Telecom
Uganda, Ghana and Botswana have Highest Percentage of Women Businesses owners in the world
The 2020 Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs (MIWE) has once again ranked Uganda (39.6%), Botswana (38.5%) and Ghana (36.5%) as the world’s three leading economies having the most women business owners.
The Index’s benchmark indicator is calculated as a percentage of total businesses owners, and all three countries have grown their percentages since last year (2019).
Now in its fourth year, the MIWE highlights the vast socio-economic contribution of women entrepreneurs around the world, as well as provides insights on the factors driving and inhibiting their advancement.
Through a unique methodology – drawing on publicly available data from leading international organizations such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and International Labour Organization – MIWE 2020 includes a global ranking of the advancement of women in business in pre-pandemic conditions across 58 economies representing almost 80% of the global female labor force. This includes eight countries across Sub-Saharan Africa (Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda).
All but one (Botswana) of the Sub-Saharan African countries captured in the report showed improved MIWE scores since the last edition. South Africa displayed the biggest growth with a 7% increase from [60.2 score to 64.4].
Botswana however has also grown the number of women entrepreneurs since last year (36% in 2019 to 38.5% in 2020), earning the country the second spot globally and displacing Ghana who now comes in third.
The results also point to a strong representation of women business owners in Malawi, Angola and Nigeria, despite the economic and social challenges facing their entrepreneurial ecosystems.
According to the report, the high scores are spurred by a low fear of business failure, an absence of alternative income sources, and an eager commitment to contribute to their communities.
The report demonstrates that a high regard for risk taking, innovativeness, individuality and creativeness in entrepreneurship is prevalent in Uganda, Nigeria and Angola.
The report also notes the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women entrepreneurs around the world, with 87% saying they have been adversely affected.
Overrepresentation in sectors hardest hit by the economic downturn, the pronounced digital gender gap in an increasingly virtual world, and the mounting pressures of childcare responsibilities are only a few factors that have left women particularly vulnerable.
In Ghana, for instance, a sectoral breakdown reveals that a large proportion of women-owned businesses (85.1%) operate in highly impacted sectors compared to 50.5% for men.
In Uganda, 61% of women-led small businesses failed to generate income even as lockdown measures were eased.
Ifeoma Dozie, director, Marketing and Communications, Sub-Saharan Africa, Mastercard, said “Our findings beckon us to consider the cost of untapped potential in women as contributors, not just in business and society, but on the national and global scale, as we chart the path of post Covid-19 recovery across Africa.
“This is especially important as more women owned businesses will likely be impacted by the pandemic making the support through incentives, necessary tools, mentorship and digital inclusion platforms even more urgent.
“At Mastercard, we continue to partner with leading organizations across Africa and around the world to create safe and accessible digitized payment solutions for female owned small businesses across Africa”.
Opportunities ahead
Despite the obvious challenges, the report highlights a number of opportunities for women in the COVID-19 era, particularly in online shopping and digital commerce. These have been supported by Mastercard research.
A recent Mastercard study revealed the exponential growth of e-commerce in Africa – with 81% of people surveyed in Nigeria, 72% in Tanzania, 68% in Ivory Coast, and 79% in both Kenya and Ghana saying they have been shopping more online since the pandemic began.
As the pandemic presents new business opportunities for women, especially in terms of online shopping and services, ensuring access to technology or digital solutions, affordable data and modern trade resources will empower more women to succeed in business.
The MIWE report is just one component in Mastercard’s broader mission to advance female entrepreneurs and small businesses. In 2020, Mastercard expanded its worldwide financial inclusion commitment, pledging to bring a total of one billion people and 50 million micro and small businesses into the digital economy by 2025.
As part of this effort, there will be a direct focus on providing 25 million women entrepreneurs with solutions that can help them grow their businesses, through a range of initiatives crossing funding, mentoring and the development of inclusive technologies.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has thrown its weight behind the upcoming Telecom Sector Sustainability Forum (TSSF 7.0), confirming its role as the headline keynote speaker for the Lagos event.
Over the years, the Telecoms Sector Sustainability Forum (TSSF) has evolved into a landmark industry convergence platform and an actionable catalyst for policy alignment, driving critical dialogue around the regulatory, economic, and infrastructural frameworks required to sustain Nigeria’s digital economy.
Taking place on 16th September, 2026, at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos State, the seventh edition of the Telecoms Sector Sustainability Forum (TSSF 7.0), organised under the aegis of Business Remarks, will bring together key stakeholders driving the next phase of Nigeria’s telecommunications and digital growth.
Themed “Rethinking Nigeria’s Digital Infrastructure Strategy to Attract Investment and Drive Innovation”, TSSF 7.0 will address some of the sector’s most pressing priorities, such as policies, digital infrastructure expansion, digital inclusion, good connectivity, partnerships and investments needed to accelerate Nigeria’s next wave of innovations, digital transformation and economic growth.
