Rediscovering the wealth we already hold: Reflections by Korkor Cudjoe, Senior Entrepreneurship Manager, Graça Machel Trust
Over the past few weeks, I was reminded of something essential: we cannot build a movement from behind our desks. Real insight lives on the ground, in conversations, lived realities, and the everyday brilliance of the entrepreneurs we serve.
So, I stepped out of the office. What I encountered reaffirmed why Women Creating Wealth (WCW) is not just a programme. It is a community of possibility.
In meeting with our entrepreneurs, I was struck by the depth of wisdom, creativity, problem-solving, and courage that already exists among them. It reminded me of a simple truth we sometimes overlook when support is offered "for free" as part of the public good: our entrepreneurs already carry innate wealth.
Our entrepreneurs already carry innate wealth
Not only financial potential, but social capital, networks, experience, and practical know-how that cannot be taught in a classroom. When we gather, we unlock that wealth.
Through our monthly Connect & Inspire sessions, the WCW Business Community is becoming a space where women see their collective strength reflected back at them. What began as a simple gathering is growing into an ecosystem: a place where entrepreneurs find encouragement, share market opportunities, and discover that relationships are a usable form of capital.
Last month, we marked an important milestone with the launch of the first WCW business network in Mpumalanga, South Africa. In the coming weeks, entrepreneurs in Gauteng and the Western Cape will also formalise their business communities. This momentum is possible because of the steady commitment of our coordinator, Bonisiwe Ngubo, whose leadership has been central to holding the space and helping entrepreneurs ask the right questions.
Yet building a business community requires more than training, coaching, or certification alone. More and more, entrepreneurs are asking:
- How do we support one another beyond the programme?
- What solutions do we already have that others can benefit from?
- What can we create together that will outlast funding cycles?
To support this kind of reflection and action, we are introducing the WCW Business Solutions Fair across four countries. The idea came directly from our site visits, where we saw, often quietly and without fanfare, the practical solutions women are already offering, including:
- Fintech and digital payment tools that help others track sales and manage cash flow
- Agribusiness models that strengthen market linkages, especially between rural producers and urban buyers
- Branding, design, and digital marketing services that small businesses urgently need
- Bookkeeping and compliance support that helps businesses stay investor-ready
- E-commerce and logistics know-how to reach new customers
- Green and climate-smart innovations emerging from everyday problem-solving on farms and in households
These are not small contributions. They are community assets, and many women may not yet recognise them as such.
The purpose of the WCW Business Solutions Fair and Networking Event is modest, but important: to help entrepreneurs see the value of what they already know, and to show how those solutions can serve others within the network.
Because our strength is not only in what each woman builds individually. Our strength is in our network.
In the months ahead, our aim is simple: to keep creating spaces where women can recognise their worth, share what they know, and build a community that serves them in practical, steady ways that help their businesses grow.
The WCW Business Community is forming steadily. And quietly, it is becoming a space where women remind one another that wealth is not only created. It is also shared, exchanged, and strengthened through community.
