Patrice Brou, Acting Director, Agence de Promotion de l’Inclusion Financière

In Côte d’Ivoire, women play a central role in the economy. They are heavily involved in trade, agriculture and manufacturing, with 34% of SMEs led by women. Yet despite their importance, multiple challenges continue to hold women back from accessing the financial services needed to grow sustainable businesses.

One key barrier is structural. Women lack access to land ownership – less than 15 percent of land certificates are issued to women. This leaves them unable to provide the collateral required by banks, limiting their access to credit.

Equally, many women operate in the informal sector, hindering the traceability of their transactions, and preventing them from developing a credit history. Low levels of financial literacy, and digital literacy, also hold women entrepreneurs back from achieving their potential.

For Côte d’Ivoire, women’s financial inclusion is a top priority. We see it as a key enabler to promote sustainable growth and reduce social inequalities. When women are financially included and have financial autonomy, they invest more in health and education, helping to reduce poverty and household vulnerability. Evidence from credit providers, both in the formal and informal sector, reveals that women repay their loans.

How are we tackling the challenge?

We are working on multiple fronts. The Projet de Gestion Novatrice du Fonds National ‘Femmes et Développement’ (‘Women’s Fund’) has provided thousands of women with access to microfinance to support their entrepreneurial activities. Regulatory bodies, including the Agency for the Promotion of Financial Inclusion (APIF), conduct studies, collect data and work to improve women’s understanding of the concepts of savings, credit and the use of financial services in general.

Government and private sector partnerships have driven initiatives to improve women’s financial literacy, access to microfinance, and uptake of digital financial services.

Our National Financial Education Programme (PNEF) uses awareness-raising and training campaigns to build women’s ability to adopt and use financial services (particularly digital services) effectively.

We are actively encouraging financial institutions to provide credit on a larger scale, and working with them to develop financial services tailored to women. 

What have we achieved so far?

As a result of our efforts, considerable progress has already been made. The rate of women’s financial inclusion jumped from 37% in 2021 to 54% in 2024. Our National Financial Inclusion Strategy, Women’s Fund, and the Support Fund for Women of Côte d’Ivoire (FAFCI) have empowered over 300,000 women entrepreneurs. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has highlighted Côte d’Ivoire as the best-performing African country in the fight against discrimination against women. 

We have seen improvement in the use of digital financial services, particularly merchant payments and transactions, and digital transactions in general.

Where do we go from here?

Despite the progress in recent years, a stubborn financial inclusion gender gap persists (54% vs 61%). That’s why APIF is working hard to enhance access to credit, promote financial education, and develop gender-responsive financial products.

We also plan to mobilise resources to enable women to access funding through specialised funds, which will allow them to secure loans tailored to their specific sector of activity.

We’re aware that there is still much to do. What’s encouraging is that, in addition to genuine political will on the part of the government, a strong commitment exists from all stakeholders to supporting women’s financial inclusion, and to empowering them to realize their great potential.

You can learn more about Côte d’Ivoire’s work to promote financial inclusion in the video below.