The economic empowerment and financial inclusion of women entrepreneurs in sectors contributing to the green transformation
Investing in Young Businesses in Africa : Women Entrepreneurship for Africa (IYBA WE4A)
IYBA WE4A is a regional flagship initiative designed to unlock the full potential of women entrepreneurs across Sub-Saharan Africa. Its vision is clear: a dynamic, inclusive, and green African economy powered by innovative women-led start-ups and MSMEs. The programme equips entrepreneurs with the tools, partnerships, and pathways they need to scale—helping them grow sustainable businesses, access finance, and lead transformative change in their communities and sectors.
For entrepreneurs, IYBA WE4A offers a platform to accelerate business growth and investment readiness. For partners and supporters, it provides a coordinated, high-impact mechanism to strengthen women’s economic participation and channel resources where they create the most lasting value. By uniting global expertise with local ecosystems, the initiative positions women entrepreneurs at the forefront of Africa’s transition toward greener and more inclusive economies.
Operating in eight countries—Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda—the programme supports women-led enterprises to expand their operations, enhance managerial and technical capacities, and create or sustain jobs. Through tailored support and ecosystem engagement, IYBA WE4A helps build resilient businesses that can compete and thrive in regional and global markets.
Part of the Team Europe Initiative “Investing in Young Businesses in Africa” (TEI IYBA), the programme is jointly co-financed by the European Union (EU), the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) through the BMZ-funded WE4D multi-donor platform “Employment Promotion for Women for the Green Transformation in Africa” (WE4D). Together, these partners share a commitment to catalysing innovation, opportunity, and sustainable economic growth driven by women entrepreneurs across the continent.
What We Do - our four pillars
Who We Support
IYBA WE4A supports both innovation-driven start-ups with high growth potential as well as more traditional MSMEs operating in local or regional markets — acknowledging that both face financing and structural challenges.
• Women entrepreneurs leading start-ups and MSMEs in green sectors
• Their teams and employees, enabling job creation and empowerment beyond founders
• Ecosystem actors (ESOs, accelerators and incubators, financial actors, associations) who support sustainable, gender-responsive business development
Our activities by country
Knowledge products
WEBINAR #6 Peer exchange on Investment Readiness for Early-Stage Businesses
The peer exchange explored what makes early-stage businesses genuinely ready to access finance, drawing on the perspectives of a commercial bank, an investor, and participating ESOs.
Assessment on the appropriateness of available financial services in the Kenyan market for SEED beneficiaries
Discover our latest study, carried out by the IYBA SEED team in Kenya in partnership with Intellecap, a comprehensive assessment of the Kenyan financial services landscape, spotlighting the gaps that keep early-stage businesses, youth, and women entrepreneurs from accessing the capital they need to grow.
AI & Digital Transformation Toolkit for Women-Led MSMEs
Digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly becoming valuable tools for small businesses, helping entrepreneurs improve how they market their products, manage finances, engage customers and run their businesses more efficiently.
Helping Women Entrepreneurs Navigate Online Tax Registration in Malawi
Formalising a business can open doors to finance, contracts, markets and new growth opportunities. For women-led MSMEs in Malawi, understanding how to register with the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) is an important step towards building a compliant and formal business.
