From Collateral to Cashflow: Expanding Access to Finance for Nigeria’s Female Business Owners

Access to finance is a major problem for entrepreneurs in Nigeria. However, while women business leaders show significant interest in taking loans, they receive a smaller allocation of bank credit, which is often attributed to gender inequalities in ownership of assets for collateral.

These two case studies from the The World Bank's Africa Gender Innovation Lab (GIL) and Finance, Competitiveness, and Innovation (FCI) Global Practice examine how two commercial banks supported by We-Fi and the Development Bank of Nigeria Plc are developing innovative credit solutions to expand access to finance for women entrepreneurs.