By Ayomide Otitoju
TSince its launch in 2022, the Women and Youth Financial and Economic Inclusion (WYFEI 2030) Initiative—part of the African Women’s Decade on Financial and Economic Inclusion (2020–2030)—has become a driving force in advancing inclusive finance strategies across the continent.
In a recent high-level forum ahead of the Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS 2025), the African Union Commission’s Women, Gender and Youth Directorate, in partnership with the Sterling One Foundation and supported by Germany’s BMZ through GIZ, convened stakeholders to chart private-sector-driven solutions for inclusive growth.
The event focused on closing persistent financing gaps for women and youth and emphasized unlocking $100 billion in private capital to reach at least 10 million beneficiaries by 2030.
Addressing participants, Ms. Prudence Nonkululeko Ngwenya, Director of the AUC Women, Gender and Youth Directorate, called for systemic reform. “A fundamental shift is needed to place women and youth at the center of resource allocation, policy-making, and accountability,” she said, stressing that the private sector must be a “co-owner” of the WYFEI 2030 agenda.
Sterling One Foundation CEO, Ms. Olapeju Ibekwe, echoed the sentiment. “Inclusion cannot be rhetoric. Women and youth are not peripheral to Africa’s economy. Every day capital doesn’t reach them, opportunity is denied the continent,” she said.
Dr. Tobias Thiel, Director of the GIZ African Union Office, described the current challenges as both “a moral and economic imperative,” urging stakeholders to act boldly to ensure equitable access to opportunity.
The meeting featured a panel of public and private sector leaders who explored how early-stage investments can be scaled in underserved markets through improved data systems, deal origination, and inclusive financial products.
Dr. Nadi Albino, Deputy Director of Partnerships at UNICEF, introduced the EmpowerHer Africa initiative—an ambitious program aiming to connect 50 million adolescent girls and young women to finance, technology, and entrepreneurship through the WYFEI framework.
The dialogue marks the beginning of a continent-wide series of engagements led by the AU Commission’s Women, Gender, and Youth Directorate in collaboration with Sterling One Foundation. These efforts aim to mobilize strategic partnerships, foster innovative financing mechanisms, and dismantle structural barriers to inclusive economic participation.
