Axian group and the african development bank: have launched a significant initiative aimed at enhancing financial access and business support for more than 34,000 women-led enterprises across five African nations. According to African Press Organization, the programme is supported by the African Development Bank's Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative and the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi). It aims to tackle one of the major challenges faced by women-owned businesses in Africa: limited access to finance. Despite Africa having the highest rate of female entrepreneurship globally, women entrepreneurs face a staggering $49 billion financing gap. The programme will be rolled out through AXIAN Group's digital financial services platforms, Mixx and Mvola. These platforms will integrate digital lending, financial literacy training, business development services, and digital inclusion initiatives, aiming to help women entrepreneurs grow their businesses and gain access to formal financial services. The initiative consists of two main components. The first will deliver tailored digital financial products and services to 34,000 women-led micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in Madagascar, Tanzania, and Senegal. The second component will provide financial literacy, digital skills, and entrepreneurship training to 25,000 women across Madagascar, Tanzania, Senegal, Togo, and Comoros. This programme will leverage mobile money services, digital lending solutions, and alternative credit assessment capabilities to reach women entrepreneurs who have historically been underserved by traditional financial systems. "Across Africa, millions of women are already running successful businesses. The challenge is not entrepreneurship. It is access to finance, to digital tools, and to opportunities for growth," said Erwan Gelebart, CEO of AXIAN Digibank and Fintech. "Through Mixx and MVola, we are using technology and financial innovation to support women entrepreneurs in building strong er businesses, creating jobs, and participating more fully in the digital economy. This programme is about unlocking opportunity at scale." Melissa Basque-Roux, Coordinator of the African Development Bank's AFAWA initiative, emphasized that while women entrepreneurs are central to Africa's economic transformation, many still face significant barriers to accessing the necessary finance, digital tools, and business support for growth. The programme will concentrate on five priorities: expanding access to digital finance for women-led businesses, enhancing financial and digital literacy, developing financial products tailored to women entrepreneurs, accelerating digital inclusion through mobile technology, and assisting women-owned businesses in transitioning to and thriving in the formal economy. Implementation will be led by Mixx and MVola, in collaboration with local operating companies in the participating countries, combining regional expertise with country-level execution to maximize impact and reach. This initiative builds on the African Development Bank's broader support for AXIAN Telecom. In January 2025, the Bank approved a $160 million senior corporate loan to expand digital connectivity and financial inclusion across nine African countries, with dedicated funding for 22,000 women entrepreneurs in Madagascar. As Africa's digital economy continues to expand, AXIAN and the African Development Bank believe that technology plays a crucial role in creating a more inclusive financial system by equipping women entrepreneurs with the tools, capital, and skills needed to build sustainable businesses and generate employment.
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