By Patricia Okumu

To celebrate and recognize women-owned and run SMEs in the Middle East and Africa, the global technology company in the payments industry, Mastercard, has announced the inaugural Women SME Leaders Awards 2022.

As the first initiative of its kind to connect 25 million women entrepreneurs to the digital economy by 2025, the goal of this initiative is to build a more sustainable and inclusive world. Those interested in taking part in the nominations are advised to register by 28 February 2022.

The awards are jointly curated by the Entrepreneur Middle East team who will vet shortlisted companies and then pass them onto the judging committee that will be chaired by Mastercard.

Small enterprises in trading owned and run by women and with a turnover of less than US$13.6 million (AED50 million) and employing between six to 50 people are all invited to participate.

All female individuals or businesses who have their headquarters or offices in the Middle East and Africa or offer their services to these markets can submit their nominations for one or more of the 22 awards. The awards allow for individuals to win in more than one category.

“At Mastercard, we believe that women-owned businesses are the catalyst for economic growth, improving the lives of everyone, everywhere. The passion that women SME owners display is unmatched and they raise the bar for everyone. That is why Mastercard has curated the Women SME Leaders Awards to recognize and celebrate women entrepreneurs across the Middle East and Africa,” said Amnah Ajmal, Executive Vice President, Market Development, EEMEA for Mastercard.

Following the independent evaluation of the shortlisted candidates by each of the judges, the winners will be decided by a vote. The Women SME Leaders Awards 2022 judging committee consists of:

• Amnah Ajmal, Executive Vice President, Market Development, EEMEA for Mastercard
• Mona Zulficar, Chairperson of EFG Hermes Holding
• Nejoud Al Mulaik, Director of Fintech Saudi and
• Tamara Pupic, Managing Editor of Entrepreneur Middle East

The awards stemmed out of the inaugural Mastercard SME Confidence Index conducted last year which revealed that 81 percent of women entrepreneurs in the Middle East and Africa have a digital presence for their businesses, compared to 68 percent of their male counterparts. In terms of the digital footprint of these women entrepreneurs, social media (71 percent) leads the way, followed by a company website (57percent).

The index suggests that growing confidence levels in digital as a business imperative is tied to a deeper understanding and wider recognition among SMEs of the advantages that result from a growing digital economy.

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