Affirmative Finance Action Tender

Maximum contribution $12,500,000

Country / region
• Africa, regional (100.00%)

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.