Gender equality

The funding aims to drive sustainable growth by facilitating lending to climate-related projects and women-led enterprises, expanding financial inclusion, and helping to close the region’s $42bn gender financing gap.

One of the largest private banks in Ethiopia is seeking to develop financial services tailored to improve the growth prospects of up to one million small businesses.

The gender lens fund has received more than €9m in investment from M&G Investments reaching its fundraising target of €50m, five years after launch.

The investment is in Sistafund, a French venture capital fund backing early-stage tech companies led by women and where women hold at least 30% of the founder shares.

The facility seeks to improve trade liquidity within Africa, especially for women and youth-run businesses, building on Absa’s extensive network of financial services operations across the continent. 

The new certification programme is focused on evaluating and recognising investors, companies and financial instruments that are working towards greater gender inclusion.

Kashf Foundation is working in a holistic way to do more than just deliver microfinance solutions. It wants to change mindsets, says its founder and managing director, Roshaneh Zafar.

The two national promotional institutions have signed up to a new programme funded by the European Investment Fund aimed at boosting female participation in venture capital and private equity.

The private equity fund will invest in fast-growing SMEs, mainly in North Africa. At least a quarter of the fund’s invested capital is earmarked for women-owned or led businesses.

The 2X Challenge initiative is aiming to push more investment towards empowering women in the workplace, while a key blended finance microfinance project has switched focus to gender-lens investing.