What Is the Her Africa Early Stage Incubator (HAESI) 2026?
The Her Africa Early Stage Incubator — often referred to as HAESI, is a liberatory leadership fellowship and incubator program run by the Alliance for Women and Girls (AFWAG). It’s designed to support founders and changemakers across Africa who are building organisations, ventures, or initiatives with a strong focus on gender justice and impact for women and girls.
Purpose & Focus
HAESI is built to help tackle systemic barriers faced by early-stage leaders and their organisations by:
Building leadership capacity grounded in equity and liberation practices.
Strengthening organisational resilience beyond just scaling a project.
Encouraging Pan-African collaboration and shared learning.
Supporting participants to transform systems, not just deliver services.
Who Should Apply
The 2026 cohort is open to young African founders (under 35) who are:
Leading or co-founding an organisation or initiative focused on supporting women and girls;
The organisation is in its early stage (often ≤ 3 years old);
Exceptional founders at the idea or ideation stage are also encouraged to express interest;
Working on solutions in areas such as education, health, gender equality, environmental sustainability, poverty alleviation, etc., particularly for women and girls.
Program Structure
Duration & Format
A six-month fully funded program — largely conducted online with possible regional engagements or peer exchange opportunities.
Core Components
Liberatory leadership practice — fostering new leadership mindsets built on equity, care, and collective action.
Organisational strengthening — skills around strategic planning, management, and sustainability.
Systems-level tools - frameworks to address root-cause problems and influence policy and systemic change.
Pan-African peer exchange - working in cross-border “houses” with cohort members for mutual learning and collaboration.
Community care and wellbeing support - emphasising sustainable leadership and collective solidarity.
Long-term network access - connection to AFWAG’s wider alumni community for continued collaboration.
Benefits of Participation
Selected fellows receive:
Targeted mentorship and coaching.
Peer learning and collaboration across Africa.
Systems-thinking tools and frameworks.
Improved leadership, organisational, and strategic capacities.
Access to networks, partnerships, and future opportunities.
How to Apply
Applications for the 2026 cohort are open now.
Prospective applicants submit an online expression of interest via the official HAESI/AFWAG portal.
While specific application details may vary slightly, applicants typically need to showcase their venture’s mission, impact potential, and alignment with gender justice goals.
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