Equity Bank & IFC Launches Women-Centric Program for Kenyan Women Entrepreneurs

• Equity Bank and IFC introduce Goldman Sachs' 10,000 Women initiative in Kenya.
• The campaign aims to reach Equity's current women customers to fill the 83% finance gap for women-owned MSMEs.

Equity Bank Kenya and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) have made a significant partnership to implement the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women online business course with the objective of enhancing the ability of women entrepreneurs throughout Kenya.

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women is a global program of Goldman Sachs that drives economic growth through business and management education, mentorship, networking, and access to capital for women entrepreneurs.

It seeks to support women worldwide with both face-to-face and web-based learning experiences in partnership with others such as the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The program aims to tackle the challenges that women-owned businesses in Kenya, with a major gap in finance access, which is estimated to be as much as 83% for women-owned MSMEs.

The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women programme provided by the University of Leeds, provides business and management training in a practical way through ten online modules to entrepreneurs. Members will enjoy interactive learning and sessions from leading business school instructors, becoming part of a global alumni network of more than 200,000 entrepreneurs. Equity Group will be at the forefront of mobilizing, recruiting, and providing guidance to cohorts of women entrepreneurs through the 20-week program.

The bank will capitalize on its existing ‘Fanikisha program’, a 2007-launched initiative designed to address financial and business skills training for women. Invitations will be issued to women in Equity's Shaba, Almasi, Dhahabu, and Platini customer levels, who are already in the bank's ecosystem.

Equity Group MD and CEO Dr James Mwangi described the initiative's fit with the bank's core purpose. He stated, “Equity Bank is deeply committed to empowering women in business to achieve their aspirations and driving financial inclusion across Kenya.”

Adding to the statement, he said, “Partnering with IFC for the 10,000 Women program enables us to offer world-class learning opportunities to our customers, ensuring they have the skills and knowledge to thrive. This program will leverage our extensive regional network and digital platforms to reach women entrepreneurs in every corner of the country.”