عائشة البنعلي من «وافر» تتقاسم جائزة الابتكار في الدوحة

Qatari entrepreneur Aisha Albinali, co-founder of Wafir, has been named a joint winner of the Innovation Award at the Empretec Women in Business Awards 2026, sharing the category with Brazil's Adriana Fernandes, according to an announcement published by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

The 9th edition of the awards was announced on 26 October 2026 at the 9th World Investment Forum in Doha. UNCTAD said Albinali was recognised for turning traditional savings practices into an innovative financial technology solution. Fernandes, Chief Executive Officer of Mátrika Special Foods, was also recognised in the Innovation category for building a food business that makes safe, high-quality food accessible to people with food allergies and dietary restrictions.

Held under the theme "Women-led businesses and the art of scale", the awards honour women entrepreneurs in four categories: Leadership, Sustainability, Innovation and Technology. According to UNCTAD, the awards attracted 52 entrepreneurs nominated by Empretec centres, which had provided them with training and business development services.

In the other categories, Sandra Letio (Uganda), CEO and Managing Director of Pelere Group Limited, received the Leadership Award for an agribusiness that works with more than 5,000 smallholder farmers across the shea and oilseed value chain. Paula Gianserra (Argentina), Co-Founder and COO of Reforest Latam, won the Sustainability Award for advancing forest restoration through artificial intelligence, biotechnology and drone seeding. The Technology Award went to Biobele Oyibo (Nigeria), Co-Founder and CEO of Earlybean, for using technology to promote financial literacy and inclusion among young people.

UNCTAD said the ceremony brought together entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers and business leaders to celebrate the winners and connect them with the finance, markets, expertise and networks they need to grow. The awards also aim to link women founders with investors, venture capital firms, mentors and organisations that support entrepreneurship.

The awards were part of a broader forum agenda on women's entrepreneurship and economic empowerment. During the forum, UNCTAD and the Qatari Businesswomen Association signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation in support of women entrepreneurs, and the forum hosted a session titled "Women who invest: Mobilizing female capital for the future".

A circulating local report also states that 12 entrepreneurs reached the final stage and that Wafir operates within the Qatar Central Bank's regulatory sandbox. Neither detail appears in UNCTAD's announcement, and Startup News has not been able to verify them against an official source.

The full UNCTAD announcement is linked at startupnews.qa.