Two Moroccan women won Awa Entrepreneurship Prize in Brussels
The awards ceremony, which was graced by Queen Mathilde of Belgium’s attendance, was held in Brussels and honored the young Moroccan women entrepreneurs.
For winning the coveted Awa Entrepreneurship Prize for women entrepreneurs on Thursday, Rim Machhour and Safae Bennouna made headlines in Morocco and Europe.
Safae Bennouna finished third in the “scale up” category, while Machhour took top place in the “innovation” category.
Machhour co-founded Dealkhir.ma, an e-commerce platform with a charitable goal, and holds a master’s degree in social innovation. The site donates NGOs 70% of its profits.
Bennouna, on the other hand, is the creator of Hedo, a line of women’s clothing that works with local makers.
On January 26, Queen Mathilde of Belgium attended a ceremony in Brussels when the young Moroccan women entrepreneurs received their awards.
The Awa Entrepreneurship Prize is a program of the Belgian Development Agency (Enabel) that recognizes female business owners in the cooperating nations of Belgium.
More than 2,400 applicants from 16 countries submitted their concepts this year, and the winning ones were chosen.
SM la Reine Mathilde 🇧🇪 a récompensé les lauréates de la première édition du #PrixAwa ce jeudi 26/01 à Bruxelles.
Deux entrepreneures marocaines 🇲🇦 figurent parmi les gagnantes de la compétition !
🏆 Toutes nos félicitations ! #innovation #scaleup@BelgiumMFA@Enabel_Belgium https://t.co/XPNRiAcapu
— La Belgique au Maroc (@BelgiqueMaroc) January 27, 2023
The Awa Award “aims to reward influential firms and women entrepreneurs who are role models for their communities,” according to Enabel.
According to a story from the Brussels Times, Caroline Gennez, Belgian Minister of Development Cooperation and of Major Cities, described the Awa Prize winners as “all remarkable role models.” “I have the utmost respect for their tenacity, imagination, and bravery. Numerous girls and women in their own communities will be inspired by them to follow in their footsteps.
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