Past events

The ceremony was held at the Best Western Soaho Airport Hotel, Douala, last March 15, a handful of days after celebrating women at the international scale. An initiative of the American Chamber of Commerce in Cameroon (AmCham), the Women Empowerment network is popularly hailed as a “stitch in time” in arousing popular interest on women’s achievements.

After a solemn opening address by Mary E. Daschbach, the U.S. Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission, a keynote presentation was delivered by AfDB’s AFAWA Manager Esther Dassanou. A former World Bank manager, Dassanou now heads the African Development Bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa, a flagship pan-African initiative to bridge the $42 billion financing gap facing women entrepreneurs in Africa. The facility is aimed at promoting gender-inclusive financing and unlocking women’s entrepreneurship potential in Africa by deploying financing instruments tailored to addressing their needs for business growth. AFAWA also includes a business-enabling environment component to ensure regulation is conducive to enhancing the ability of financial institutions to lend to women. Through AFAWA the Bank aims to unlock up to $ 5 billion in the next five to six years.

Followed a panel discussion on “Covid-19 Impact on Women's Leadership—Possible Solutions Moving Forward” and “Gender Equality in Access to Finance, Impact on leadership” featuring four of the decade’s most influencing and inspirational achievers. The urgent greatening of women’s presence in various sectors of the local and international economy requires sharing experience between beginning and experienced women entrepreneurs. Women were encouraged to pursue their dreams keeping in mind that leadership requires the same skills, passion, and financial discipline regardless of gender. The day's panelists Hélène Dengoue (Blessing Petroleum), Caroline Sack-Kendem (African Women's Entrepreneurship Program), Adèle Kamtchouang (Tropik Industries) and Ghislaine Tessa Ketcha (Millenium Group) were happy to share priceless experience and a key advice to the very attentive audience.

In presence of AmCham’s Board of Directors and U.S. Embassy representatives, the AmCham Courage Award was presented to six top performing leaders in recognition for their exceptional courage in leadership and empowering women.