Facilitate first-time access to credit for women entrepreneurs, with an average loan amount of €22,000, through a dedicated loan guarantee mechanism combined with technical assistance.
Criteria: MSMEs without access to credit, with annual turnover under €50,000; fundraising
Target: 40 businesses
Country coverage: Uganda
Technical assistance
Group training on selecting financial institutions, creating repayment plans, calculating APR, collection processes, etc.
Individual mentoring by credit access experts: review of financial, legal, and commercial documents; strategic support during the loan process.
Financial assistance
Loan of €22k per company over 12 months
Security deposit of €11k per company to secure the loan
I&P is implementing I&P Acceleration WE4A (Women Entrepreneurship for Africa), an acceleration program dedicated to financing and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises owned or co-owned and managed by women in the green and transition sectors.
The I&P Acceleration WE4A program is part of the pan-African initiative Investing in Young Businesses in Africa – Women Entrepreneurship for Africa (IYBA WE4A), co-financed by the European Union, the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), and the German development cooperation implemented by GIZ.
Led by Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P), the program aims to strengthen the development and resilience of high-potential women-led businesses, particularly in green and transition sectors.
In countries such as Cameroon, Senegal, Togo and Uganda, small businesses, often informal, make up the bulk of the economy but face a financing gap estimated at over €15 billion. Caught between microfinance (costly and limited) and commercial banks (requiring collateral and financial history), they struggle to grow and formalize.
Women entrepreneurs face even greater constraints: limited access to collateral and networks, gender biases, cultural barriers, and the double burden of professional and domestic responsibilities. Despite their strong presence in entrepreneurship, they receive less than 10% of commercial loans and very few equity investments.
This challenge is especially critical for green and innovative businesses, which struggle to attract funding despite their essential role in combating climate change and creating sustainable jobs.
