Creating, passing on, undertaking: culture driven by women

For four years, the ‘Awa Prize’ project has supported women entrepreneurs making a significant social and community impact. This initiative, funded by Belgium and implemented by Enabel, aimed to support women’s entrepreneurship in Belgium’s partner countries.

Through three international competitions held in 2022, 2023 and 2024, the project selected 27 female entrepreneurs across 13 countries and provided them with tailored support in the form of grants ranging from €1,500 to €50,000. This support has borne fruit. Today, Enabel invites you to continue discovering, through a series of articles, the impact the Awa Prize has had on the supported female entrepreneurs.

The cultural and creative industries: guardians of identity and drivers of resilience

Culture shapes identities, transmits values and tells collective stories. In contexts marked by demographic and societal changes, the cultural and creative industries (CCI) play a key role: they preserve ancestral knowledge and provide spaces for expression and transmission.

From crafts and literature to gastronomy, fashion and digital storytelling, many women entrepreneurs are keeping their cultures alive and reinventing them, whilst building sustainable business models.

Such is the case for Adja Soro (Ivory Coast), Credia Umuhire Ruzigana (Rwanda), Enas Skaik (Palestine), Oumou Hawa Camarra (Guinea), Raissa Ikuzwe (Rwanda), Safae Bennouna (Morocco) and Sonia Guiza (Ivory Coast), supported by the Awa Prize.

Promoting African cinema

A film enthusiast since childhood, Sonia Guiza founded Lagozi Entertainment. Based in Côte d’Ivoire, the company distributes African films to cinemas, via travelling film tours, television channels and VOD platforms.

Winner of the ‘Start-up’ category at the 2024 Awa Prize, Sonia has developed collaborations with other winners, notably Adja Soro and Aïcha Macky. She organised the very first Ivorian film festival in Paris, bringing together more than 1,000 people for screenings, debates and events dedicated to African cinema. Building on this success, Sonia is currently preparing the festival’s second edition.

Passing on history to inspire new generations

In Rwanda, Credia Umuhire Ruzigana set out to revive the stories of forgotten Rwandan heroines in a country deeply scarred by the genocide. Through Imanzi Creations, her publishing house, she produces books, games and audiovisual content that help young people connect with their cultural roots.

Winner of first prize in the Scale-up category in 2022, Credia received 36,000 euros, which she invested in strengthening her company’s management and diversifying its titles and formats to reach a wider audience.

Imanzi now offers publications in Braille, bringing this rich cultural content to an audience that is often overlooked.

Buoyed by the leadership training and support provided as part of the Prize, Credia has overcome her ‘imposter syndrome’.

“I no longer underestimate my abilities or my company’s potential. Whilst I have always believed in my vision, I am now able to convince others, whether they be colleagues or investors.”

Telling the story of contemporary Africa through storytelling

In Côte d’Ivoire, Adja Soro, winner of the 1st Prize in the Innovation category in 2024, puts storytelling at the heart of her entrepreneurial commitment. With Studio Kä, she showcases Africa’s cultural diversity through animated videos inspired by authentic stories. The acquisition of state-of-the-art IT equipment and support from international scriptwriting and creative experts have strengthened her teams’ creative capabilities, leading to the development of two new animation projects.

Adja also launched the development of another product near and dear to her heart: the first pan-African platform for locally produced webtoons and digital comics. The Awa Prize also enabled her to implement a distribution strategy extending beyond Côte d’Ivoire’s borders – a vehicle for bringing African stories to an international audience.

Discover SPARK, Adja Soro’s online magazine on African animation and entertainment

Entrepreneurship to pass on ancestral know-how

In Morocco, the Awa Prize has supported Safae Bennouna (Hedo), who creates garments using carefully selected raw materials and ensuring fair working conditions for the craftswomen she collaborates with. In Palestine, Enas Skaik (Sabaya Embroideries), a winner from Gaza, strengthened her brand’s marketing strategy and digital presence, gaining international visibility.

Entrepreneurship that brings flavours to life

In Guinea, Oumou Hawa Camarra showcases and promotes the richness of Guinean culinary culture through her business, ‘La cuisine d’Hawa’. With the support of the Awa Prize, she expanded her menu to include new regional dishes and developed catering services.

In Rwanda, Raissa Ikuzwe (Ino Coffee) has continued her work to promote locally grown coffee, with a rebranding of her business and the opening of a new retail outlet.

Culture as a force for transformation

These stories tell of a living culture, championed by women who bring it into dialogue with the present day. A culture that is passed on, reinvented and embodied in bold projects where creativity and entrepreneurship go hand in hand.

These seven stories illustrate how the promotion of traditional skills and narratives can also be a powerful economic driver. They do more than simply preserve a legacy: they open up sustainable prospects for regions, communities and future generations.