Rwanda Champions Inclusive Growth at 2025 Financial Alliance for Women Annual Summit
Kigali, Rwanda Leaders, innovators, and changemakers from around the world have gathered in Kigali for the 2025 Annual Summit of the Financial Alliance for Women. Held at the iconic Kigali Convention Centre, the event organized in partnership with the National Bank of Rwanda and Access to Finance Rwanda (AFR) spotlights bold ideas and collaborative solutions to build a more inclusive and resilient financial ecosystem, particularly for women-led micro, small, and medium enterprises (WMSMEs).
On Wednesday, Rwanda’s First Lady, Jeannette Kagame, delivered a powerful keynote address, reaffirming the country’s steadfast commitment to women’s economic empowerment. Her remarks followed Rwanda’s landmark adoption of the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Code, commonly known as the We Finance Code a transformative initiative aimed at reshaping how financial institutions serve women entrepreneurs.
“I do not see this Code as just a policy,” said First Lady Jeannette Kagame. “I see this Code as proof in action that the conversation around women’s economic power is no longer a peripheral one.For us in Rwanda, investing in entrepreneurs especially women entrepreneurs is the logical choice. “She added
The We Finance Code was officially launched by Soraya Hakuziyaremye, Governor of the National Bank of Rwanda, who described it as a "blueprint for systemic reform."
“Today, we mark a new chapter with the launch of the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Code Rwanda,” said Governor Hakuziyaremye.
“This Code is more than a symbolic gesture. It is a framework that integrates leadership, data, and action.”
“We are proud to join 28 countries and nine global partners in this initiative. But what makes Rwanda’s approach distinctive is the breadth and depth of collaboration behind it.”
Inez Murray, CEO of the Financial Alliance for Women, presented compelling data demonstrating the business and societal value of investing in women-led enterprises.
“We’ve seen that within two years of implementing a deliberate and holistic strategy to support women, product usage between male and female clients reaches parity,” Murray noted.
“Between 2020 and 2023, business lending to women grew at a 12% compound annual growth rate three times higher than growth in consumer lending. And when you bank a woman entrepreneur, you’re also investing in her children’s education, her family’s health, and her community’s well-being. “She observed.
As the summit continues, Rwanda is increasingly recognized as a global model for inclusive finance, demonstrating how empowering women entrepreneurs can drive sustainable development and long-term economic resilience.
