From 25 to 28 May, AFI and the Central Bank of Eswatini (CBE) are holding a training session for national stakeholders, looking at how movable collateral registries can support women-led small businesses. Invited experts from Bank of Ghana, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and Bank of Zambia are sharing insight from their work to develop similar registries in their own countries.

“Women entrepreneurs are already making a significant contribution to the economy; our responsibility is to foster a financial system that is more responsive to their needs and better positioned to support their growth and sustainability,” said CBE Director for Financial Regulation, Lungile Dlamini. “Providing assets such as machinery, vehicles, crops and livestock with legal recognition as collateral effectively transforms them into instruments for accessing finance.”

The event is being attended by commercial banks, micro-lenders, and government ministries. Following the training, CBE aims to begin developing a national roadmap for the establishment of a movable collateral registry for Eswatini.

Further reading: AFI Case Study on Access to Finance for Women MSMEs in Eswatini