The African Development Bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) programme is backing a new $50 million financing agreement to support women-led enterprises in Nigeria. Signed at the Africa Investment Forum in Rabat on 5 December, the deal between the African Guarantee Fund and the Bank of Industry will provide financial and business support through the AFAWA Guarantee for Growth programme.
The loan portfolio guarantee, phased over ten years, will boost lending to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), particularly those led by women. It includes risk-sharing mechanisms focused on women-owned, youth-led, and “green” businesses. The agreement aims to address the financing gap for women entrepreneurs and supports Nigeria’s economic transformation under President Bola Tinubu’s agenda.
The initiative is part of AFAWA’s broader effort to reduce the financing gap for African women entrepreneurs, with over $2.4 billion in loans approved for women-led SMEs across 44 African countries.
Read the original article here: https://afdb.africa-newsroom.com/press/african-development-banks-affirmative-finance-action-for-women-in-africa-afawa-initiative-teams-with-african-guarantee-fund-bank-of-industry-for-50-million-financing-agreement-targeting-nigerian-small-and-medium-enterprises?lang=en