The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has partnered with the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) to expand its She Wins Africa programme, increasing the number of beneficiaries from 100 to 1,000 women-led businesses across Sub-Saharan Africa.
In a joint statement, both organisations said the decision to scale up the initiative followed the strong impact recorded during its first phase.
They noted that supporting just 100 entrepreneurs demonstrated the programme’s transformative potential, particularly in improving access to finance and markets for women-owned enterprises.
“We realised that 100 is just the beginning for a region like Africa. Given the level of impact and access to capital unlocked for participating entrepreneurs, this is clearly a programme worth scaling. We are now expanding from 100 to 1,000 beneficiaries, using a strategic segmentation approach that covers start-ups, growth-stage, and scale-up companies,” the statement said.
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During the initial phase, 100 women-led start-ups were selected from thousands of applications across the continent. Collectively, they secured more than $4 million in financing from investors and development partners.
This funding was facilitated through technical assistance, tailored advisory services, investor engagement, and catalytic grant support designed to de-risk private capital and accelerate business expansion.
Speaking on the broader economic impact, IFC’s Regional Gender Lead for Africa, Marieme Camara, emphasised that the programme’s expansion would strengthen women’s participation in Africa’s economic growth by enhancing their access to capital and markets.
Similarly, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ASR Africa, Ubon Udoh, described the expansion as a move toward deeper and more sustainable impact.
He noted that empowering women entrepreneurs contributes not only to individual business success but also to the overall economic development of the continent.
The She Wins Africa initiative offers a suite of services aimed at strengthening business foundations.
These include executive coaching, investment-readiness training, tailored advisory support beyond standard modules, and structured investor matchmaking to connect entrepreneurs with potential backers.
In its first phase, the programme delivered 123 hours of structured technical assistance, facilitated 275 investor-founder connections across regional and global markets, and engaged 100 mentors to provide hands-on guidance.
Seventeen participating enterprises secured external financing, while others advanced toward greater growth and expansion opportunities.
The expanded phase aims to support a broader mix of early-stage and growth-stage enterprises with customised technical assistance, enhanced investment facilitation, and strategic mentorship—deepening regional reach and strengthening the pipeline of investment-ready, women-led businesses across Africa.
