Women Mean Business: Female Entrepreneurs Summit Pushes Liberian Women Toward Investment, Technology and Global Markets

MONROVIA — More than 200 entrepreneurs, business leaders and development partners have gathered in Monrovia for the Female Entrepreneurs Summit 2026, with women being challenged to formalize their businesses, negotiate smarter financing deals, embrace technology and move beyond local retail into regional and international markets.

The two-day summit, which opened Monday, Aug. 10, at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex in Congo Town, is organized by the Youth Entrepreneur Network-Liberia (YEN-Liberia) in strategic partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Grow-2 Project and the Liberia Chamber of Commerce (LCC).

Held under the theme, “Empowering Women: Driving Economic Growth, Innovation and Technology,” the summit seeks to showcase at least 50 women-owned enterprises, provide practical support to at least 100 women entrepreneurs and facilitate at least 50 structured business linkages.

Organizers also expect the gathering to generate a pipeline for mentoring, market access, digital adoption, business formalization and financing support.

‘Sit, Crawl, Walk, Run’

Delivering the keynote address on “Women as Catalysts for Economic Growth,” Sharks Incorporated Chief Executive Officer Eyvonne Bright Harding urged entrepreneurs not to rush business growth without first building strong foundations.

Harding said businesses should follow a natural progression — “sit, crawl, walk, run” — to respect the learning curve and avoid premature expansion.

She said women seeking investment must maintain proper records, formally register their businesses and develop professional financial statements and business plans. Harding also described a strong credit reputation as an investment that could eventually lead financial institutions to proactively offer financing.

She urged entrepreneurs to negotiate interest rates and repayment terms instead of automatically accepting banks’ initial offers. Businesses whose operations require time before generating returns, she said, should negotiate appropriate grace periods and carefully examine how interest is calculated.

Members of the high table posed for a group photo

“Refuse to pay bribes to credit officers, as the bank relies on the borrower to generate profit,” Harding said. “The success of one woman does not diminish the opportunities for another.”

She encouraged women to embrace competition as a means of improving standards without allowing it to prevent collaboration.

Harding said participants should leave the summit with new customers, partnerships and confidence to take immediate action. She called for sustainable businesses, stronger local manufacturing and Liberian brands capable of competing internationally.

“Women are positioned as the essential catalysts for Liberia’s national growth and progress,” Harding noted.

She also encouraged successful women to mentor emerging entrepreneurs, arguing that investment in women should be viewed as sound economics rather than charity because when women succeed, families prosper, communities strengthen and the country benefits.

LCC Targets Regional Growth for Women-Owned Businesses

Liberia Chamber of Commerce Secretary-General Catherine Karmo said women entrepreneurs must be recognized as vital creators of jobs, innovation and national development, with their success benefiting families, communities and the broader Liberian economy.

Karmo, however, identified financing bottlenecks, regulatory challenges, technology gaps and inadequate business development support as systemic barriers that continue to undermine the sustainability and expansion of women-owned businesses.

She said the LCC is establishing a vibrant women’s network and incorporating a gender lens into its private-sector framework to help dismantle structural barriers confronting female entrepreneurs.

Drawing inspiration from successful technology and agro-processing businesses in Nairobi and Lagos, Karmo said the chamber wants to help Liberian women-owned enterprises transition from predominantly local retail operations into regional supply-chain players under the African Continental Free Trade Area.

“To compete globally, I urge enterprises to adopt rigorous corporate governance, financial transparency, consistent quality, and professional packaging,” Karmo stated.

She also encouraged stakeholders to build stronger partnerships and develop practical solutions that advance economic inclusion and community resilience through women’s entrepreneurship.

YEN-Liberia Targets Business Connections

YEN-Liberia President Benjamin Dagher said the summit was designed to move beyond discussions by creating structured referral and follow-up mechanisms capable of turning connections made during the event into measurable business opportunities.

“The design draws on the practical, hands-on model used in the MSMEs Clinic 2026 and the experiential, partnership-based approach adopted for the Youth Entrepreneurs-MSMEs Learning Road Trip,” Dagher said. “These past interventions demonstrated the value of targeted participant selection, practical tools, direct engagement with institutions and businesses, clearly assigned partner roles and post-event follow-up.”

Dagher urged participants to “learn, unlearn and relearn,” describing the summit as an opportunity to explore new ideas, make connections, innovate and build strong professional networks.

UNIDO Grow-2 Project Pushes Women Toward Bigger Markets

UNIDO Grow-2 Project Technical Adviser Fredrick Gibson stressed the importance of strengthening skills in financial management, product development, branding, digital technology and intellectual property.

He urged women to look beyond local sales and pursue international markets, business matchmaking and larger investment opportunities.

Gibson also encouraged entrepreneurs to form partnerships and business clusters to improve their ability to attract larger capital and take advantage of government policies.

“Bridge the gap between small-scale operations and multi-million-dollar projects, transition from independent, isolated efforts to formalized business structures capable of engaging with major stakeholders and overcome constraints that prevent promising enterprises from becoming competitive,” Gibson stressed.

Road Fund Urges Businesses to Formalize

National Road Fund Manager Joseta Neufville-Wento urged small businesses to formalize their legal documentation and tax registrations to improve their eligibility for government contracts through public procurement processes.

“The Road Fund acts as the ‘brains’ regarding financing for road maintenance, while Public Works serves as the ‘muscle’ — implementation. Funding is primarily generated through fuel levies paid by citizens,” she said.

Neufville-Wento said the fund works with community-based organizations on local road maintenance and particularly encouraged female entrepreneurs in engineering and technical fields to position themselves for government opportunities.

She also highlighted the fund’s national youth intake program, now in its third cohort, which identifies and trains promising university students and places interns with private businesses.

Partners Highlight Digital Opportunities

UNDP Young African Women Leaders Fellow Esther Chawanda reaffirmed the U.N. body’s commitment to women’s empowerment and livelihood programs, highlighting successful grant beneficiaries participating in the summit.

She stressed that no business idea is too small and encouraged participants to present their concepts for possible investment.

“I want to urge everyone in this room to leave their comfort zones, prepare 30-second pitches, and interact with diverse professionals to leverage the summit’s networking opportunities,” Chawanda stated.

Orange Digital Center Senior Manager Zaza Mulbah said the center provides free entrepreneurship and digital literacy training, with a specific mandate that at least 20% of participants be women.

Mulbah said that since October 2022, the center has trained more than 15,000 young people and 20,000 women across Liberia, including in rural communities through Women Digital Centers focused on literacy and numeracy.

“Despite offering free resources, it is important to note a concerningly low number of female applicants for advanced programs,” Mulbah said, urging women to proactively pursue available opportunities.

He highlighted programs including the Orange Summer Challenge and Orange Social Venture Prize, which offer national and international opportunities, with potential prize money reaching €40,000 for business expansion.

Mulbah also encouraged women to form partnerships, network and establish formal organizations to improve their eligibility for support, noting that Orange Digital Center facilities are expanding beyond Monrovia, with active centers at Cuttington University in Bong County and Tubman University in Maryland County.