Roughly 70% of women-owned SMEs in developing countries are either unserved or underserved by formal financial institutions, a shortfall the International Finance Corporation (IFC) has indicated as one of the largest unmet financing needs in emerging markets (IFC, Closing the Gender Finance Gap Through Blended Finance, 2023).
International donors, investors and financial service providers have gathered to spotlight five market‑ready digital finance solutions designed to expand access to capital for women entrepreneurs and youth‑led MSMEs.
Impact Investing Ghana (IIGh), in partnership with Savannah Impact Advisory (SIA), has announced the release of a Framework for Domestic Capital Mobilisation in Emerging Markets, coming out of its landmark, summary learning report titled Unlocking Domestic Pension Capital in Africa for SMEs: Lessons from Ci Gaba, Ghana’s First Pension Backed Fund-of-Funds created to celebrate the fund’s first close.
Why every entrepreneur must prepare for the next flood, fire, market blaze, economic crisis, or pandemic before it happens. The recent floods that swept through Accra and other parts of Ghana have left behind more than submerged roads, damaged buildings, and ruined merchandise. They have left broken hearts, shattered dreams, interrupted livelihoods, and grieving families. Within a few hours, many hardworking entrepreneurs watched helplessly as years of sacrifice, savings, and determination disappeared beneath rising floodwaters.
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