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The African Union Commission, in collaboration with development partners and private sector actors, is spearheading an audacious $100 billion investment drive aimed at transforming the economic futures of millions of African women and youth by 2030.
At a recent high-level convening hosted in Lagos ahead of the Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS 2025), the African Union Commission’s Women, Gender and Youth Directorate brought together public and private sector leaders to confront one of the continent’s most pressing challenges: closing the persistent financing gaps that hinder women and young people from unlocking their full economic potential.
The event, organised in partnership with the Sterling One Foundation and supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the GIZ African Union Portfolio, forms part of the broader Women and Youth Financial and Economic Inclusion (WYFEI 2030) Initiative. Since its inception in 2022, WYFEI 2030 has been working to build multi-stakeholder platforms to drive targeted financial inclusion strategies across Africa.
Ms. Prudence Nonkululeko Ngwenya, Director of the Women, Gender and Youth Directorate at the African Union Commission, set the tone for the convening by calling for nothing short of a paradigm shift. “A fundamental shift is needed to place women and youth at the center of resource allocation, policy-making, and accountability,” she declared. “The private sector is not a guest at this table, but a co-owner of the agenda.
WYFEI 2030 is designed for co-investment, innovation, and scale—to move from isolated impact to ecosystem change.”
Her call to action was echoed by Ms. Olapeju Ibekwe, Chief Executive Officer of the Sterling One Foundation, who underscored the urgency of translating inclusive rhetoric into real economic opportunity. “Inclusion cannot be rhetoric. Women and youth are not peripheral to Africa’s economy. Any agenda that sidelines them is simply incomplete,” Ibekwe said. “Every day capital doesn’t reach them, opportunity is withheld from the continent.”
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She added that partnerships must evolve beyond alignment into shared execution that reflects the practical realities of Africa’s investment landscape.
Dr. Tobias Thiel, Director of GIZ African Union, reinforced the message by highlighting the structural barriers that continue to limit access to financial services and capital for women and youth. “Addressing these challenges is both a moral and economic imperative,” he noted. “We must move forward together, with boldness and resolve, to create an Africa where opportunity is truly equal and potential is limitless.”
In addition to calls for systemic reform, the convening also spotlighted new initiatives designed to scale impact. One of the key highlights was the introduction of EmpowerHer Africa, a transformative programme unveiled by Dr. Nadi Albino, Deputy Director of Partnerships at UNICEF. The initiative aims to create pathways for 50 million adolescent girls and young women to access financing, technology, and entrepreneurial resources—building the next generation of women leaders and innovators across the continent.
A dynamic panel discussion further explored ways to mobilise private capital to deliver inclusive outcomes. Participants examined the structural changes required to scale early-stage investments in underserved markets—from deal origination to data infrastructure—and how the private sector can create gender- and youth-responsive financial products.
This convening marks the start of a series of coordinated engagements led by the African Union Commission’s Women, Gender and Youth Directorate, with the Sterling One Foundation serving as a key private sector anchor across the continent. These efforts aim to unlock innovative financing, form strategic partnerships, and align private sector action with continental priorities to break down the systemic barriers holding back women and youth.
With a growing coalition of partners and a shared sense of urgency, the WYFEI 2030 initiative is poised to generate scalable solutions and measurable progress towards inclusive economic transformation in Africa.
