The Malawi Stock Exchange (MSE)-listed FDH Bank has created a revolving K0.5 billion fund dubbed ‘FDH Amayi Atakate Fund’ to support women-owned Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country to realize their full growth potential.
Nigerian female fashion entrepreneurs now have an opportunity to enhance their skills, improve their competitiveness and earn more through the skill-up programme in garment production.
The African Development Bank has approved two grants for research that will increase African women’s access to a range of digital financial services including loans and micro-insurance. The grants, for $1 million and $300,000 respectively, will be disbursed through the Africa Digital Financial Inclusion Facility, a blended finance vehicle supported by the Bank, to two financial technology firms, Pula Advisors Kenya Ltd., and M-KOPA Kenya Ltd.
In celebration of International Women’s Day, and to mark the rollout of the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) Guarantee for Growth program, the African Development Bank and the African Guarantee Fund are showcasing the first beneficiaries of the AFAWA Guarantee for Growth program – an innovation aiming to unlock up to $3 billion in loans to women-led small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Tech giant Google has furthered its commitment to the economic empowerment of women in Africa by establishing a grant worth $25-million in the new Global Impact Challenge (GIC) for women and girls. Google’s Global Impact Challenge aims to support women and girls in Africa Alistair Mokoena, Google South Africa country director quotes the Foresight Africa report 2021 with direct reference to the importance of supporting women and the impact the pandemic has had on equality. “It confirms that the coronavirus has ‘exacerbated already-existing gender inequalities, laying bare serious fault lines in safety, physical and mental health, education, domestic responsibilities, and employment opportunities”. The Global Impact Challenge The challenge provides $25-million in cash grants to non-profit organisations and social enterprises that are aimed at improving the livelihoods of women and girls’ lives. “As economies and societies rebuild, we need bold new ideas that will propel us forward. We can’t afford to go back to the way things were,…
The First Lady of Zimbabwe Auxillia Mnangagwa has set up a toll-free line into a call centre set up in the office of the First Lady so that immediate help can be rendered to victims of gender-based as they are swiftly connected to police, emergency medical services or counselling services as appropriate. The call centre was set up following reports of escalating cases of gender-based violence (GBV), in the vast majority of cases by men on women, and the need for instant reporting and support to ensure the safety of the victims. Around the world, lockdowns used to contain Covid-19 have been seeing more GBV as women with abusive partners are locked up with these men. The toll-free number is 575 with users of TelOne, NetOne and Telecel already able to call the centre and the other networks expected to be on board soon. The initiative by the First Lady…
Groups of traditional women in Lofa County in Liberia have benefited from grant valued at over US$16,000 from the European Union/United Nations Women Spotlight Initiative. Three women groups comprising of 25 members each namely; Vornebah, which in the Gbandi tribe means ‘togetherness’, Winlia, also meaning togetherness in Lorma and Yalazeagawugu, also in Lorma means ‘hold my hands so I can wake up’ received the grant in the county over the weekend. The money is for a project being implemented by Plan International Liberia through local CSOs in five of Liberia’s 15 counties aimed at providing alternative income raising livelihood for traditional women, as they say, no to practice of Female Genital mutilation or FGM. Speaking at the disbursement of the grant in Vezala Town, the Program Officer of Women Solidarity Incorporated Mackins Pajibo said, implementing the Plan International Liberia project in Lofa is part of the Alternative Livelihood for FGM…
