Since 2022, the Women and Youth Financial and Economic Inclusion (WYFEI 2030) Initiative has worked to create multi-stakeholder platforms advancing financial inclusion strategies specifically targeting African women and youth. As part of the African Women’s Decade on Financial and Economic Inclusion (2020–2030), the initiative aims to address longstanding systemic barriers to accessing capital and economic opportunity.
A recent high-level convening, organized by the African Union Commission’s Women, Gender and Youth Directorate in partnership with Sterling One Foundation and supported by Germany’s BMZ through GIZ, focused on private sector engagement. This meeting aimed to mobilize capital and expertise to address persistent financing gaps faced by women and youth. Held ahead of the Africa Social Impact Summit 2025, it emphasized the role of private investment in achieving WYFEI 2030’s goal of unlocking $100 billion to benefit 10 million women and youth by 2030.
The framework outlined in the convening supports reforming financial services and products, lifting regulatory constraints, and expanding blended finance models. A key panel discussion examined how to scale private capital in underserved markets and highlighted the need for structural reforms across investment pipelines, including data access and deal origination.
Additionally, the EmpowerHer Africa initiative was introduced by UNICEF’s Deputy Director of Partnerships. This new program aims to provide 50 million adolescent girls and young women across Africa with access to financing, technology, and entrepreneurial tools through the WYFEI 2030 framework, fostering leadership and innovation.
This private sector dialogue marks the beginning of a series of engagements led by the AU Commission’s Women, Gender, and Youth Directorate. Anchored by Sterling One Foundation, the initiative will continue to build public-private partnerships, develop innovative financing solutions, and align supportive policy environments to scale inclusive economic growth across Africa.
