Women Summit 2025: Women, Power and Impact in the Service of Africa

The enhancement of African female leadership is at the heart of the work of the 3rd edition of the Women Summit, which opened Wednesday evening in Casablanca in the presence of a panel of personalities from the political, diplomatic, and economic worlds.

Placed under the Honorary Presidency of Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem, and initiated by the Startup Grow Foundation through its Growth Women program, the Women Summit 2025, which spans two days (June 18 and 19), constitutes a platform of excellence bringing together women leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, and decision-makers from Morocco and internationally, around a common objective: to contribute to building a prosperous, resilient, and inclusive future for the African continent.

Speaking via videoconference, the Minister of Industry and Trade, Ryad Mezzour, reaffirmed Morocco’s commitment to the economic empowerment of women, while emphasizing the strategic importance of strengthening their presence in industrial and commercial sectors.

“Morocco places the economic emancipation of women at the heart of its priorities and intends to promote their contribution in the value chains of innovation and production,” he stated.

Mezzour also insisted on the central role of African women in the development of the continent, recalling that Africa’s true capital lies in its human resources, particularly its women, who must be supported by concrete mechanisms: training, access to technology, financing, and entrepreneurial support.

On this occasion, the minister praised the Women Summit initiative, which he described as an “impact platform,” emphasizing that “Morocco is determined to make female leadership an essential driver of its development strategy, both nationally and through its African partnerships.”

For his part, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Morocco, Gilles Heyvaert, reaffirmed his country’s commitment alongside Morocco to support inclusive and sustainable development dynamics, with a particular focus on the economic empowerment of women.

He also highlighted the “Min Ajliki” program, led by Apefe (Association for the Promotion of Education and Training Abroad), which aims to strengthen entrepreneurship and employability of women in Morocco, in collaboration with institutional and associative actors, as an emblematic example of this cooperation, specifying that this program has supported more than 50,000 women through concrete actions supporting entrepreneurship, capacity building, and inclusion of women from different backgrounds, including young NEET women.

“This 3rd edition of the Women Summit asserts itself as a space for valuing initiatives, strategic reflection, and multi-actor synergies around issues related to the economic empowerment of women, allowing to highlight best practices, promote social innovation, and strengthen national and international partnership dynamics in favor of inclusive growth,” he said.

For her part, the President of the Casablanca Municipal Council, Nabila Rmili, praised this initiative, which aims to celebrate “transformative female leadership” in economic, social, and environmental fields, emphasizing that female leadership is today a strategic lever for development in Morocco, and that Casablanca is a concrete illustration, engaged in profound transformation combining infrastructure, economic inclusion, and digital transition.

“The Women Summit, by the richness of its themes and the quality of its network, thus represents an essential space for reflection, cooperation, and action for an Africa driven by bold and visionary women leaders from Morocco and Africa,” she said in a speech read on her behalf by the Vice-President of the Casablanca Municipal Council, Malika Mezzour.

For Hanane Aït Aïssa, President of the Startup Grow Foundation, this summit, which this year was placed under the theme “A new world, new challenges for Africa: Women, drivers of innovation, equity, and sustainability,” is not a simple event, but a living space for dialogue, transmission, and collective mobilization for an inclusive and sustainable Africa.

“Bringing together committed women and men, this meeting highlights the silent and powerful dynamics emerging in schools, companies, cities as well as in the most remote territories,” she said, adding that this summit continues the work carried out by the Startup Grow Foundation on the ground, in Morocco and several African countries. A discreet but determined work, driven by a clear ambition: to build bridges, strengthen capacities, and reveal leaders.

The ceremony ended with the presentation of the “Ubuntu Awards,” aimed at rewarding women and engaged actors who actively contribute to sustainable development, social innovation, and community empowerment in Africa.

Thus, the “Jury’s Favorite Trophy” was awarded posthumously to Mrs. Zoulikha Nasri, advisor to His Majesty the King and an emblematic figure of social commitment in Morocco. This Trophy was presented to Mr. Kaisse Ben Yahya.

Furthermore, the “Inclusive and Transformational Leadership Trophy” was awarded to Amina Oufroukhi, a committed magistrate and President of the National Commission for the Coordination of Measures to Combat Human Trafficking. The “New Generation Empowerment Trophy” was awarded to the “Min Ajliki – APEFE” Program, in recognition of its impact on female entrepreneurship.

The “Economic Resilience and Female Entrepreneurship Trophy” went to Melissa Allen, founder of Capital M and recipient of the King Charles III Medal – Canada 2024, for her inspiring entrepreneurial journey.

As for the “Innovation and Female Leadership Trophy,” it was awarded to Snyleseh Stephenie Dahn Koung, Second Lady of the Republic of Liberia, for her innovative initiatives serving the empowerment of women in Liberia. The “Voice of the African Diaspora Trophy” was awarded to Fatima Camara, Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Economy of Equatorial Guinea, while the “Institutional Commitment for Equality Trophy” was presented to CFA Morocco – Club of Women Directors.

This event was marked by the signing of several strategic agreements between Startup Grow and its partners, namely Veolia Morocco, the Association for the Promotion of Education and Training Abroad (Apefe), and Group of 77 (Disabled Headquarters).