What: International Women’s Day High Level Couch Talk. Convened under the theme “Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow: Innovative Solutions for Financial and Economic Inclusion for African Women”

When: 8^th March 2022. 15.30PM EAT.

Where: The event will be convened in a Hybrid format. The physical meeting will be at the, African Union Commission. The virtual event will be open on this link-   https://bit.ly/IWD2022Webinar

Who: The event will be graced by the presence, and addressed by, among others,

• H.E Dr. Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Deputy Chairperson, AUC
• H.E Queen Máxima, United Nations Secretary General's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development
• Ms. Michelle Chivunga, Founder and CEO Global Policy House
• Mr. Akinwunmi Adesina - President of the African Development Bank
• Mr. Sim Tshabalala - Chief Executive, Standard Bank Group
• Mr. Wamkele Mene - Secretary General, African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat 
• Dr. Ibrahim Mayaki – Outgoing Chief Executive Officer, African Union Development Agency - NEPAD
• Ms. Lucy Mbabazi - Head of Africa Advocacy and Partnerships of the Better Than Cash Alliance
• Mrs. Elsie Addo Awadzi - 2nd Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana
• Dr Edward Addai, UNICEF Representative to the AUC and UN Economic Commission for Africa

Background information:

Every modern economy needs an inclusive financial system that enables people and organizations to generate an income, transact, save, borrow and invest across distance and time. The financial and economic inclusion of women is a critical pillar to advance the development of the African continent and can be improved by examining regulatory frameworks and public policy initiatives. It is important to understand the particular behaviours, preferences and needs of women, especially those living in Africa.  The AU theme for IWD 2022 is “Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow: Financial and Economic Inclusion for African Women”. The theme recognizes that gender equality is an enabling factor for the financial and economic inclusion of women and provides an opportunity to look into how financial services, a progressive business environment, access to funding and digital technology are all factors that promote the financial and economic inclusion of women.

It is against this background that the African Union Commission’s Women Gender and Youth Directorate will convene a High-Level Couch Talk on Financial and Economic Inclusion bringing together duty bearers from diverse backgrounds to discuss key themes on women’s financial and economic inclusion.

Objectives of the discussions is to:

1. Explore how financial services and frameworks have evolved and advanced to become more inclusive for women and the business economy at large,
2. Explore how business development agencies can work with women entrepreneurs to develop initiatives that improve and enhance their financial literacy,
3. Assess challenges that women face to access funding and how they can be improved,
4. Take stock of how financial technology services such as mobile and internet banking have improved women’s financial and economic inclusion.

Learn more on what the African Union is doing on advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment by visiting https://au.int/en/wgyd

For further information, please contact:

Doreen Apollos | Information and Communication Directorate | African Union Commission | Tel: +251 115 517 700 | E-mail: ApollosD@africa-union.org l | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Ms. Nontobeko Tshabalala | Women, Gender and Youth Directorate | African Union Commission Tel: +251 911 3611 85 | E-mail: NontobekoT@africa-union.org.  | Ababa | Ethiopia

Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission,   E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Website: www.au.africa I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia Follow Us: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube