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.
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
Skills: Vocational Training
Through our THREADS model, women move from learning to earning:
Women receive practical training, access to tools, and support to start their own businesses. Each piece of work produced means independence and ownership.
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
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