Ecobank Foundation and UN Women partner to advance women’s empowerment in Africa

The Ecobank Foundation and UN Women’s Regional Office for West and Central Africa signed a partnership agreement to strengthen their respective agendas for promoting women’s empowerment in Africa. For the first time, these two key actors in the development of the continent have established a framework for cooperation to achieve their common goals and accelerate the empowerment of women in Africa.

“Women have always had a central role in the foundation’s activities and initiatives. Through our partnerships, we have been able to promote, among other things, women’s leadership and girls’ education. With UN Women, we want to go further. We are thrilled to have such a partner, which expertise and experience will help us ensure that a gender equality lens is applied in all our actions,” explains Elisa Desbordes-Cissé, COO of the Ecobank Foundation.

For the past nine years, the Ecobank Foundation has been organizing “Ecobank Day”, a unique opportunity for Ecobank Group employees each year to serve the well-being of their communities. In 2022 the day focused on financial literacy and inclusion as a key factor in reducing poverty and promoting shared prosperity for women and youth, mostly in marginalized communities, with the theme “Leave no one behind: Financial Inclusion for all!”. Through this partnership with UN Women, particular attention will be paid to the specific needs and challenges faced by women and women entrepreneurs in both rural and urban areas.

Regional Director a.i., Deputy Regional Director, UN Women West and Central Africa Regional Office, Florence Raes, said, “We are excited about this partnership with Ecobank in many ways. Through this collaboration, we will be able to work together to promote gender equality in Africa and empower many more women by increasing their levels of financial literacy and inclusion. And given our shared interest in sports, we will together more effectively combat gender stereotypes by promoting more equal participation of women and girls in the sports industry in Africa.”

For more information on Ecobank visit www.ecobank.com