Organised by Business Remarks, the forum has consistently brought together policymakers, mobile network operators (MNOs), infrastructure providers, data centre operators, policy advocates and financial technology stakeholders to dissect the pressing challenges facing the telecommunications ecosystem and chart a sustainable path forward.
Past editions have successfully addressed pivotal industry shifts, ranging from broadband penetration strategies, human capital flight, mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) sustainability and infrastructure deficit funding to the operational integration of emerging technologies. By providing a neutral, high-level platform where regulators like the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) can interface directly with private sector players, the forum plays a vital role in ensuring that regulatory frameworks evolve in tandem with market realities.
Speaking about the event, the Convener, Bukola Olanrewaju, said the Nigerian telecoms sector investment has grown to $75.6 billion as of 2025, with a planned investment of over $1.38 billion in network capacity upgrades in 2026 targeted to enhance infrastructure resilience, boost coverage and improve quality of service for subscribers nationwide.
“As the industry faces a new frontier defined by deepening 5G and 4G penetration, expanding fibre optic networks, and complex macroeconomic pressures, the need to meet the growing demands for digital services while remaining profitable has become the defining challenge of the modern telecommunications landscape.”
At a time when investment in connectivity, subsea cables, fibre networks, data centres, cloud infrastructure and cybersecurity is reshaping the country’s digital landscape, TSSF remains a vanguard of thought leadership and industry engagement, fostering the public-private collaborations necessary to safeguard the backbone of Nigeria’s digital transformation.
MTN Nigeria is accelerating investments in network expansion and modernization to address rising demand for mobile and data services across the country.
The operator is deploying additional base stations, upgrading existing infrastructure, and expanding fiber connectivity to improve network capacity, coverage, and service quality.
The investments are designed to support increasing smartphone adoption, higher data consumption, and the growing use of digital services by consumers and businesses.
MTN said the expansion aligns with its long-term strategy to enhance customer experience while strengthening Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.
The company expects the ongoing upgrades to improve connectivity, support economic growth, and enable broader access to reliable telecommunications services as demand for high-speed broadband continues to increase.
Airtel Africa’s CEO, Sunil Taldar, has announced the telco’s commitment to connecting 5,000 schools across its operating countries in Africa to the internet by 2027 through its philanthropic arm, Airtel Africa Foundation, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
So far, the $57m partnership, which was launched in 2021, has cumulatively connected 3,296 schools and provided access to over 2 million learners and about 40,000 teachers. 64 digital learning platforms have been zero-rated thereby enabling more than 11m users to access educational content at no cost.
Speaking during a visit to St. Monica’s Girls School in Lusaka, which is one of the 300 schools already connected to the internet in Zambia, the Airtel Africa CEO stated that the initiative is having a profound impact on the quality of education by expanding access to digital learning resources for African children, in collaboration with governments.
Mr Taldar added: “Students are accessing best-in-class education from the curriculum developed by UNICEF in partnership with various Ministries of Education and provided through Airtel’s connectivity.
“We are also training teachers, so that they deliver digital education effectively. We aim to continue deepening meaningful connectivity in schools by providing free internet access, zero‑rated platforms and training teachers across the continent”.
Expressing her appreciation, the Headmistress of St. Monica’s Girls’ School, Sr Matilda Soloko said: “Being among the first schools connected in the initial stage, our learners have been able to study using the learning portal and their studies have been intensified. We remain grateful to Airtel and UNICEF.”
UNICEF’s Country Representative for Zambia, Dr Saja Farooq Abdullah said: “What this partnership has brought is really bridging the equality gap and the digital divide. It is making sure that every child learns wherever they are. It was exciting and interesting to see and hear from the girls how they can learn at their own pace, how they can review the materials, and how they do their homework with comfort.
The Director of Secondary Education in Zambia’s Ministry of Education, Yvonne Mwemba Chuulu lauded UNICEF and Airtel for the partnership saying: “At the Ministry of Education, we cannot do it alone, and we are grateful for the partnership that we have today.
“Our children are able to learn in a blended fashion, where we have a teacher who is also employing digital devices. We have also heard from the learners that they are able to access the portal when they are at home, which is a good thing because our learners continue to learn in the comfort of their homes”.
The School Connection programme is expanding digital learning to learners in 13 countries: Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. By equipping these schools with internet connectivity and training teachers on using the digital tools, it is providing children, particularly in underserved and remote regions, with the digital tools and skills they need to thrive.
Airtel Africa Foundation is advancing inclusive development across four strategic pillars, Financial Inclusion, Education, Environmental Sustainability and Digital Inclusion.
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