I&P Acceleration WE4A (Women Entrepreneurship for Africa) is an acceleration programme led by Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P), designed to finance and support small and medium-sized enterprises that are owned or co-owned and managed by women. The programme specifically targets women-led businesses operating in green and transition sectors, offering financial and technical support to enhance resilience, sustainability, and long-term growth.
The initiative is part of the broader pan-African programme Investing in Young Businesses in Africa – Women Entrepreneurship for Africa (IYBA WE4A), co-financed by the European Union, the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), and the German Development Cooperation through GIZ. Through this partnership, the programme promotes inclusive economic development while supporting women entrepreneurs in emerging green industries.
Key programme information includes:
The programme aims to increase women’s participation in climate-resilient entrepreneurship and to strengthen the operational capacity of early-stage businesses across multiple African markets.
In Cameroon, Senegal, Togo, and Uganda, small businesses represent a significant share of the local economy, yet many face a funding gap estimated at more than €15 billion. The majority operate informally and are constrained by:
Women entrepreneurs face additional barriers, including:
Despite their strong involvement in entrepreneurship, women receive less than 10 percent of commercial loans and an even smaller share of equity investment.
Challenges are amplified for green and innovative businesses, which require targeted support due to their essential contributions to climate adaptation, sustainable job creation, and green economic transformation.
The programme is structured around three core components that address systemic barriers preventing women-led businesses from scaling:
This track focuses on helping early-stage women-led enterprises strengthen their foundations. It offers:
This component aims to facilitate first-time access to credit by providing:
The combination of debt support and capacity-building allows entrepreneurs to build credit history while growing their businesses.
This track provides flexible financing to support business expansion, including:
The programme is implemented by a consortium of impact-driven organisations within the I&P ecosystem:
In Uganda, the pilot guaranteed loan scheme is delivered through:
This multi-country approach ensures that local expertise and market understanding guide programme delivery.
The IYBA WE4A initiative is a partnership between:
It is implemented by GIZ through the “Promotion of Women’s Employment for Green Transformation in Africa” (WE4D) programme and forms part of the Team Europe Initiative “Investing in Young Businesses in Africa.”
The programme is managed by a team across the I&P network, including:
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