women entrepreneurs Archives - AfricaBusiness.com

27Aug

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Rwanda News

Empowering women through investment and financial inclusion

By Hortense Mudenge, Chief Strategy Officer of Rwanda Finance Limited Last year, the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index report ranked Rwanda as first in Africa and sixth in the world for gender parity. At 82%, Rwanda also has one of the highest female labour force participation rates globally, with women comprising 41% of professional and technical workers (World Bank, Gender Data Portal, 2022). Furthermore, Rwanda has the highest proportion of women in parliament globally, with women holding 61.3% of seats in the lower house of parliament as of 2022, and the most women in ministerial positions. However, as yet in 2023, no country in the world has achieved full gender parity. In July, Rwanda had the honour of hosting the Women Deliver Conference 2023 and welcoming 6000 deleg...

AFAWA’s Ambassadors: Shaping the conversation around the financing gap that women face in Africa

Written by AFAWA’s Ambassadors From finance to business, to music and non-profit work, together, our combined experience spans a dazzling array of sectors. But there is a common thread that weaves together all our professional lives: a passion for empowering women in Africa to realise their potential. We know what women can do when given the opportunity. But we also know that all too often, women are held back. One way that African women are stifled is by the lack of financing for their businesses. There is, in other words, a glaring disparity between the funding that women have access to and the funding they need to sustain and grow their business operations. In total, that disparity – the so-called “finance gap” – is $42 billion. That’s why we have joined forces to advocate for the “...

Breaking the boys’ club: If investing in women yields good returns, then why are we still fighting for their inclusion?

The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs According to research by Statistics South Africa, nearly half (47%) of South African women are unemployedi. This comes as would-be female employees have a tougher time finding work than men, thanks to the inequalities they face, including unequal pay and fewer leadership positions among others, while at the same time struggling to maintain a matriarchal role in society and family. It is for reasons like these that African women often turn to self-employment by starting their own businesses. According to the World Economic Forum, women make up 58% of Africa's self-employed population and contribute around 13% of the continent's Gross domestic product GDP, with Sub-Saharan Africa, in particular, having the world’s highest rate of women involve...