Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA)

This project aims to enhance African women entrepreneurs access to finance by providing financial guarantees issued by the African Guarantee Fund to African financial institutions. The initiative promotes a shift toward a gender-sensitive approach in the lending decision-making processes of African financial institutions. Project activities include: (1) providing tailored financial services to African women entrepreneurs (2) strengthening gender-based analysis of participating African financial institutions; and (3) enhancing the capacity of African financial institutions and Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to shift the lending culture toward gender-sensitive opportunities.

The expected outcomes of the project include: (1) increased financial productivity and growth of women-owned or led SMEs in Africa; (2) Increased access to and control over financial resources and services by women-owned or led SMEs; and (3) Improved product and service offerings by financial institutions for women-owned/led SMEs.