Women entrepreneurs and women-led small businesses play a vital role in driving inclusive growth and supporting the global climate transition. Despite their importance, they remain disproportionately exposed to climate shocks, pandemics, and economic crises, largely due to persistent gender gaps in access to finance, technology, and markets. These vulnerabilities limit their ability to sustain operations and scale impact, highlighting the urgent need for targeted support.
To address these challenges, the Women’s Economic and Financial Resilience Toolbox was developed by the European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) under the Team Europe Initiative “Investing in Young Businesses in Africa (IYBA)”. The toolbox provides a practical framework for strengthening the resilience of women entrepreneurs by offering actionable solutions tailored to their specific needs.
The framework is structured around a three-stage resilience model: anticipation and preparation, absorption and recovery, and adaptation and transformation. It identifies structural barriers to women’s economic empowerment and provides gender-responsive financial instruments, technical assistance, and a Resilience Measurement Framework with gender-disaggregated indicators to guide evidence-based interventions.
Key recommendations emphasize designing flexible financial products, including emergency loans and climate-linked insurance, bundling services for sector-specific needs such as agriculture and retail, expanding digital access through inclusive platforms, providing institutional support and training on financial, digital, and climate-smart skills, and tracking impact through gender-sensitive metrics. By applying these measures, the toolbox shifts women-led businesses from vulnerability to resilience, unlocking their full potential to contribute to inclusive recovery and sustainable development.
The EIB has actively promoted gender equality and women’s economic empowerment through its operations. Over the past five years, it has supported more than 62,000 women entrepreneurs and women-led businesses globally and has assisted 400,000 female farmers in improving agricultural practices by increasing access to extension services, capital, and resources.
This toolbox complements the EIB’s large-scale gender initiative, Women for Stronger Communities and Growth, which aims to enhance the resilience of women-owned businesses through investments, technical assistance, research, and knowledge sharing. Together, these efforts provide a holistic approach to supporting women entrepreneurs and ensuring sustainable, equitable economic development worldwide.
