Trends in Gender Finance in DFIs in African Region

Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) have a key role to play in promoting gender responsive finance and women’s economic empowerment (WEE). While the initiatives of multilateral banks are well-documented and communicated via events and publications, visibility of the efforts of national and sub-regional DFIs on this topic is low. Gender finance is not commonly highlighted on their websites or in annual reports, and their efforts to promote gender finance are rarely covered in research articles or other publications. As a result, national DFIs experience successes and challenges in their efforts to promote gender equality without the benefit of broader recognition and the chance to inspire their peers to action, or supportive networks that can help identify solutions to difficulties faced.

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INVESTING IN WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN ACP COUNTRIES: AN OPPORTUNITY AWAITS

Upcoming events

By supporting business climate and investment environment reforms, the ICR Facility aims to help generate more decent jobs and contribute to improving livelihoods in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.

Training on Business Environment Reforms to Support Women’s Economic Empowerment

Women's Economic Empowerment

Training on Busines Environment Reforms to Support Women’s Economic Empowerment What? The course develops awareness and provides tools to advance Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) through Business Environment Reform (BER) in African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. Participants learn to apply a gender-sensitive and gender-transformative lens when they work on their own reforms, taking into account […]

How to develop a gender approach in Development Finance Institutions

Access to Finance

What? In these free, self-paced training modules you will learn how to develop a gender finance approach in the development finance institution. It is an interactive way to learn more about institutional gender mainstreaming, actions and measures to be taken in the organisation to ensure gender inclusion. The training contains videos, texts, interactive exercises and […]

Training on Business Environment Reforms Tools

Business Regulation and Policy

In these self-paced modules in “Business Environment Reform Tools”, representatives from public and private stakeholders in African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries will learn how to use practical and straight-forward tools to improve the business environment in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. You will earn a PDF certificate once you pass all the tasks of the four modules. […]

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Flagship Study: Access to Finance for Women-led MSMEs in the Caribbean (Upcoming)

The ICR Facility conducted a study for the Caribbean Development Bank to reduce the research gap in the Caribbean MSME sector, enhance the understanding of the needs and opportunities for Women-led MSMEs (WMSMEs) to increase their access to finance and identify measures to unlock investments. Stay tuned for the upcoming flagship study!

ICR 2020-2025 wrapped: Access to Finance

This leaflet provides you with a short overview of the ICR Facility’s approach to Access to Finance and how we put that in practice through a selection of interventions. The leaflet shares key lessons for practitioners and an overview of our reports on this subject.

How DFIs in ACP Countries Use Alternative Collateral: Trends and Impact on Access to Finance for Women-Owned SMEs

Across ACP countries, access to finance remains a major barrier for women-owned SMEs – often due to limited access to traditional forms of collateral. This study explores how Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) are increasingly using alternative forms of collateral, such as movable assets, receivables, and warehouse receipts. While these tools have not yet been deployed with […]

Enhancing Access to Finance for Women-Owned Enterprises

Women’s economic empowerment is key to ensuring that women not only enjoy equal rights and liberties but also, that they are able to contribute to a nation’s socio- economic progress. Beyond the subject of social justice, women’s economic empowerment is also recognised as a critical driver of sustainable economic growth When women are […]

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Accelerating ESG Integration: Learning from each other drives impact

The momentum to embed Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles into the DNA of financial institutions has never been stronger. And nowhere is this more critical than in the world of development finance, where mission-driven institutions play a pivotal role in shaping sustainable futures. Recognizing the urgency—and the opportunity—the Investment Climate Reform (ICR) Facility, rolled […]

Driving Change: How Gender Assessments Benefit DFIs and Women Entrepreneurs

There are many reasons why a development finance institution (DFI) would want to conduct a gender assessment. For the Federated States of Micronesia Development Bank (FSMDB), the objectives included better serving women entrepreneurs and thereby growing its client base, formalising gender equality in policies and operations, and meeting the gender requirements of international funders such […]

Advancing Women Traders’ Financial Inclusion And the Digital Economy Leveraging FinTech: An Opportunity for The Gambia

The Gambia stands at a crucial crossroads in its journey towards a cash-lite economy that enables a thriving digital ecosystem. The implementation of the National Strategy for Leveraging FinTech to Drive Financial Inclusion for Women Cross-Border Traders, developed by the Ministry of Trade, Industry Regional Integration, and Employment (MoTIE) with the support of the […]

Boosting the financial success of female entrepreneurs in Nigeria

With approximately 223 million people, Nigeria is the most populated country in Africa and has the largest economy, with its entrepreneurs and their enterprises the engine of the economy. They account for roughly 96% of all businesses (most of which are micro, small and medium enterprises, also known as MSMEs) and 33% are owned by […]

You may also be interested in these event recordings

Session 5 of DFI Exchange Group

You’re Invited to the 5th ICR Facility DFI Exchange Group on Alternative Collateral! Join us for an engaging peer learning experience focused on Alternative (to) Collateral for Development Finance Institutions (DFIs). This DFI Exchange Group will provide valuable insights, technical guidance, and real-world examples from DFIs on key aspects of alternative (to) collateral. Date: […]

Toward Fit-for-Purpose DFI Regulation in the SADC Region

Overview – Policy Brief The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) is spotlighting the critical role of National Public Development Banks (NDBs) in mobilizing domestic resources, crowding in private investment, and delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The First Draft of the Outcome Document, which outlines a renewed financing framework and emphasizes […]

Session 4 of DFI Exchange Group

You’re Invited to the 4th ICR Facility DFI Exchange Group on Wholesale Lending! Join us for an engaging peer learning experience focused on Wholesale Lending for Development Finance Institutions (DFIs). This two-part DFI Exchange Group will provide valuable insights, technical guidance, and real-world examples from DFIs on key aspects of wholesale lending. Our guest speakers […]

DFI Exchange Group – Session 3: The Green Climate Fund (GCF)

The DFI Exchange Group is a platform for all DFI-related knowledge sharing and group activities of the ICR Facility and provides DFIs with the opportunity to share and showcase their best practices and experiences with peers. Once per quarter, we facilitate peer sessions where DFIs can come together to meet on a specific topic […]

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