UfM Webinar on Driving Gender-Lens Investment for Women-Led Social Enterprises in the MENA Region
19 December 2024, Online – The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), co-organized with the German Cooperation Agency (GIZ), successfully held a webinar titled Driving Gender-Lens Investment: Unlocking the Potential of Women-Led Social Enterprises in the MENA Region, on 19 December 2024.
The Webinar, which had registered 60 participants, was structured into two main segments: the Presentation of Key Findings from an ongoing study on gender-lens investment, and a Panel Discussion featuring a diverse range of stakeholders. The session was designed to offer both insights and actionable recommendations aimed at fostering the growth of women-led enterprises in the region, while also facilitating greater access to investment and capacity-building opportunities.
Presentation of Key Findings
The first part of the session was dedicated to presenting the findings of the ongoing study on gender-lens investment in the MENA region. The presentation shed light on the systemic barriers faced by women entrepreneurs, particularly in relation to access to finance. Some of the mentioned key challenges included complex loan application processes, over-reliance on informal funding sources, and insufficient multi-year funding options. Moreover, it was noted that many financial programs don’t specifically cater to women-led enterprises, which leaves them at a disadvantage. The presentation also discussed the fragmented ecosystem there is for social enterprises in the MENA region, highlighting the lack of formal recognition and the limitation of networking opportunities. In addition, the presenters underscored the social and cultural barriers that women face, particularly in rural areas, such as biases and lack of support during professional exchanges.
The presentation also highlighted several innovative initiatives, as well as success stories. Organizations like ChangeLabs or Happy Smala are facilitating matchmaking between women entrepreneurs and investors. Hivos is combinging technical support with tailored financial tools, including pitch training and blended finance. In addition, Up-Fuse, as explained by its co-founder Yara Yassin, combines recycling with community development,
Panel Discussion
Following the presentation, a dynamic panel discussion brought together various experiences and perspectives from key stakeholders from the field. The panelists included:
Majd Khalifa, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Flow Accelerator – Palestine
Noor Althafeer, Social Investment Manager, Alfanar Venture Philanthropy – Jordan
Yara Yassin, Co-Founder, Up-Fuse – Egypt
Mariam AbdelKarim, Business Development Manager, Hivos – MENA
The discussion focused on the major barriers to gender-lens investment, as well as innovative approaches they have implemented to building collaborative ecosystems that support women-led enterprises.
The main takeaways from the webinar, included the critical role of women-led enterprises in driving inclusive growth in the MENA region. In addition, the importance of innovative financial instruments was stressed, bringing up examples such as blended finance and zero-interest loans, as well as capacity building initiatives that empower women social entrepreneurs.
The webinar concluded with a call to action for all stakeholders to collaborate more effectively, commit to developing tailored funding mechanisms, and build stronger partnerships to unlock the full potential of women-led social enterprises in the MENA region.
