Announcement: Launch of WEOF – Growth Lab’s first Call For Applications
South Sudan Women’s Social and Economic Empowerment Project (SSWSEEP), is an initiative designed to provide support to women-owned businesses, provide services for survivors of Gender-based Violence, and to strengthen the institutional environment for women’s empowerment. As part of SSWSEEP, the Women Entrepreneurial Opportunity Facility (WEOF) is a two-year initiative supporting women-owned businesses in South Sudan. The WEOF Growth Lab is implemented by Open Capital, in partnership with South Sudan’s Ministry of Gender, Child, and Social Welfare, UN Women, and the International Rescue Committee. Through tailored one-on-one technical assistance, coaching, and catalytic grants, we aim to support South Sudanese women-owned businesses, with annual revenues above USD 100,000, and at least one year of being in operations, and we are open to any sector.
The deadline for the first Call for Applications is March 18th, 2025 at 11:59 PM CAT/GMT; applications will be assessed on a rolling basis.
Key benefits you can expect from the program include:
Tailored business development support: designed to address the unique needs of your business, such as supporting your long-term growth plans, sales and marketing function, financial management, or investment readiness
One-on-one coaching: provided to your senior management team by experienced business consultants, helping you think through some of your most critical business decisions
Catalytic grants: targeted to address your immediate short- to medium-term financing needs
To be eligible for the Growth Lab, your business must meet the following criteria:
Revenue: Annual revenues over USD 100,000 in your last financial year (i.e. 2024 or the last 12 months of operations))
Location: Located anywhere in Juba
Business owner nationality: South Sudanese
Business ownership: Women-owned
Business owner age: 18-60 years
Employees number: At least 5 employees or workers
Business duration: At least 1 year of operations
Businesses that meet the above criteria will also be required to submit the following documents during the initial application process:
Brief business profile
Certificate of Incorporation from the South Sudan Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs
Membership Certificate from the South Sudan Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture
Operation License from the Ministry of Trade and Industry
Retained business and financial records, including past bank statements for the last 6 months and at least one year of financial statements or management accounts
Tax identification number
Tax clearance certificates
List of business staff (including Name, Job Title, Gender, Mobile Number, Employment status i.e. full or part-time)
South Sudanese National ID
Application submission instructions: Applicants are encouraged to submit their Growth Lab applications online through this link (apply online), or download Growth Lab application forms through this link and then submit by email to WEOF@opencapital.com by March 18th, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. CAT/GMT.
For any questions or more information about the program, please feel free to reach out to program implementers: Open Capital at WEOF@opencapital.com or IRC South Sudan at +211 928 006 920 or +211 911 191 658.
