Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) headquarters in Lomé, Togo, hosted the launch of the “Women and Finance” (WAF) program on May 23, 2025, marking the program’s expansion to its third West African country after Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal. The program aims to recruit an initial cohort of 25 women entrepreneurs out of a total of 125.
Led by the SEPHIS Foundation, the Women and Finance program partners with Ecobank as its financial arm and the African Guarantee Fund (AGF) to accelerate women’s financial inclusion and empowerment.
Kodjo Sephora, Chair of the Board of Directors of the SEPHIS Foundation, highlighted the program’s success in Senegal and Ivory Coast, where it has disbursed 1.3 billion FCFA in credit with a 100% repayment rate in just three years. The credits range from 20 to 40 million FCFA, with some reaching up to 120 million FCFA.
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The program emphasizes capacity building for women entrepreneurs through preparation of coherent business plans and calibration of financial needs.
The 125 selected beneficiaries will receive free training in management, finance, and strategic leadership, as well as tailored technical assistance to structure their businesses. They will also gain access to a network of partner financial institutions, including Ecobank, and a community of over 1,800 African women entrepreneurs through the SEPHIS network.
Estelle Fafa Akue Komlan, Ecobank Togo’s top manager, emphasized the bank’s commitment to Togo’s economic development and its support for women, who represent 51% of the population and over 80% of economic activity in both the formal and informal sectors. She cited the launch of Ecobank’s “Ellever” program and the partnership with the SEPHIS Foundation as evidence of this commitment.
Christelle Ayawabavi Atikpe, Senior Business Manager at AGF, highlighted the fund’s role in providing guarantees to Ecobank to facilitate lending to women-led SMEs.
Togo will also host the International Women’s Leadership Forum on October 20th, further promoting women’s financial empowerment.
