Harnessing the diaspora for women’s empowerment in Africa amid climate challenges

ON THE occasion of International Women’s Day 2026 — “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls” — rethinking women’s empowerment in Africa.

March 8, 2026, reminds us of a stark reality: Women’s rights remain empty words without concrete tools to turn them into genuine autonomy and lasting resilience. In Africa, this urgency is intensified by relentless climate crises.

Since late 2025, La Niña-related floods have devastated Southern Africa: More than 1.3 million people were affected in Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Eswatini. More than 200 lives lost, agricultural lands submerged, infrastructure swept away, and surges in cholera and malaria.

Women and girls bear the harshest burden: Increased domestic workloads — water, food, caregiving — lost harvests, worsening food insecurity, and heightened risks of violence during displacement. Alarming projections indicate that by 2050, up to 105 million additional women in sub-Saharan Africa could fall into food insecurity due to climate change.

Inaction is no longer sustainable.

In response, it is urgent to deploy endogenous African financial mechanisms that unleash the entrepreneurial potential of rural and urban women. These women are not merely victims —they are the primary architects of local solutions.

Let us draw inspiration from the success of Afreximbank’s Creative Africa Nexus (Canex) program. Launched modestly, Canex has rapidly scaled its commitments: The dedicated fund for creative industries has reached $1 billion (notably through the Africa Film Fund announced in 2025), with ambitions for further rapid expansion into non-traditional sectors. It finances infrastructure, training, intellectual property monetisation, and patient capital.

Apply the same model to women entrepreneurs: Envision a Resilient Women’s Entrepreneurship Fund (RWE Fund / FEFR), built and managed by Afreximbank (or in strong partnership), dedicated exclusively to projects led by women confronting climate and social crises.

This fund would draw directly from traditional West African tontines — solidarity systems where women contribute regularly, and in turn, one receives the full amount to invest. A modernised, institutional version could include:

• Digitalisation: A secure fintech platform (inspired by MaTontine or Saving for Change) for mobile contributions, full transparency, and traceability.
• Scale and leverage: Afreximbank provides initial capital, guarantees, and access to broader financing (concessional debt, blended finance).
• Climate resilience focus: Priority given to green projects (climate-smart agriculture, local food processing, community solar boreholes, mobile climate insurance, micro-enterprises tolerant to floods/droughts).
• Integrated capacity building: Training in management, digital skills, marketing, and mentorship from experienced women entrepreneurs — as Canex does for creatives.

This model transforms community solidarity into a scalable tool: One woman receives the “tontine” to invest in a resilient project; repayment (with moderate interest) feeds the cycle for others; Afreximbank secures and amplifies it through its expertise in trade finance and inclusion.

The African diaspora — rich in skills and savings (remittances about $100 billion annually to sub-Saharan Africa) — can play a strategic supporting role without being the centrepiece:

• Co-investment through matching funds.
• Digital mentorship by diaspora professionals.- Specific diaspora bonds for the fund, combining moderate returns with measurable social impact.
• To prevent misuse and maximise impact, integrate the following safeguards from the outset:
• Land rights security for women (partnerships with local and customary authorities).
• Effective representation of women in management committees (water, land, community infrastructure).

• Community mediation mechanisms and training to ensure beneficiaries retain real control over funds.
• Incentives for projects that reduce domestic burdens (childcare, shared household tasks).

Post-G20 discussions, SDG reviews, and pre-COP preparations emphasise gender-sensitive adaptation financing. The African Union (AU), governments, and partners must support these initiatives through tax incentives, matching funds, and rigorous monitoring.

On this Women’s Day, let us call for the launch of a FEFR pilot in 2027, in partnership with existing tontine networks. Build African funds, by and for African women, with strategic diaspora support, that turn vulnerability into economic strength.

Women do not ask for charity — they ask for tools and an enabling environment to build a resilient and inclusive Africa. With a “Canex for Women”, we can make it happen.

* Ambassador Abdou Samb is a Senegalese engineer, mathematician, European Commission expert on digital transformation and honorary Ambassador of the Panafrican Parliament for diaspora affairs. He is also the President of A2S International and the Abdou Samb Foundation.

** The views expressed here do not reflect those of the Sunday Independent, IOL, or Independent Media.

Get the real story on the go: Follow the Sunday Independent on WhatsApp.