AFIFEN

Advancing Focused Initiatives for Entrepreneurship and Networking

Certified training and skills programmes helping women and youth build businesses, master crafts, and create lasting change.

About AFIFEN

AFIFEN is a social enterprise helping women build and grow sustainable businesses.

We believe that when women have the right skills, knowledge, and networks, they create livelihoods, strengthen families, and transform communities.

Women learning a vocational skill at AFIFEN

Our Vision

A future where women-led businesses drive growth, create jobs, and produce lasting social change across Africa.

Our Why

We believe every woman has potential that deserves the chance to grow. Too often, women's ideas, skills, and creativity go unused because of barriers, limited opportunities, or lack of access to resources.

AFIFEN exists to break those barriers. We create pathways that move women from skills to sustainability, so they can earn, own, and lead.

When women succeed in business, families grow stronger and communities change for the better.

The Problem We Solve

Many women want to build lasting livelihoods but face barriers that hold them back. Many lack:

Practical skills that generate income

A path into the digital and formal economy

Business training to turn talent into a working business

Steady income, ownership, and room to grow

Digital tools and knowledge to compete in today's market

AFIFEN exists to change that.

Our Pathways

Pathway 1

Skills: Vocational Training

Through our THREADS model, women move from learning to earning:

T Train
H Harness
R Reinvest
E Equip
A Advance
D Develop
S Sustain

Women receive practical training, access to tools, and support to start their own businesses. Each piece of work produced means independence and ownership.

Pathway 2

Enterprise: Business Development

AFIFEN delivers internationally recognised programmes through Afifen Business Consult that help women start, improve, and grow their businesses:

  • ILO Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB): business idea generation, planning, and growth
  • ILO Financial Education: money management for business and personal life
  • ILO Improve Your Exhibition Skills (IYES): getting results from trade fairs and market access
  • ITCILO Women in Digital Business (WIDB): digital skills, selling online, and online marketing
Visit Afifen Business Consult
Pathway 3

Communities: Cooperative Hubs

Cooperative hubs are safe, supportive spaces where women pool resources, share risks, and increase their bargaining power. By working in clusters, women gain access to shared finance, mentorship, and markets, building businesses and lasting networks together.

We partner with organisations and communities to develop cooperative hubs.

Where Women Thrive, Communities Grow

From skills to sustainability. AFIFEN helps women earn, own, and lead.

Visit Afifen Business Consult