AXIAN Group and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have launched a digital finance programme targeting more than 34,000 women-led businesses across five African countries, as the institutions seek to address persistent financing and digital inclusion gaps affecting women entrepreneurs.
The initiative, backed by the African Development Bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) and the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi), will provide women entrepreneurs with access to digital financial products, business development services, financial literacy and digital skills.
The programme will operate through AXIAN’s digital financial services platforms, Mixx and MVola and will initially provide tailored financial products and services to 34,000 women led micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Madagascar, Tanzania and Senegal.
A separate training component will reach 25,000 women in Madagascar, Tanzania, Senegal, Togo and Comoros with financial literacy, digital skills and entrepreneurship training.
The initiative is designed to reach women entrepreneurs who have historically had limited access to conventional financial services. It will use mobile money, digital lending and alternative credit assessment tools to expand access to finance beyond traditional banking channels.
Africa has the highest rate of female entrepreneurship globally, but women owned businesses continue to face a significant financing shortfall estimated at $49 billion.
“Across Africa, millions of women are already running successful businesses. The challenge is not entrepreneurship. It is access to finance, to digital tools and to opportunities for growth. Through Mixx and MVola, we are using technology and financial innovation to support women entrepreneurs in building stronger businesses, creating jobs and participating more fully in the digital economy. This programme is about unlocking opportunity at scale.” Said Erwan Gelebart, CEO, AXIAN Digibank and Fintech
Melissa Basque-Roux, Coordinator of the African Development Bank’s AFAWA initiative, said that although women entrepreneurs are central to Africa’s economic transformation, too many still face barriers to accessing finance, digital tools and business support needed to grow.
“Through AFAWA and We-Fi, the African Development Bank is pleased to support this partnership with AXIAN, Mixx and MVola. The partnership will expand tailored digital financial services, strengthen financial literacy and unlock new opportunities for women-led businesses across the continent.” Said Melissa Basque-Roux, Coordinator, African Development Bank’s AFAWA initiative
The programme will focus on five areas: increasing digital finance access for women led enterprises, improving financial and digital literacy, developing financial products designed around women entrepreneurs’ needs, expanding digital inclusion through mobile technology and helping women owned businesses enter and operate within the formal economy.
Mixx and MVola will oversee implementation alongside AXIAN’s local operating companies in the participating markets.
The programme builds on the AfDB’s existing engagement with AXIAN Telecom. In January 2025, the development bank approved a $160 million senior corporate loan to support digital connectivity and financial inclusion across nine African countries. The financing also included support for 22,000 women entrepreneurs in Madagascar.
The latest programme comes as digital financial services continue to expand across Africa, with mobile money and digital lending increasingly providing alternative routes to financial services for underserved businesses.
By combining digital finance with financial literacy, entrepreneurship training and business support, AXIAN and the AfDB are seeking to increase the ability of women led enterprises to access capital, adopt digital tools, formalise their operations and expand their businesses.
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