Moza Banco and EIB unlock €10 million in new credit line for women

It was at the Moza Banco headquarters in Maputo that another important chapter for female entrepreneurship in Mozambique was written. During the meeting "Challenges and Solutions for Women Entrepreneurs," Moza Banco and the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced the launch of a €10 million financing line with a transformative condition: 40% of that amount will be exclusively allocated to companies owned or led by women.

But the initiative doesn't stop there. In addition to credit, the program includes a robust technical assistance component, funded by the European Union and the EIB, which will empower beneficiaries through training, financial literacy, sector-specific workshops, and strategic support in preparing for financing – a true bridge between access to resources and business sustainability.

The event brought together businesswomen, associations, institutional partners, and representatives from GOPA AFC in a panel discussion moderated by Maria Chissano, Women Champion of Moza Banco. Also participating were economist and entrepreneur Tânia Tomé, a businesswoman who is a client of the bank, and representatives from financing entities, who not only mapped the main obstacles to accessing credit – from guarantee requirements to banking history – but also detailed the practical conditions for accessing the new line of credit.

Furthermore, this operation is part of the Technical Assistance Program to Support the Financial Inclusion of Women Entrepreneurs, which will be implemented between 2025 and 2027, within the framework of the ACP Trust Fund. In other words, this is not a one-off support measure, but rather a medium-term commitment to women's financial autonomy.

During the session, the figure of the Women Champion of Moza Banco was also publicly presented, who will have the mission of promoting and monitoring, throughout the national network, financial inclusion actions aimed at women. A clear commitment to the transversality of the impact.

Moza Banco's Retail Director, Sheila Ronda, was emphatic in stating that "access to financing is a matter of design, not merit." She explained: "In Mozambique, there are solid companies, led by women, that don't grow simply because the financing instruments weren't designed for them. By reserving 40% of this line of credit, we are not doing them a favor: we are correcting an inefficiency in the economy itself. And we are committed to being accountable for the results."

This new line aligns with the Moza Women project, launched in 2024, which has already been adding financial and non-financial solutions to strengthen the role of women in the economy. It also complements the financial inclusion initiatives that the bank has been developing with SMEs.

With this launch, Moza Banco not only reinforces its position as a financial partner for women entrepreneurs – but also clearly assumes the mission of transforming financial inclusion into concrete, measurable, and accessible tools throughout the country. And that, indeed, is a change with a face, a name, and a future.