Female entrepreneurs and women led and owned small and medium enterprises (WSMEs) are crucial contributors to developing countries’ economies, and failing to close economic gender gaps in the Middle East, Central Asia, Türkiye, Afghanistan, and Pakistan (MCT) negatively impacts annual GDP in the region. In 2021, only 18 percent of women in the Middle East worked outside the home, in stark contrast to the 70 percent of men. 

Female entrepreneurs and WSMEs remain crucial contributors to these economies. They fuel innovation, generate employment opportunities, help diminish gender disparity and promote economic growth. However in the region during 2019, very few formal enterprises were majority owned by women with figures at 26.9 percent in Kyrgyz Republic, 23.8 percent in Kazakhstan, 4.7 percent in Lebanon and 8.1 percent in Jordan. As well as this, sectors which have the highest female engagement such as agriculture and agro processing, farming and creative industries also suffer from a gender credit gap. To address the lack of funding available, adopting a gender-lens investing approach is an imperative. This fosters inclusivity by training finance and funding professionals to consider gender barriers, when funding WSMEs. Collaboration and partnerships between microfinance institutions, private companies and banks could also help in addressing the credit gap. Ensuring capital is earmarked for female owned and led business will promote inclusive economic growth and eventually help bridge the gap between women and the formal economy. 

This webinar discussion, hosted by the Financial Times and IFC, will explore the role that investors must play in increasing investment in female-founded WSMEs and bridging the gender finance gap for female-founded WSMEs in MCT.

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