Contract signed between the ADB and BCI Mauritania to promote women's entrepreneurship.

In Nouakchott, the African Development Bank and the Bank for Trade and Industry (BCI) of Mauritania signed a US$485,000 technical assistance agreement for the AFAWA (Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa) program, which aims to promote women's access to finance in Africa.

The agreement was signed by Mohamed El Azizi, Managing Director of the African Development Bank for North Africa, and Isselmou Tajidine, Managing Director of the Bank's Trade and Industry Group, on the sidelines of the Mauritania Investment Forum, "Invest Days-Nouakchott", organized by the Mauritania Investment Promotion Agency (APIM).

Financed by the African Development Bank through funds from the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi), the project entitled "AFAWA: promoting access to financial and technical support services for women-led businesses in the West Sahel region", aims to strengthen the Bank's trade and industry financing capacities in favor of women-led small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Mauritania, Mali, Senegal and Guinea.

"The signing of this technical assistance agreement with the BCI Group is an important step in supporting the financial inclusion and growth of women-led SMEs, which play a crucial role in Mauritania's economic development," said Mohamed El Azizi.

The agreement consolidates a 10 million euro line of credit granted by the African Development Bank in 2021 to the Bank for Trade and Industry to support the growth and trade of SMEs in strategic sectors, particularly in favor of women entrepreneurs.