Market study and product development for women entrepreneurs

Context

BNI is an investment bank and a Société à Participation Financière Publique Majoritaire (Company with majority public shareholding), and is authorised as a banking institution by the UEMOA (West African Economic and Monetary Union) Banking Commission and the CBWAS/BCEAO. It performs the triple function of investment bank, refinancing bank and advisory bank in Côte d’Ivoire.

BNI has already carried out a gender audit and has a gender policy and a gender action plan for 2024-2026. The support of the ICR Facility will contribute to the implementation of this action plan.

Objective

The work plan developed jointly by the ICR Facility and BNI focuses on gender mainstreaming in the bank’s activities, and more specifically on the following topics:

Activity 1. Market research on the needs of women entrepreneurs in Côte d’Ivoire;
Activity 2. Improvement of BNI’s financial products to meet the needs of female customers;
Activity 3. Training of BNI staff:
- on improved/new financial products,
- on gender mainstreaming in the bank’s work.

Results

At the end of this intervention, BNI will have financial products adapted to the needs of its female customers.