1.7 Leadership profile of social enterprises in Africa Women-led social enterprises One in two (more than 55%) of social enterprises surveyed are women-led. This is significantly higher than average, whereby the percentage of firms with majority-women ownership is approximately 15% in sub-Saharan Africa.56 Women-led social enterprises ranged from 40% women-led social enterprises in Cameroon, to South Africa ,where 67% of social enterprises surveyed were women- led. This is much higher than the proportion of women-owned enterprises in profit-first models. African start-ups are approximately 18.5% women-owned or founded.57 In South Africa, women-owned businesses account for 21.9–30% of total businesses58,59 compared to the 67% of women-owned social enterprises. World Bank Enterprise survey data has the percentage of firms in the formal sector with majority-women ownership in South Africa as low as 8.7%.60 The 2022 Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs has women-owned businesses in Africa ranging from 5.5% (female as percentage of total) for Egypt, to 41.2% in Botswana.61 In Ethiopia, profit-first enterprises are 29.1% women-owned compared to 51% women-owned social enterprises, and in Ghana 29.3% of profit-first enterprises are women- owned compared to 43% of women-owned social enterprises. These examples reveal that social enterprises consistently achieve far higher levels of women’s leadership than profit-first businesses – often double or triple national averages. This shows that social enterprise models are not only enabling inclusive economic participation but also emerging as critical pathways for advancing women’s entrepreneurship and leadership. Youth-led social enterprises More than one-third (37%) of social enterprises are led by youth (defined as individuals under the age of 35 consistently in the African context, as per AU definition), and 36% of social enterprises are led by individuals aged 35–44. Only 28% of social enterprises are therefore led by individuals aged 45 and above. This is reflective of the overall demographic of countries across Africa, characterized by a “young population”. It also reflects that within the social enterprise sector, innovation is being driven by younger leaders. The predominance of youth at the helm shows how Africa’s next generation is reshaping business models and problem-solving approaches. Percentage of women-led social enterprises by country FIGURE 7 South Africa Kenya Ghana Ethiopia Cameroon67% 58% 55% 51% 40% Source: Survey data, World Economic ForumUnder 18 18–24 25–34 35–44 45–54 Over 556%31%36% 20% 8%Youth-led The State of Social Enterprise: Unlocking Inclusive Growth, Jobs and Development in Africa 28

State of Social Enterprise Africa 2025