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Navigating the Financing Paradox for WSMEs: Workable Solutions for Increasing Financial Inclusion Among Women-Owned or -Led Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
In Africa, an estimated $42 billion financing gap exists for small and medium-sized enterprises owned or led by women (WSMEs). According to Nathalie Gogue-Ebo, Crystal Mugimba, Millie Maina and Shiemaa Ahmed at Open Capital, this gap has persisted despite the fact that women own the majority of the continent’s SMEs, and that globally, they default on their loans at a rate 53% lower than men. They explore the main roadblocks facing African WSMEs, and share some solutions that can ensure that these women entrepreneurs have access to the capital they need to thrive.
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Debate Rages Over Push for New Green Revolution in Africa’s Agriculture
After decades of mono-cropping and overgrazing, around 65% of Africa’s farmland, opens new tab is now considered unproductive or degraded, leaving more than 270 million people facing chronic hunger.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Mind Over Matter: Why Developing a Growth Mindset is Key to Unlocking Women Farmers’ Success in Africa
Agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa has typically centered on training farmers, providing them with inputs like seeds and fertilizers, and introducing technologies to improve their farming practices. Yet as Michelle Kurian at The Harvest Fund explains, these efforts have failed to spark a “green revolution” across the region. She explores the key role that a growth mindset can play in farmers' success, and argues that fostering this mindset shift — particularly among women — is a crucial priority that demands immediate attention.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Social Enterprise
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Press Release: Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship Commits to Catalyzing $200 Million for Social Entrepreneurs to End Global Poverty
The investment fund forms an integral part of Miller Center’s continuum of support for social enterprises, from the accelerator program to ongoing programmatic offerings and financial leverage.
- Categories
- Investing, Social Enterprise
- Region
- Global
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One Village at a Time: A Women-Led Model for Bringing Digital Services and Financial Inclusion to Rural Bangladesh
Women customers constitute a huge market in rural Bangladesh, where many men have migrated to cities or foreign lands in search of work. Garima Singh at FinValue Advisors explores how the Bangladeshi financial services company Zaytoon Business Solutions is expanding access to digital financial and government services in rural communities — while boosting women's empowerment and employment — by extending its agent network to include "village digital booths" staffed by local women.
- Categories
- Finance
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Press Release: OPEC Fund Approves Close to $1.2 Billion New Development Funding
The funding will support smallholder farmers and businesses, promote the construction of resilient infrastructure, provide clean water & sanitation solutions and increase climate resilience.
- Categories
- Environment
- Region
- Global
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Report: Electrifying the Future: A Gender-Transformative Path to E-Mobility
The UNEP report “E-Mobility as a Driver for Change” highlights how the shift to electric vehicles can promote gender equity in transport systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
- Categories
- Transportation
- Region
- Global
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Angolan Sovereign Wealth Fund (FSDEA) Commits Investment to BFA Asset Management’s Kimbo Fund
With a fundamental objective to support the growth of companies led by young people and women, Kimbo Fund aims to contribute to filling value chains, promote job creation, strengthen financial inclusion, and improve access to financing.
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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