Africa has a gender-inclusion gap of 12% as compared to the global average of 4%, according to the 2017 Global Findex Report. This gender gap is wider in West Africa, with a Gender Disparity Index of 0.825 compared to the African average of 0.871. Gender inequality in West Africa is driven by a combination of factors such as unequal opportunities in education and economic development. Women form the bulk of the informal trade sector and it is estimated that 70% of the female population is in vulnerable employment with limited or no access to digital financial services.

The African Development Bank, via the Africa Digital Financial Inclusion Facility (ADFI) is supporting the West African Monetary Agency (WAMA) to develop a harmonised gender-centric digital financial inclusion framework for use by the digital financial inclusion stakeholders across the ECOWAS countries. Gender Champions have been identified within Central Banks across ECOWAS to support advocacy and capacity building across the region to further gender inclusion in access and use of digital financial services. In March 2023, the Gender Champions convened in Abuja, Nigeria for the first face-to-face workshop to progress the design of the framework. Here their insights on the importance of gender responsive digital financial inclusion.

For more information on the initiative, see here.