Economic Challenges in Developing Countries

Big News - Sharing A Personal Milestone Announcing The Publication of Our New White Paper "Ushering into the New Era of Financial Inclusion: Enabling Women and Women-Led Organisations." Collaborating with my co-authors, Ayush Tripathi and Soham Jagtap , from The Dialogue, on our shared goal and unwavering commitment to championing the financial empowerment of women has led to this latest research. This project means a lot to me, and I feel incredibly proud of what we've achieved. Together, we've delved deep into the challenges and opportunities that define the financial landscape for women in our country. Current State of Financial Inclusion for Women in India >In India, women make up only about 32.8% of the labour workforce, which is considerably lower than the global average of 47%. >Despite constituting nearly half of the population, women contribute significantly less to India’s GDP, accounting for just 17% compared to the global average of 37% > Only 10% of women in India are borrowers compared to 15% in men >  Women receive credit equal to just 27% of their deposits, whereas men receive 52%. > Despite 51% of women being aware of microcredit, only 11% have availed such loans. Here are three powerful insights from our research that we believe can spark real change: 1/ Harnessing Digital Financial Infrastructure: By leveraging platforms like UPI and the JAM Trinity, we can open up financial access for women, especially in rural areas. Tailoring these models to be more gender-inclusive is key to bridging the financial inclusion gap. 2/ Empowering Through Community: Strengthening Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and utilizing on-ground networks like Bank Sakhis can empower women at the grassroots level. These networks provide essential financial literacy and access to credit, making a tangible difference in their lives. 3/ Innovative Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs): Collaborations between the government and private sector can drive innovative financial solutions. From digital banking ecosystems to customized credit products, these partnerships can support and uplift women entrepreneurs. However, Our work is not done yet. Together, let's champion initiatives that empower women, break down barriers, and pave the way for a more equitable - There IS a business case for empowering women financially. Here are some key stats that highlight this immense potential- > Accelerating women's entrepreneurship in India could generate over 30 million women-owned enterprises, creating 150-170 million jobs. > Increased adoption of digital financial services could raise India’s GDP per capita by 3 to 4 percentage points. > Women-led startups deliver a 35% higher ROI compared to those led by men. This journey has been deeply personal. And, I am honored to have worked alongside Ayush and Soham, Thank you for the collaboration. I look forward to the positive impact our work will have on promoting financial empowerment for women.

In 2021, I became the first woman to head a unicorn in Israel, AKA Startup Nation. In many parts of the world, women are excluded from even the most basic financial services, so leading a fintech company is far from their reality. United Nations data estimates that 3.8 billion women live in the world, 50% of which are adults. According to the World Bank’s Global Findex Database, 1.4 billion of those 1.9 billion adult women, are unbanked. That’s 73.65%. Visit that statistic again. It represents a disturbing gender gap in financial access, with women being far less likely than men to have bank accounts or access formal financial services. This financial exclusion has personal impact. It diminishes women’s economic empowerment by restricting access to education and limiting their potential for personal growth and independence. It makes women more financially dependent, and therefore, more vulnerable. There's economic impact, too. Research by McKinsey highlights the economic loss due to financial exclusion of women, noting that closing the gender gap in labor force participation could add trillions to global GDP. Financial inclusion isn’t just a matter of equality – ensuring the same opportunities for all. It’s a matter of equity - ensuring women have the tools and access they need to fully participate in the global economy. That’s where technology enters the picture to level the field. The rise of mobile banking is a great example of innovation enhancing financial inclusion. According to a report by the International Finance Corporation, mobile money accounts are more popular among women in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, where access to traditional banking is limited. Various fintechs provide financial literacy resources, helping women understand financial products, budgeting, and saving strategies. Other solutions include AI-driven platforms that offer personalized recommendations and advice, empowering women to make informed financial decisions. Aside from personal apps and solutions, fintechs can facilitate community-based lending and saving initiatives, allowing women to support each other through group savings or microfinance schemes, fostering a sense of solidarity and shared purpose. This International Women’s Day’s theme is "accelerate action". In my mind, nothing accelerates action like innovation. As we mark International Women's Day, let’s advocate and innovate to enhance financial inclusion for women worldwide. #IWD2025 #financialInclusion Papaya Global

Sustainable agriculture: #Gender #responsive farm equipments. Growing up in an area where maize (corn) is grown on both large and small scale, tractors and other heavy farm equipments are used in the maize value chain. I've never seen a single woman driving a tractor cultivating land or any other farm work, because mostly these farm equipments are designed with a tall, heavy and strong male body in mind. Women already face many barriers in agriculture, access to and use of farm equipments and technology is on the top. Women play an important role in the sustenance of agricultural system and they have to be involved in the process of new technologies that are eco-sustenance. Designing farm equipments and other technologies that are gender responsive while considering the specific needs, preferences of women in the agricultural sector is paramount. This potato planting farm equipment👇 is quite gender responsive, it's ideal for small scale farmers especially women, easy to use, It's fast and can save on time and does not require a lot of energy to keep it running. What to be done: ✓Involve men and women in design process. ✓User centred design approach focusing on end user's needs and experiences. ✓Design products that can be easily adapted to different tasks and farm sizes. ✓Design affordable products that cater to the financial capacities for small scale farmers. ✓Prioritize safety features in product design considering the different physique of men and women. Follow Regina Wangare, let's keep practical sustainable programme/project initiatives conversations going. 💪❤️

