Panellists take part in a discussion at the Egumeni Dialogue, with the African Union’s Women and Youth Financial and Economic Inclusion initiative and Agenda 2063 displayed on the stage backdrop. Photo credit: AU

NNA News - The African Union (AU) is seeking to unlock US$100 billion in economic opportunities for at least 10 million African women and young people by 2030, as continental leaders work to address barriers to finance, markets, technology and business development.

The target forms part of the second Egumeni Dialogue on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, which opened at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa on Monday and runs until Wednesday. More than 250 participants, including government ministers, financial institutions, regulators, development partners and women entrepreneurs, are attending the meeting.

The dialogue is focused on accelerating women’s financial and economic inclusion through policy reform, investment and stronger partnerships. The AU’s programme identifies a financing gap of US$42 billion facing women across the continent, alongside continuing barriers to credit, digital financial services and access to markets.

Ghana’s Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, said structural barriers continue to limit women’s participation in economic activity.

“Women across our continent continue to face structural barriers to accessing finance, productive assets, markets, technology, land and business development support,” Lartey said.

She said these constraints restrict women’s economic potential and limit their contribution to inclusive development.

Mozambique’s Minister of Labour, Gender and Social Action, Ivete Alane, said economic empowerment must extend beyond access to finance to include skills, employment, social protection and participation in decision-making.

“Africa’s prosperity cannot be built while women remain on the margins of the economy. The Africa we want must also be built with women: with their leadership, their talent, and their economic power,” Alane said.

She said Mozambique had placed women’s economic empowerment at the centre of its development agenda and efforts to eradicate poverty.

The dialogue is also intended to advance the AU’s Women and Youth Financial and Economic Inclusion initiative, known as WYFEI 2030. The programme seeks to mobilise governments, financial institutions and international partners to increase investment and reform discriminatory policies that restrict women’s economic participation.

The AU has said the meeting aims to move from identifying barriers towards implementing practical measures. Its stated priorities include developing country-level acceleration strategies, establishing partnerships and financing models for women entrepreneurs, and strengthening agreement on removing structural obstacles to women’s economic agency.

Digital transformation and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) are also part of the agenda, with the aim of widening access to markets and creating opportunities for women-led businesses to participate in regional trade.

The dialogue is expected to produce an outcome statement containing policy recommendations and commitments for submission to AU policy organs. The US$100 billion figure is a target for economic opportunities by 2030, rather than a statement that the funding has already been secured or distributed.

The meeting continues until Wednesday, with ministers, financial institutions and development partners expected to discuss ways to translate continental commitments on gender equality into practical economic opportunities for women and young people.