AfDB, AXIAN Launch Digital Finance Programme for 34,000 Women-Led Businesses
The African Development Bank (AfDB) and AXIAN Group have launched a new digital finance programme aimed at expanding access to funding, business support and digital tools for more than 34,000 women-led businesses across Africa.
The initiative is being supported through the AfDB’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) and the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi), with a focus on tackling the persistent financing challenges facing women entrepreneurs.
According to the AfDB, women entrepreneurs across Africa face an estimated $49 billion financing gap, despite the continent having the world’s highest rate of female entrepreneurship.
Countries to Benefit
The programme will be implemented through AXIAN’s digital financial services platforms, Mixx and Mvola, combining digital lending, financial literacy, business development services and digital inclusion initiatives.
The first component will provide tailored digital financial products and services to 34,000 women-led micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Madagascar, Tanzania and Senegal.
A second component will provide financial literacy, digital skills and entrepreneurship training to 25,000 women across Madagascar, Tanzania, Senegal, Togo and Comoros.
The programme will also use mobile money, digital lending and alternative credit assessment tools to reach women entrepreneurs who have traditionally struggled to access conventional financial services.
What the Programme Will Support
The initiative is built around five key priorities:
- Expanding access to digital finance for women-led businesses
- Improving financial and digital literacy
- Developing financial products tailored to women entrepreneurs
- Promoting digital inclusion through mobile technology
- Helping women-owned businesses transition into and thrive within the formal economy
AXIAN said the programme is designed to help women entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses, create jobs and participate more actively in Africa’s growing digital economy.
The partnership builds on AfDB’s wider collaboration with AXIAN. In January 2025, the Bank approved a $160 million senior corporate loan to support digital connectivity and financial inclusion across nine African countries, including dedicated financing for 22,000 women entrepreneurs in Madagascar.
The new programme reflects growing efforts by development institutions and private-sector partners to close Africa’s gender financing gap and equip women-owned businesses with the capital, skills and technology needed to scale.