The Taliban has banned Afghan women from studying midwifery and nursing, one of the last educational paths available to them. This decision is devastating on multiple levels. For many women, midwifery represented a rare opportunity to pursue education and employment after being excluded from secondary schools, universities, and most professions since 2021. It also deeply impacts Afghan women’s healthcare, as midwives have historically played a critical role in childbirth, especially in conservative societies where women often prefer or require female medical professionals during delivery. On top, childbirth often served as a moment for women to come together and support each other. The Taliban’s decision strips away not just education but also these moments of solidarity. This comes after recent restrictions that have forbidden women from speaking in public and with each other. This is another step in completely stripping Afghan women not only of their human rights and voices but also of their female power. This is not ok! #afganistan

I was shocked when I realized the greatest challenge to closing the economic gender gap in Africa. And I think it's important everyone learns about it as well. Here goes: The greatest challenge to closing the gender gap, and why it is estimated that it will take more than 150 years to close the gap in Africa, is the significant perception vs. reality gap. Let me explain: According to research by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) & United Nations Global Compact, who surveyed 4000 men and women across Africa, they found that more than 50% of men and women in Sub-Saharan Africa believe that there is gender parity and/or women are ahead in their country when it comes to various indicators, including equal pay for work of equal value. Ironically, about 40% of the same men and women surveyed believe that men are better leaders than women in analytical and technical skills as well as leadership abilities. In reality however, even though women in Sub-Saharan Africa have higher rates of participation (54%) in the economy than global averages, 90% of them work informally, predominantly in low-skilled jobs, given their historical gap in access to education. They hold only nearly a quarter of management positions, with only 16% of CEO/MD positions held by women. And though this rate has been growing over the past 20 years, with the current rate, it is estimated that it will take more than 150 years to close the gender gap on the continent. So, the question now is what needs to be done? We all need to play our part in addressing the barriers that hold women back: - Every business needs policies against discrimination and harassment. - Flexible options like remote work and flexible hours are essential for working parents and women. - Training staff on gender equality and offering skills training for women are smart investments. - Programs such as financial literacy and business mentorship are crucial for female entrepreneurs and the self-employed. - Providing better access to financial products is vital for entrepreneurs and should be prioritized by banks and other businesses. - Equal pay and benefits, along with better parental leave and caregiving support, are important goals. Women's participation in the economy greatly boosts a country's productivity and can significantly increase GDP—by up to 50% in Africa—thanks to the added workforce and the benefits of gender diversity. The study authored by Qahir Dhanani and team (Sanda Ojiambo, Tolulope Lewis Tamoka, Lina Al Qaddoumi, Zineb Sqalli, Natasha Lendich, Maxime Kpangbai) also revealed a fascinating trend: women-led startups deliver a whopping 10% higher ROI. And that's not all! It also suggested that income earned by women has a significantly greater impact on communities compared to income earned by men. These findings highlight the incredible potential of bridging the economic gender gap.

🤔 𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭? 🤔 👩💼 As women in entrepreneurship, we navigate a landscape filled with unique challenges: 🎭 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐞: The inner voice that whispers, "You're not good enough." 🗣 ⚖𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤-𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: The high-wire act of managing business and personal life. 🚫 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐲: The outdated yet persistent belief that business is a man's world. 💸 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥: The uphill battle to get the funding that breathes life into our ideas. 👩🏫 𝐋𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: The scarcity of role models who have walked in our shoes. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞: 🤝 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: Let's remind each other of our worth. Networking groups and workshops can turn whispers of doubt into roars of confidence. ⚖️  𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: Cultivate environments—both at home and work—where duties are distributed fairly, enabling a true balance. 🔄 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐨𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐬: By showcasing our successes, we break down patriarchal barriers, one achievement at a time. 💰 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬: Let's create platforms to connect women with investors who are committed to funding female-led ventures. 🙋♀️ 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬: Establishing mentorship channels ensures that experienced women can guide the next generation of leaders. Supporting women entrepreneurs isn't just about fairness; it's about enriching the business landscape with diverse perspectives and innovations. When women succeed, society prospers. 🤝 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘚𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘉𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘢𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭, 𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴. #WomenInLeadership #Entrepreneurship #OvercomingObstacles #BusinessGrowth #SupportWomen #Coachishleenkaur #Businesscoach LinkedIn News LinkedIn News India LinkedIn for Small Business 𝐕𝐂: Unknown Social Media

I'm happy to share the release of the #WiSER White Paper, "Igniting a Global Sustainable Economy," following the impactful discussions at the WiSER Annual Forum during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week - ADSW 2025. This report highlights the critical role of female entrepreneurs in driving climate solutions and provides actionable strategies to bridge gender gaps in finance, scalability, AI, mentorship, and accessibility—especially for women in the Global South. Why This Matters: Women-led ventures are key to unlocking innovation in sustainability, yet systemic barriers persist. This paper outlines 5 recommendations: 🔹 Increase Gender-Focused Investment : Boost funding, financial literacy, and microloans for female-led climate projects. 🔹 Scale Women-Led Ventures : Streamline policies and partnerships to accelerate growth. 🔹 Harness AI & Digital Tools: Bridge the AI literacy and access gap to empower business expansion. 🔹 Strengthen Mentorship and Networking: Build cross-sector collaborations to provide women with the resources to succeed. 🔹 Empower Women in the Global South : Address legal and financial barriers, invest in STEM education, and improve access to markets and resources. Dive into the full report below or on Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company)’s website for insights on turning these strategies into action: https://lnkd.in/dyAFPEP2 Thanks again to my fellow roundtable participants: Lawratou Bah, CFA, Mirella Amalia Vitale, Natasha Shenoy, Hajar Alketbi, Manal B., Mariam Alnaqbi, Shaima Al Mulla

As a part of an ongoing Project funded by Vinayaka Mission's Research Foundation - University, I am closely looking at the hardships faced by fishing communities in Chennai. The lives of fisherwomen in Chennai are deeply intertwined with the city's coastal ecosystem and the uncertainties of cyclones. These women play a crucial role in the fish selling community, often managing the finances and ensuring the smooth operation of their families' fishing businesses. Cyclones pose a significant threat to the livelihoods of these women and their families. The intense storms can destroy fishing gear, damage boats, and disrupt the entire fishing industry. However, the fisherwomen of Chennai have demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of these challenges. By empowering women to take charge of their financial security and providing them with the tools and resources they need to adapt to climate-related challenges, we can help build a more resilient and sustainable fishing industry. Summing up I found that some of the most pressing challenges faced by Fishing communities in Chennai - - Cyclone-related damage to fishing gear and boats - Disruption to fishing activities and income (displacement, climate change induced) - Limited access to financial resources and support - Vulnerability to climate-related stressors and uncertainties If you know of any best practice models in coastal regions of India, please feel free to share. Vinayaka Mission's Law School (VMLS)

Just having more women CEOs is not enough. If they don’t get access to opportunities and funding like their male counterparts. Studies show that men often start businesses with nearly double the capital of their female counterparts and only a fraction of small business loans go to women-led businesses. Challenges like societal expectations, limited access to financial services and restricted financial independence hold back many women from accessing what they need. This is what can be done to bridge this gap: —> Building financial confidence through workshops can help make independent financial decisions. Many loan programs for women come with support through mentorship, helping women not only secure funding but also succeed in their businesses. —> When household responsibilities are shared fairly, women have more flexibility to focus on their careers or businesses. This allows them to try adventures beyond societal expectations, ask for what they need and follow their dreams freely. —> Banks with streamlined processes, financial products and services can become helpful resources for women entrepreneurs. Microfinance and community development programs offer collateral-free loans, making it easier for women to access funding without additional assets. Every business needs capital to grow and nothing should stop women from accessing the funding they deserve. We need to build a space where financial literacy is given enough importance and women have access to funding and support systems to bridge the barriers and build what they want. In what other ways do you think we can support women entrepreneurs? #womenentrepreneurship #financialliteracy

Yesterday was International Day of Rural Women , a day that rarely trends, yet these women are the central actors of Africa’s economy. The theme this year, “Rural Women Rising – Shaping Resilient Futures with Beijing+30,” is a reminder of how much resilience lives in Africa’s rural heartlands. While my reflection today is not about the aspirations of Beijing+30 per se, it’s about the women who till the soil, trade in open markets, process food by hand, and keep entire communities running often without ever being recognized as “entrepreneurs.” Across the continent, rural women contribute up to 60–80% of food production, yet most remain locked in subsistence cycles : producing, feeding, and surviving, but rarely scaling. The barriers are not just financial; they’re systemic. Limited access to credit, gendered land rights, exclusion from digital finance, and low participation in value chains keep many of their enterprises from moving beyond survival. But the story is not all grim. Over the years, I have witnessed incredible transformations from women’s cooperatives in Nigeria that pooled savings to start cassava processing centers, to smallholder farmers in Mozambique who are now supplying formal markets after gaining access to tailored financing to a young female chili farmer in Nyanza that has gone beyond owning and cultivating 1 plot of land to half hectare. These stories matter because they demonstrate that with the right combination of finance, capacity, and policy reform, women don’t just lift their households, they lift entire economies. If we want “resilient futures,” then rural women’s enterprises must move from subsistence to significance. It is time we stopped treating their contribution as charity and started recognizing it as the powerful economic engine it is. So, as we celebrate Rural Women’s Day, let’s do more than applaud resilience , let’s fund it, formalize it, and scale it. Because the future we are building in Africa is only as strong as the rural women holding it up. #InternationalDayOfRuralWomen #WomenInAgribusiness #FinancialInclusion #GenderFinance #AfricaRising #BeijingPlus30