Singer Angelique Kidjo secures $251m funding for female entrepreneurs in Africa

Benin music diva, Angelique Kidjo has succeeded in securing the princely sum of $251 million for budding female entrepreneurs in the continent of Africa.

Kidjo pulled the feat at the ongoing G7 Summit taking place in the French resort in Biarritz, where she convinced leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the UK to part with the sum.

According to her, the funding is about helping women into business and then helping them grow their businesses.

Speaking in her capacity as the ambassador of the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa, an agency of the African Development Bank, Kidjo said the priority is for small-scale entrepreneurs in Africa to get access to the funds.

READ ALSO: Fatoyinbo you know & 4 other ‘Men of God’ who ‘rocked’ s3x scandals in the church

She said; “My primary focus is women in the rural areas, the women of the market and the women who are not easy to reach out to… Women of the markets don’t trust banks because they are not welcome in any banks.”

According to a report by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2016/17 Women’s Report, Africa has the highest percentage of female entrepreneurs in the world, meaning one in four women start or manage their own business at a point in time.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now