Arab Women's Enterprise Fund.

Descriptions

DFID will invest in a new market development programme to empower poor women economically by addressing barriers to women's economic inclusion in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA). There are very large gender gaps in employment in the region. Female labour force participation in MENA at 25,2 % is among the lowest in the world, below global averages and even less than the average for low-income countries (65 %). There are similar trends in women's entrepreneurship. Even when women are employed or self-employed they can still be vulnerable (i.e. less likely to have formal work arrangements and therefore lack decent working conditions and adequate social security). AWEF is a 10 000 000 GBP market development programme, working in partnership with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) who will contribute an additional 10 000 000 GBP in sharia-compliant concessionary finance through financial intermediaries. Three countries will be selected out of Egypt, Jordan, the Overseas Palestinian Territories (OPTs) or Yemen based on greatest need, with due consideration to operational conditions. AWEF will address constraints for poor women in markets systems by working with market actors to encourage the adoption of new practices, such as business models, products and services that create opportunities for women in supply chains, and also by addressing system-wide constraints e.g. in the enabling environment AWEF will facilitate change through provision of a flexible package of technical assistance, market facilitation, capacity building and access to finance (sharia-compliant finance through the IDB and possible grant finance through DFID funds).