• Women represent nearly 50% of business owners in Benin, mainly in trade and crafts.
• The DRC selected 20,628 women in 2025 for a micro-entrepreneurship support program.
• Benin’s Microcredit Alafia program has supported over 650,000 people, 84% of them women.

In several Sahelian countries, the informal sector represents a large share of the economy and provides jobs for many women. These activities often generate limited profitability and face restricted access to financing. Governments and NGOs have launched training programs to strengthen women’s management skills.

According to a study by NGO Xolali in Benin, women represent almost 50% of business owners, mainly in trade and crafts. Most of these businesses operate in the informal sector and face challenges similar to those in other Sahelian nations.

In August 2025, the Democratic Republic of Congo announced that 20,628 women had been selected to benefit from a micro-entrepreneurship support program after completing training in personal initiative. The initiative illustrates a growing trend in Sub-Saharan Africa to invest in women’s economic empowerment through training.

Inspiring Models Across Africa

In Niger, the government, in partnership with international organizations, organized entrepreneurship and food-processing training sessions. The National Publishing and Press Office reported that in July 2025, 173 women and girls received participation certificates. The training covered business management, marketing, and financing access to strengthen their enterprises and ensure sustainability.

Since 2016, the National Forum for Women’s Empowerment (FONAF) has highlighted the role of women in economic development. At its latest edition in May 2025 in Maradi, the event addressed the importance of digitalization to improve the competitiveness of women-led micro-enterprises and facilitate their access to markets.

In Burkina Faso, the Association of Women in the Mining Sector (AFEMIB) organized entrepreneurship training in November 2020 for 35 women. Participants included 10 indigenous women and 25 internally displaced women working at the Bouda artisanal mining site. Organizers said the sessions aimed to build skills in financial management, marketing, and product development, while encouraging solidarity networks among participants.

Challenges and Perspectives for Women’s Economic Empowerment

Despite progress, several obstacles continue to limit women’s sustainable empowerment in Africa. Restricted financing access, prevailing social norms, and the low recognition of women’s labor hinder their participation in the formal economy and their entrepreneurial development.

Public and private initiatives seek to reduce these barriers. For example, Benin’s Microcredit Alafia program provides loans ranging from CFA30,000 ($54) to CFA100,000. It also promotes Mobile Money accounts and financial management training. Official data show that since its launch, the program has reached more than 650,000 people, of whom 84% are women.

These experiences demonstrate both the challenges and opportunities of women’s micro-entrepreneurship in Africa. They also reflect growing interest in training and support programs designed to strengthen women’s economic autonomy in both informal and formal sectors.

This article was initially published in French by Félicien Houindo Lokossou

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum