Lean In Girls programme launches national leadership initiative to reach 10,000 girls across South Africa

Business Engage Association NPC has launched an ambitious national initiative aimed at strengthening leadership confidence and opportunity for young girls across South Africa, while simultaneously creating enterprise development opportunities for women within their communities.

Launch of Lean In Girls South Africa

The initiative, Lean In Girls South Africa, is based on the globally recognised Lean In Girls leadership curriculum and is being implemented through schools and community programmes across the country.

The programme supports girls aged 11–15, a formative stage when confidence, leadership identity and career aspirations begin to take shape.

The initiative is already gaining momentum, with programmes underway in communities including Khayelitsha in the Western Cape, Kliptown in Gauteng and Cato Ridge in KwaZulu-Natal, reaching more than 500 girls in the early rollout phase.

However, the long-term vision is far larger.

Business Engage has set a target to reach 10,000 girls across South Africa through a scalable leadership ecosystem that combines youth leadership development with women-led enterprise creation.

Building a National Leadership Ecosystem

The Lean In Girls programme is structured around 15 facilitated leadership sessions designed to help girls build confidence, develop their voice and strengthen leadership capability through guided discussion, practical exercises and peer engagement.

But the initiative goes beyond leadership training alone.

The programme is delivered through a newly established Facilitator Enterprise Network, which enables trained women facilitators to operate as independent micro-enterprises delivering leadership programmes within schools and communities.

This model creates a powerful dual impact:

leadership development opportunities for girlsincome-generating enterprise opportunities for women facilitators

Colleen Larsen, Chief Executive of Business Engage, says the initiative addresses two critical challenges at the same time.

“If we want to see more women in leadership in the future, we have to start much earlier in the leadership journey. Confidence and leadership identity begin forming long before young women enter the workplace.”

“At the same time, we are creating enterprise opportunities for women facilitators who can build sustainable businesses delivering these programmes in their communities.”

Accredited Skills Development for Facilitators

To strengthen the professional capability of facilitators, the initiative also introduces accredited NQF Level 5 skills development programmes supporting facilitator training.

These include training in learning support facilitation, communication, leadership coaching and confidence development, ensuring facilitators are equipped with the tools to guide and mentor young girls effectively.

Through this pathway, facilitators develop both professional training capability and enterprise sustainability, enabling the programme to expand into schools and communities nationwide.

Corporate Partnerships Driving National Impact

Business Engage is now working with corporate partners to scale the programme nationally through a collaborative funding model.

Corporate partners have the opportunity to support:

leadership programmes for girls in schools and communitiesthe development of women-led facilitator enterprisesaccredited skills development for facilitatorsa digital platform tracking programme impact and reach

Each sponsored programme cohort supports approximately 150 girls and a network of trained facilitators delivering leadership sessions across multiple schools and communities.

A Long-Term Leadership Pipeline

The Lean In Girls initiative is part of Business Engage’s broader commitment to strengthening inclusive leadership across Africa.

For nearly two decades, Business Engage has worked with corporate leaders to advance gender mainstreaming and leadership development across the continent.

The organisation believes that programmes such as Lean In Girls are essential to building the next generation of leaders.

“Leadership does not begin in the boardroom,” Larsen explains.

“It begins much earlier — when a young girl first discovers that her voice matters.”

“Our vision is to build a national leadership ecosystem that gives girls the confidence, skills and opportunity to step into leadership throughout their lives.”

About Business Engage

Business Engage Association NPC is a pan-African organisation that works with leading corporates to advance inclusive leadership and gender mainstreaming across business and society.

Through research, leadership platforms and partnerships, Business Engage focuses on practical initiatives that strengthen leadership pipelines and create measurable impact.