Wednesday, May 12, 2021 / 09:03 AM / by AfDB /Header Image Credit: AfDB

This May,the African Development Bank Group is launching a call for proposals forprojects enhancing the viability and sustainability of women entrepreneurshipenablers.

Women's business associations,incubators, accelerators, and cooperatives that advance women'sentrepreneurship, can apply for funding for innovative projects or programs tobolster the skills of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) owned and run bywomen across Africa, the Bank announced.

Entrepreneurship enablers, which includebusiness associations and civil society organizations, play an important rolein empowering women to establish bankable SMEs and other businesses. However,the enablers themselves often face challenges, such as long-term growth plansand lack of financing, which reduce their reach, impact and sustainability.

"Women business enablers are critical tocreating a viable enabling environment in which women entrepreneurs can growand create businesses that generate jobs for the continent. Through theAffirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa initiative, the Bank iscommitted to supporting enablers to strengthen the business and financialskills as well as wealth-creating capacity of their members," said EstherDassanou, manager of the program, also known as AFAWA.

The Bank will assess applicants' trackrecord in supporting women SMEs, innovation and strong development impact, aswell as their capacity to mobilize other sources of funding. Eligibleorganizations may request funding of between $100,000 and $250,000, providedthrough the Bank's Gender Equality Trust Fund.

Applications must be received bymidnight on 30 May 2021.

"This call for proposals is anopportunity for direct and concrete support for women entrepreneurship enablersto scale up their growth and impact, and advance women's financial inclusion onthe continent," said Vanessa Moungar, Bank Director for Gender, Women and CivilSociety.

While all countries will be considered,proposals from the following countries that already align with the ongoingAFAWA Guarantee for Growth Program pipeline are strongly encouraged to apply:Cameroon, Congo-Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya,Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa,Tanzania, Rwanda and Zambia.

For more details on the process and toaccess the proposal application click here.

AFAWA aims to unlock $5 billion infinancing for small and medium enterprises owned and managed by women by 2026.AFAWA is supported by the Bank's partners and donors, the Group of Seven (G7)countries as well as the Netherlands and Sweden, and the Women EntrepreneursFinance Initiative (We-Fi). The funding, which aims to strengthen the ecosystemfor women's entrepreneurship, is in line with the Bank's agenda to furthergender equality and women's empowerment.

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