Launch Press Release
Financing Business Growth, published by African Development Bank’s AFAWA and Lionesses of Africa, features strategies and insights from 25 African women business leaders - including entrepreneurs supported by AFAWA
Abidjan, 20 July 2026 - The African Development Bank Group's Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) and social impact innovation company, Lionesses of Africa, unveiled a new digital playbook titled Financing Business Growth. The digital publication showcases how women entrepreneurs across Africa are securing capital, scaling businesses, creating jobs and contributing to economic growth.
The new publication features 25 African women entrepreneurs including several directly supported through AFAWA from 17 countries. They have built successful, growing enterprises in agribusiness, fashion, finance, green energy, healthcare, technology, manufacturing, retail, security, and water management.
Financing Business Growth features the experiences of African women entrepreneurs as they navigate the realities of financing business growth. Through interviews and case studies, the publication highlights the strategies they have used to secure capital and expand their businesses. It offers practical lessons on building investor confidence, strengthening operations, and scaling sustainable enterprises.
The playbook serves as a practical resource for women entrepreneurs, financial institutions, policymakers, and business support organisations. It provides actionable guidance grounded in lived experience, supporting entrepreneurs to understand what investors and lenders look for and to position their businesses for growth.
The resulting resource demonstrates how greater financial access transforms women-led businesses across Africa. By documenting successful financing journeys, the playbook highlights the role of targeted financial support, strong business fundamentals and supportive ecosystems to unlock growth.
Melanie Hawken, founder of Lionesses of Africa, said: "The Financing Business Growth playbook is founded on a simple belief: some of the most valuable lessons a woman entrepreneur can learn come from another woman who has successfully navigated the journey before her. Drawing on firsthand experience of overcoming challenges and securing funding, this playbook offers practical guidance to help more women entrepreneurs unlock the capital they need to grow and succeed."
AFAWA financed the playbook's development in partnership with Lionesses of Africa. The publication supports the African Development Bank Group's Four Cardinal Points vision by sharing practical lessons that enable women entrepreneurs access finance, grow stronger businesses, create jobs, and drive more inclusive economic growth. It also promotes entrepreneurship and private-sector development as pathways to unlock Africa's demographic potential.
“Financing Business Growth embodies the African Development Bank Group's vision for Africa's future. At AFAWA, we know that when women entrepreneurs gain access to finance, they do far more than grow businesses - they create jobs, strengthen communities and drive economic transformation. This playbook highlights what is possible when women entrepreneurs could thrive and provides practical guidance to support more founders follow that path,” said AFAWA Coordinator Melissa Basque-Roux.
This publication expands research on Africa's gender financing gap, by amplifying the real-world financing realities of women entrepreneurs across diverse sectors.
Lionesses of Africa connects more than 1.8 million women entrepreneurs across 54 African nations as well as the Diaspora in Europe and North America. Digital platforms, business resources, research and entrepreneur support initiatives, are transforming Africa’s female entrepreneurs. The organisation partnered with AFAWA to ensure that the playbook reflects the realities facing African women entrepreneurs.
AFAWA is a pan-African initiative that works to reduce the $42 billion financing gap facing women entrepreneurs in Africa. Through financing, technical assistance and policy engagement, AFAWA supports financial institutions while cultivating a more enabling environment for Africa’s women in business.
Download or explore the Financing Business Growth digital playbook by clicking here: https://online.fliphtml5.com/lionessesofafrica/ovfn/.
Media contacts
For African Development Bank:
Alphonso Van Marsh, Chief Digital Content and Events Officer, email: media@afdb.org
For Lionesses of Africa:
Melanie Hawken, Founder and CEO, email: admin@lionessesofafrica.com