Five Women Entrepreneurs Win 2026 UNCTAD Empretec Business Awards

Five women entrepreneurs from Uganda, Argentina, Qatar, Brazil and Nigeria have been named at the 9th Empretec Women in Business Awards 2026 during the World Investment Forum (WIF) in Doha, Qatar. UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) hosted the awards, which recognized women leaders who are promoting entrepreneurship, innovation, sustainability and technological development in the different sectors.

The awards, under the theme Women-led Businesses and the Art of Scale, honored outstanding achievements in four categories: Leadership, Sustainability, Innovation and Technology. It was nominated by 52 entrepreneurs, who were accompanied and helped by Empretec centres in business training and development programs.

The ceremony was attended by women entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and business leaders, highlighting women's accomplishments and enhancing their access to investors, global markets, mentorship and professional networks.

Key Highlights

• Five women entrepreneurs recognised for leadership, innovation and sustainability
• Awards received 52 nominations through global Empretec entrepreneurship support centres
• Winners represent Uganda, Argentina, Qatar, Brazil and Nigeria

Sandra Letio, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Pelere Group Limited, was awarded the Leadership Award for her agribusiness which is supporting over 5,000 smallholder farmers. Her work provides economic opportunities for the shea and oilseed value chain in Uganda, linking the agricultural communities to business opportunities, and strengthening rural livelihoods.

Paula Gianserra, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Reforest Latam, was honoured with the Sustainability Award. She has taken several steps to advance forest restoration efforts with the use of artificial intelligence, biotechnology and drone-based seeding technologies. Her work underscores the contribution of women entrepreneurs to innovatively tackle environmental issues and provide sustainable business solutions.

For revolutionizing the concept of savings into a pioneering financial technology approach, Aisha Albinali, Co-Founder of Wafir, was honored. Her entrepreneurial effort highlights the potential of technology to enhance the financial services industry and provide new and easily-accessed solutions for financial money management.

Adriana Fernandes, the CEO of Matrika Special Foods, was named in this category as well. She has honed her food business to a more specialized aspect of food solutions for the consumer market for people with food allergies and dietary restrictions.

Earlybean's Biobele Oyibo, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, won the Technology Award for technology supporting financial inclusion and financial literacy for youth. Her work emphasizes the need to engage younger generations in financial education and the need for easy-to-access digital solutions.

The awards also pointed to the difficulties for women entrepreneurs in the process of scaling up their businesses. Support for women in business in terms of access to finance, investment, skilled professionals, international markets, mentorship and business networks is still crucial for women's enterprises to achieve sustainable growth.

The goal of the initiative is to "match" the women founders with investors, venture capital firms, mentors, and organizations who can help them grow their businesses.

UNCTAD and the Qatari Businesswomen Association (QBA) also signed a memorandum of understanding to boost cooperation on supporting women entrepreneurs and advancing the economic empowerment of women, as part of the general World Investment Forum agenda.

Another session at the forum was Women Who Invest: Mobilizing Female Capital for the Future, which featured ministers, investors, family offices and business leaders to share their experiences on women's investment.