By Vicky Sidler | Published 9 October 2025 at 12:00 GMT+2

If you’ve ever been the only woman in the room, or the only small business owner at a big-brand conference, this one’s for you.

The Women Creating Wealth Entrepreneurship 2025 Summit is landing in Sandton from 13 to 15 October. I’ve been invited to attend, and I’ll be watching closely—because this isn’t just another event with awkward name tags. According to the Graça Machel Trust, this year’s Summit is part birthday celebration, part movement-building, and part economic revolution.

Yes, there will be panels and programs. But there’s also a real sense of urgency. A call to stop admiring the problem and start solving it. Because while inequality grows and uncertainty deepens, thousands of women across Africa are busy building businesses anyway. With or without investor decks.

This Summit shines a light on them. It’s not about finding unicorns. It’s about funding the women already carrying their communities on their backs.

TL;DR:

• Summit takes place 13–15 October in Sandton, South Africa

• Celebrates 15 years of the Graça Machel Trust and Graça Machel’s 80th birthday

• Focuses on intergenerational leadership, capital access, and action

• Over 5,000 women supported since 2016 through the Women Creating Wealth program

• Goal: support 10,000 entrepreneurs to generate $1B in revenue and 200,000 jobs

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Table of Contents:

Why This Summit Matters (Even If You’re Not Attending):

Let’s be honest. Most small business owners are too busy keeping the lights on to attend multi-day events. But this one is worth watching even from afar. Here’s why.

The women driving this movement aren’t waiting for policy to catch up. They’re working with what they have—limited capital, fragmented support systems, and decades of inherited barriers. And they’re still growing businesses that create jobs, feed families, and spark local change.

The Graça Machel Trust’s Women Creating Wealth program has already supported over 5,000 women entrepreneurs across seven African countries. The next goal? Ten thousand entrepreneurs. One billion dollars in revenue. Two hundred thousand new jobs. By 2030, that ambition scales to 50,000 women-led businesses across 14 countries.

This Summit is the checkpoint. A place to ask: what’s working, what’s not, and who’s coming with?

Barriers Worth Naming (So We Can Break Them):

The usual suspects show up in every region:

• Confidence gaps and unpaid care work that eat up women’s time

• A $42 billion gender financing gap across the continent

• Policies that weren’t built for women’s realities

• Limited access to markets, procurement, or even basic tech

• The persistent myth that small women-led businesses can’t scale

If you run a business and feel stuck, it’s probably not just you. It’s the system. The good news? Systems can be redesigned. Especially when you put 5,000 women entrepreneurs in a room with investors, buyers, and policy people who are ready to listen.

From Words to Work—What Makes This Different:

What sets this Summit apart isn’t the glossy program. It’s the tone.

It’s grounded. Focused on modest but meaningful shifts. No promises of miracle funding or fairy godmother mentorships. Just practical tools, direct connections, and honest conversations.

This year adds some special weight too. It marks the 15-year anniversary of the Graça Machel Trust and the 80th birthday of Mama Machel herself. But the spotlight isn’t on her. It’s on the network of women she’s helped grow—leaders who know that wealth is about more than income. It’s about impact.

What Small Businesses Can Learn From This:

Even if you’re outside the Summit, the takeaways are clear.

1. Community matters. Collective action beats solo hustle.

2. Messaging matters. If your story isn’t clear, your pitch will flop.

3. Small shifts create momentum. You don’t need massive capital to start building.

4. Policy isn’t out of reach. Local voices can influence real change.

5. Invest in leadership at every age. The Summit includes youth hosts and storytelling walls for a reason. The next generation is already here.

If you’re a woman-led business fighting for your corner, know this: the energy building in Sandton is coming your way. And your story is part of the bigger picture.

I’ll be there in person, taking notes, connecting dots, and cheering from the back row. But if you can’t make it, don’t worry. You can still take the first step toward stronger messaging with my 5-Minute Marketing Fix.

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Related Articles:

1. I'm Writing a Book for Risk-Averse Entrepreneurs Like Me

If you liked the Summit’s focus on real-world entrepreneurship without the pitch-deck pressure, this piece explores how to grow steadily without gambling your savings or sanity.

2. SME Confidence Up in South Africa—But Growth Still Faces Barriers

This article digs into the local business climate many Summit attendees face and shares actionable insights for overcoming growth bottlenecks through clear messaging and stronger support.

3. Global SME Ministerial Set for G20

Zooming out to the global stage, this post shows how policy shifts around financing, connectivity, and support for women-led MSMEs are aligning with the Summit’s mission for system-level change.

4. Embedded Financing Boosts SMB Growth by Up to 50%

Want real solutions to the funding gap? This article looks at how embedded finance is helping women entrepreneurs access capital without the bank loan drama.

5. Women in Leadership: Why Empathy Is Real Strength

The Summit celebrates care-driven leadership. This article unpacks why empathy isn’t a weakness, but one of the strongest strategic tools in any woman’s business toolkit.

FAQs About the Women Creating Wealth Summit 2025

1. What is the Women Creating Wealth Summit?

It’s a three-day entrepreneurship gathering hosted by the Graça Machel Trust. The 2025 Summit runs from 13 to 15 October in Sandton, South Africa. It brings together women and youth entrepreneurs, funders, policymakers, and ecosystem partners to share ideas, tackle barriers, and strengthen inclusive business growth across Africa.

2. Who should attend the Summit?

If you’re a woman entrepreneur, youth founder, business support partner, policymaker, or investor working in or with African markets, this Summit was built for you. It’s especially useful for those interested in real-world problem-solving, intergenerational leadership, and closing financing gaps.

3. What are the main themes for 2025?

Each day focuses on a core theme:

• Day 1: Leadership, resilience, and lived experience

• Day 2: Money, markets, mindset, and innovation

• Day 3: Advocacy, legacy, and celebration

Together, the sessions spotlight what’s working, what’s broken, and what actions can create long-term change.

4. What makes this different from other entrepreneurship events?

It’s practical, not performative. The Summit centers real entrepreneurs with real challenges. There’s a strong focus on modest but meaningful support, collective action, and funding that works for women-led businesses—not just startup theatre.

5. Why is the Graça Machel Trust involved?

The Trust has spent 15 years advancing women’s leadership and economic participation in Africa. Their Women Creating Wealth program has already helped more than 5,000 entrepreneurs and created over 50,000 jobs. The Summit is both a celebration of that work and a strategic launchpad for the next phase.

6. What is the $1B goal mentioned in the blog?

The Trust aims to support 10,000 women entrepreneurs to collectively drive $1 billion in revenue and 200,000 new jobs by 2030. That’s part of a bigger push to reach 50,000 businesses across 14 African countries.

7. Can I attend if I’m not based in South Africa?

Yes. While it’s happening in Johannesburg, the Summit is open to participants from across the continent and beyond. Many sessions are designed to be relevant no matter where you’re based.

8. What can I do if I can’t attend in person?

Follow the conversations online, connect with participants, and use the insights to strengthen your own business or advocacy work. You can also download the5-Minute Marketing Fix to sharpen your messaging—one of the first steps to scaling your influence and impact.