She Means Business: Empowering Women to Accelerate Equality
Mamounata Velegda, a successful entrepreneur from Burkina Faso. Photo by: Abdoulaye Ndao/IFC

She Means Business: Empowering Women to Accelerate Equality

Achieving gender equality is not just women’s business, it is everyone’s business. It also happens to be good business. The evidence overwhelmingly shows that empowering women has positive effects for us all and for our planet.?

As we celebrate women this March, IFC Insights invites you to meet inspiring women from around the world who are breaking barriers and reshaping the private sector. Like the female rice farmers in Senegal who are advancing climate-friendly, sustainable agribusiness. We also explore the success behind four women traders who defied all odds in their entrepreneurship journey. In Türkiye, women are shattering stereotypes and forging successful careers in traditionally male-dominated sectors. These stories, and more, highlight the importance of empowering women to participate fully in the economy as employees, leaders, consumers, business owners, and community members.?

Financial inclusion is another key driver of women's empowerment. Our featured report dives deep into how innovative fintech solutions can unlock new opportunities for women. The research shows that reaching more women can put the sector on firmer financial footing, with women tending to make for more reliable customers and generate higher lifetime value.?

Empowering women lies at the core of our investments because we know the indispensable role it plays in delivering on our overarching mission: ending poverty on a livable planet.

Nathalie Akon ?

IFC Global Director, Gender and Economic Inclusion


Two women farmers smiling on their farm.
Cousins Ndobou Sene Fall and Aby Diop grow rice and other crops in the rural village of Mboundoum Barrage in the Senegal River Valley.

Meet the Women Sowing Senegal's Future

Women in Senegal are reinventing rice farming techniques to confront climate change and ensure food security. Through entrepreneurship and activism, they are reinventing themselves, too.?Read More?| Lire l’article en fran?ais


Korka Diaw, a Senegalese rice farmer and nationwide advocate on behalf of Senegal's women farmers.

5 Lessons From an Accidental Activist?

When Korka Diaw started growing rice, she never imagined she'd become an advocate for Senegal's women farmers. Three decades later, she runs a 16,000-member organization and participates in national discussions on women's economic empowerment. Read More | Lire l’article en fran?ais


Photos by: Abdoulaye Ndao and Todd Brown / IFC

Women in Trade?

When women entrepreneurs thrive, entire communities prosper. Their success is a beacon of hope for generations to come. Here are the stories of four remarkable women who have not only shattered stereotypes within their respective fields but have also achieved remarkable success on their unique journeys.?Read More


Women hired as part of the Izmir Water and Sewerage Administration's Social Gender Equality Plan line up at the plant.

A Courageous Step Toward Gender Equality?

A new program in Türkiye is redefining the roles of women in the workplace. Through a sustainability-linked loan by IFC, the Izmir Water and Sewerage Administration (IZSU) set an ambitious goal to hire 300 women in traditionally male-dominated roles by 2025.?Read More?


Voice for Change: Barbara Hendricks' Lifelong Commitment to Music and Human Rights?

IFC’s Makhtar Diop speaks with the legendary singer Barbara Hendricks about her journey from the segregated southern United States to the world’s most prestigious opera stages.


Ildys Karazhieva is a farmer in the village of Kennesh, Kyrgyz Republic.

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In the Kyrgyz Republic, Female Entrepreneurs Grow their Future

Across Central Asia, IFC is ramping up its work to expand financial services and market access for women-led businesses. Three women share stories of growth and entrepreneurship.?Read More?


Photo by: BSD Group??

Building Businesses, Brands, and a Bright Future for Women Entrepreneurs in Kenya??

Kenyan entrepreneur and gender equality champion, Eva Muraya , has built a successful brand advisory and communications agency, BSD Group , which serves high-profile clients across East Africa. Read More


Photo by: Munkhtuya Rentsenbat

Be Confident and Take a Seat at the Table

From a junior accountant to the CEO of Khan Bank , Mongolia’s largest bank, Munkhtuya Rentsenbat believes in seizing opportunities to learn and grow.?Read More?



NEW RESEARCH

Her Fintech Edge

A new IFC report provides insights on how Fintech firms can leverage sex-disaggregated data to be a gamechanger for women’s financial inclusion and economic empowerment in emerging markets, while capitalizing on the under-tapped women’s market. Read More


Fintech Market Insights for Inclusive Growth

Digital financial services could be a gamechanger for women’s financial inclusion and economic empowerment, but progress in closing the gender gaps in access to finance has been slow. Watch Video


Closing the Gender Gap in Financial Services

In this episode of IFC Audio Stories, report authors Anushe Khan and Jorge Godoy discuss the role of digital financial services in advancing women's financial inclusion and highlight the opportunities for fintech firms to strategically target and serve women.?Listen here


WHAT'S ON THE HORIZON

Attend these events:

Digital Infrastructure Forum?2024

Location: Berlin, Germany | Event Date:?March 18

Generative AI for Business Conference

Location: San Francisco, California?| Event Date:?March 19

Paris Blockchain Week

Location: Paris, France | Event Date:?April 8-12

Empire Fintech Conference

Location: New York, New York | Event Date:?April 10

Global Water Summit

Location: London, United Kingdom | Event Date:?April 15-17

World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings

Location: Washington, DC | Event Date:?April 17-19

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JOB OPENINGS

To learn more about jobs at IFC, visit www.ifc.org/careers?and sign up for our “job alerts” to receive job opportunities in real time. Here are some of the openings:?

Senior Environmental and Social Development Specialist

Location: Washington, DC | Deadline: March 15

Global Executive Recruitment Lead (Senior HR Officer II)

Location: Washington, DC | Deadline: March 18

Operations Officer

Location:?Manila, Philippines | Deadline: March 19

Associate Investment Officer

Location: Kingston, Jamaica | Deadline:?March 21

Senior Investment Officer

Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil | Deadline: March 22

IT Officer, Business Analysis II (Product Owner)

Location:?Washington, DC | Deadline: March 25

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Thank you for reading IFC Insights. Send your feedback to [email protected].


IFC INSIGHTS EDITORIAL TEAM

Chance Barnett , Brian Beary , Lee-Roy Chetty , Moussoukoro Diop , Bukola Ogunyemi , Isabelle Poupaert , Nataliya Radchenko , Bassam Sebti , Daisy Serem , Gavin Thorpe , Vinit Tyagi , and Chris Vellacott .??


A special thank you to our guest contributors Djenno Bacvic , Alison Buckholtz , Hawa Seydou DIOP , Maria Kristina Galang , Armando Gallardo , Jason Hopps , Lindelwa M. , Angela Njeri , Kymbat Ybyshova , and Ruihua (Rayna) Zhang .

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André Coetzee

System Administration Manager at Grit Real Estate Income Group

8 个月

Let's all accelerate equality! ??

回复

Achieving gender equality is everyone’s business ????

Mira Pululu Ngola

Travailleur chez ISS A/S | Terraform, Produits Docker, Gestion du temps

8 个月

Je espère que je serai aussi membre de cette merveilleuse organisation

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