Audio By Carbonatix
Benin diva Angélique Kidjo has managed to secure hundreds of millions of dollars funding from the G7 world leaders for female entrepreneurs in Africa.
She was at the summit in the French resort in Biarritz along with the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK when she secured $251m (£226m).
To put that into perspective, the leaders agreed to spend $22m on fighting the fires in the Amazon - something that French President Emmanuel Macron made a priority of the summit.
She spoke at the summit in her capacity as the ambassador for a women’s finance project at the African Development Bank, called Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa.
This fund is all about helping women into business and then helping them grow their businesses.
Africa has the highest percentage of female entrepreneurs in the world, meaning one in four women start or manage their own business, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2016/17 Women’s Report.
Kidjo said the priority is for small-scale entrepreneurs to get access to credit: “My primary focus is women in the rural areas, the women of the market and the women who are not easy to reach out to... Women of the markets don’t trust banks because they are not welcome in any banks."
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
GOLDBOD CEO explains ‘Clear Typo’ in Foreign Reserves claim
14 minutes -
Trump says US military struck ISIS terrorists in Nigeria
41 minutes -
Civil society group calls on the Bank of Ghana to suspend planned normalisation of non-interest banking
3 hours -
Jingle bills: Arkansas Powerball player strikes $1.8bn jackpot on Christmas Eve
3 hours -
Brazil ex-President Jair Bolsonaro’s surgery for hernia ‘successful’
3 hours -
Ghana and Afreximbank announce successful resolution of $750 million facility
6 hours -
IGP inaugurates Ghana Police Music Academy
6 hours -
Proposed 5-year presidential term will be difficult for underperforming presidents to seek more – Prof Prempeh
6 hours -
Constitution review was inclusive, structured and effective – Prof Prempeh
7 hours -
Public urged to remain vigilant to ensure fire incident-free Christmas
7 hours -
Why the fight against neglected tropical diseases is far from over
7 hours -
Reported losses from gold operations in 2025 remain speculative – BoG
7 hours -
Fighting AIDS and STIs in Africa: UNFPA equips youth to turn data into action
7 hours -
Amaarae returns to Accra for homecoming concert
7 hours -
5-year term will be harsher on presidents, not kinder, says Constitution Review Chair
8 hours
