for more information. Individuals are not required to have an IIU or be registered on SAM.gov.

Project Activities

Phase 1: Development and Recruitment

• Develop a training program and training materials.
• Identify, recruit, and train facilitators and mentors from the U.S. Government Exchange Program Alumni Community, the U.S. Embassy, USAID, the American-Cameroon Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM), and the African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP) network.
• Advertise, raise awareness and recruit participants.
• Produce an export readiness standard operating procedure (SOP) for contractors wishing to export products to the United States. Proposals should provide a strategy for recruiting target participants and specify the Embassy’s involvement.

Phase 2: Cohort Training

• Organize a 3-day Export Readiness Bootcamp in conjunction with the official launch ceremony in Yaoundé.
• Facilitate training in DreamBuilder or Thunderbird’s 100 Million Learners online courses through weekly virtual or in-person sessions to discuss challenges, share best practices, and receive guidance from facilitators
• Organize activities that incorporate localized content to complement DreamBuilder or Thunderbird’s 100 Million Learners online courses.
• Establish a support network among participants to foster peer-to-peer learning and collaboration. Proposals are encouraged to incorporate a variety of interactive activities, workshops, field trips, case studies, and other learning experiences to help participants develop their export readiness skills.

Phase 3: Final Stages

• Organize a final 2-day gathering on the theme “AWE Alumni Trade Fair and Export Forum” in Douala to showcase the companies of AWE participants, connect them with potential investors and U.S. buyers, and increase their access to financing and export opportunities.

Participants and Target Audiences

The AWE 2025 program will include 50 dynamic Cameroonian women entrepreneurs, including AWE alumni, who:

• Resident in Cameroon.
• Own social enterprises or businesses with demonstrable export potential to the U.S. market.
• Have a proven business history of 2-5 years, indicating operational maturity and entrepreneurial resilience.
• Demonstrate advanced digital literacy, including computer literacy and reliable internet connectivity.
• Demonstrate a commitment to business growth and expansion into international markets.
• Have innovative business models with scalable export potential.

Application Forms

• SF-424 (Request for Federal Assistance – Organizations) or SF-424-I (Request for Federal Assistance – Individuals) on https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family 
• SF424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs) on https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family 
• SF424B (Insurance for Non-Construction Programs) on https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family  (Note: SF-424B is only required for individuals, organizations exempt from registration, and organizations not required to fully register on the SAM.gov )

For more information.