In South Africa, the burgeoning landscape of female entrepreneurship is playing a pivotal role in narrowing the gender gap, fueled by a combination of opportunity and necessity. As an increasing number of women establish their own businesses, they not only create jobs for themselves but also for others, positioning the nation among the global frontrunners in women-led enterprises boasting 20 or more employees. Remarkably, 59.3% of these female entrepreneurs intend to hire an additional one to five employees over the next five years, indicating a positive trend in job creation. “With 16.7 million citizens unemployed—5.8 million of whom are women—the…

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has notably enhanced its support for women entrepreneurs in Egypt by providing a loan of EGP 700 million (around €13.2 million) to Tasaheel for Financing. Tasaheel stands as Egypt’s largest lender to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). This loan, which is a component of the EBRD’s Women in Business programme, aims to facilitate access to finance for women-led MSMEs, especially in areas outside of Greater Cairo and Alexandria that are usually underserved by banks. In addition to financial assistance, the EBRD will offer Tasaheel an extensive technical cooperation package. This initiative…