Mozambique awarded for progress in financing women entrepreneurs

Mozambique won the international High-Impact Policy Action Award - Outstanding Achievement in WE Finance Code Implementation, awarded as part of the WE Finance Code Global Forum Awards, in recognition of its progress in implementing public policies aimed at promoting the financial inclusion of women entrepreneurs and improving access to finance.

The award highlights the progress made by the country in implementing the WE Finance Code, a global initiative that mobilizes public and private institutions to promote access to finance for women-led micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) through the adoption of institutional commitments, the use of data and the implementation of concrete actions.

Among the main advances that contributed to this recognition is the adoption of Notice No. 7/GBM/2025 from the Bank of Mozambique, which establishes guidelines for equitable access to and use of financial products and services. The regulation requires financial institutions to adopt gender-sensitive policies, collect and report data disaggregated by sex, establish targets for the inclusion of women, and develop financial products, including credit solutions, tailored to their needs.

This measure represents an important step towards reducing the barriers that women entrepreneurs face in accessing financial services, while also strengthening the monitoring and accountability of financial institutions to the Bank of Mozambique.

For the Bank of Mozambique, international recognition represents an incentive to continue transforming advances in financial inclusion policies into concrete results for women entrepreneurs.

“This international recognition demonstrates that the commitment of the WE Finance Code signatories and national partners is producing results. The challenge now is to convert the progress achieved in policy and data collection into concrete changes in people's lives, expanding women's access to responsible finance, strengthening their participation in economic activity, and contributing to the financial health and resilience of families, particularly in rural communities,” said Turay Melo, Assistant Director of the Economic, Monetary and Financial Statistics Division of the Bank of Mozambique.

International recognition is also linked to the implementation of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy (ENIF) 2025–2031, which prioritizes expanding access to and use of affordable, secure, and quality financial services, with special attention to vulnerable groups, including women and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.

The strategy also promotes financial education, consumer protection, and the development of innovative financial services, contributing to the creation of a more favorable environment for financial inclusion and the development of economic activities led by women.

In parallel, a review of the regulations on financial data reporting is underway, which includes the addition of specific information on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. This process should contribute to improving data availability and support the definition of financial policies and solutions better suited to the needs of this segment.

The award is based on the progress demonstrated by implementing countries through reports documenting the activities carried out under the WE Finance Code, with the initiative's global secretariat responsible for evaluating the results and awarding the respective recognitions.

“This award reflects the commitment of all those in Mozambique who have decided to place data at the heart of women's financial inclusion. The challenge now is to maintain the momentum: transforming policies and data into concrete actions that reach women entrepreneurs and their businesses,” highlighted Rúben Barreto, Senior Financial Sector Specialist at the World Bank.

This is the first edition of the awards granted under the project initiated in 2024, representing an important milestone for Mozambique and for the national partners involved in the implementation of the Code.

The recognition was awarded during the WE Finance Code Global Forum, held in Paris, France, where Mozambique was represented by FSDMoç, the Bank of Mozambique, and the Mozambican Association of Mobile Financial Service Providers (ASPFM), with the award being received by the Bank of Mozambique.

“This distinction reinforces Mozambique's international visibility and highlights the importance of collaboration between different stakeholders in the financial sector in promoting the inclusion of women entrepreneurs,” emphasized Esselina Macome, Executive Director of Financial Sector Deepening Mozambique (FSDMoç).

This distinction reflects the commitment and collaboration of the signatories and national partners in building a more inclusive financial ecosystem, based on data, evidence, and concrete measures. The recognition reinforces the commitment to continue promoting conditions that allow more women entrepreneurs to access financial services and develop their businesses