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UNDP and UN Women Launch Financing Initiative to Support Afghan Women Entrepreneurs
The Afghanistan Women’s Fund for Resilient Enterprises (AWFRE) will provide Sharia-compliant financing alongside business development support, including financial and digital literacy training, mentoring, business planning and support to access markets.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
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IFC, Affin Bank Extend US $400 Million Financing to Women-Owned Businesses, Enterprises
Under the partnership, Affin Bank will channel funding to eligible MSMEs to support productive investment, strengthen business competitiveness and promote more inclusive economic development.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- South Asia
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Viewpoint: Entrepreneurship is Changing and Education Needs to Change With It
"UNDP research shows how young founders are using innovation and digital tools to respond to challenges in areas such as education, healthcare, inclusion, and local economic development, while Global Entrepreneurship Monitor reports that 84% of early-stage entrepreneurs consider social and/or environmental impact when making business decisions."
- Categories
- Education, Social Enterprise
- Region
- Global
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Five35 Ventures Completes 1st Portfolio Exit, Generates 3.5x Return From Complete Farmer Investment
The Africa Growth Fund is a US$200 million fund-of-funds designed to strengthen African-led, women-led investment vehicles and enable them to invest in businesses with the potential to contribute to inclusive growth and job creation.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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African Development Bank and AXIAN Launch Digital Finance Programme to Support 34,000 Women-led Businesses in Africa
Supported by the African Development Bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative and the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi), the programme aims to address one of the biggest constraints facing women-owned businesses in Africa – limited access to finance.
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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The Hidden Cost of Digitization for Women Entrepreneurs: Recent Research Reveals Gender Differences in the Impacts of Fraud — And Highlights Some Solutions
Rising rates of financial fraud in emerging economies threaten to undermine the promise of digitization for women entrepreneurs. As Tanvi Jaluka at CARE and Lauren Perlik at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) explain, fraud is among the well-documented barriers women face in accessing digital financial tools and services. But there has been a lack of data on the unique risks women experience once they have already gained this access or adopted these tools. To better understand these impacts, CARE and IPA have combined their data from multiple survey projects to answer a few key questions: Is there a specific story for women around digital risk and fraud? Are they more vulnerable? And what can we do to improve their resilience?
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Analysis: USAID’s Exit Leaves a Gap in the Drive for Meaningful Connectivity
Sonia Jorge, founder and executive director of the Global Digital Inclusion Partnership (GDIP), says meaningful connectivity requires affordable access, adequate network quality, a device capable of using relevant services, regular use and the skills to participate safely and productively online. A basic connection may allow a call or a mobile-money transaction, but it may not be enough for telemedicine, education, public information or an online business.
- Categories
- Technology, Telecommunications
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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IFC Supports Expansion of Financing for Kenya’s Small Businesses through the First Catalytic First Loss Guarantee Transactions in Africa
The CFLG is an innovative program delivered under IFC's $4 billion MSME Platform, enabling IFC to provide first-loss coverage to partner financial institutions by leveraging blended finance through the International Development Association's Private Sector Window (IDA PSW).
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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