Two candidates chosen for IWEC’s 2020 NextGen Development Programme

The Cape Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s International Women’s Entrepreneurial Challenge (IWEC) NextGen Development Programme is delighted to announce the two young South African women entrepreneurs chosen as candidates for 2020.

They are Shakirah Dramat, a social entrepreneur and speaker from the Bo Kaap and the Managing Director of THAT Network, and Siphesande Qeke, the founding member of a non-profit organization called, Be the sister I never had Foundation in Cape Town.

The Chamber is delighted to offer this great opportunity for these two outstanding young women to be personally mentored into joining the world economy.

The mission of IWEC is to develop a global business network for successful women business owners. Already we have made an impact. We now intend to expand it to the next generation with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to engage with, and learn from, successful international entrepreneurs in a formal development programme.

The NextGen Programme was conceptualised by the Cape Chamber of Commerce & Industry for the IWEC Foundation with the aim of empowering young women between the ages of 21 and 29, who meet specific criteria, to grow their entrepreneurial skills and have a lasting, positive influence on the economy.

To qualify for the Programme, the applicants needed to satisfy the criteria and have the required attributes.

These were: to be between the ages of 21 and 29; have a proven entrepreneurial ambition; be committed to the goals set by the programme; have a personal social responsibility project; be hard-working, open-minded, and willing to be guided.

I welcome Shakirah and Siphesande as they begin their new NextGen venture, and wish them every success.

Geoff Jacobs
President of the Cape Chamber