Empowering Women Across the Global Economy
Achieving women’s economic participation is not just another goal – it’s an urgent and actionable priority. IFC’s theme for this year’s International Women’s Month, accelerating action for women’s economic empowerment, highlights our commitment to prioritizing investments that provide women with the tools they need — capital, technology, networks, social protection — to actively engage in and contribute to the global economy.
IFC Insights invites you to meet inspiring women from around the world who are breaking barriers and driving innovation. In Mongolia and Viet Nam, we spotlight women entrepreneurs who share how access to finance has helped their companies grow. IFC Vice President for Cross-Cutting Solutions, Emmanuel B. Nyirinkindi , shares three practical ways to increase the number of women in jobs in emerging markets. Our podcast My First Job features women leaders reflecting on lessons learned early in their careers. And on the Creative Development podcast, IFC Managing Director, Makhtar Diop , speaks to Mithali Raj , renowned Indian cricketer, about her career and how sports can drive change for women and girls.
Ensuring women’s economic participation requires commitment and bold action. By 2030, The World Bank Group programs aim to help 300 million women access broadband, 80 million women and women-led businesses secure capital, and 250 million women benefit from social protection programs that support workforce participation.
The focus isn’t just on getting women into the workforce — it’s on enabling them to lead as business owners, key players in supply chains, and leaders in the workplace.
-- Nathalie Akon , Global Director of Gender & Economic Inclusion
Ensuring economic opportunities for women is an urgent imperative for driving growth and global development. From increasing access to capital for women-led businesses to expanding their role in leadership, IFC is advancing a private sector-led approach to creating jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities for women. Read more I Lire l’article en français | للمزيد
In this episode of Creative Development with IFC, Mithali Raj, one of the most celebrated cricketers in the world, and a trailblazer in women’s sports shares her remarkable journey as a young classical dancer to becoming the highest run-scorer in women’s cricket history. Listen on your favorite podcast platforms - Apple Podcast or Spotify
Women own two-thirds of Mongolia’s small- and medium-sized businesses. Here, three women entrepreneurs describe how financing that targets women-owned businesses has helped their companies grow. Read more I Lire l’article en français | للمزيد
Providing access to bank business loans in Viet Nam is helping women-led and women-owned businesses succeed, creating employment and growing local markets. Read more
IFC Vice President for Cross-Cutting Solutions, Emmanuel B. Nyirinkindi reflects on the crucial role that access to capital, digital technology, and safe work environments play in empowering women to chart their own financial futures. Read more
In honor of Women’s Month, IFC Audio Stories presents “My First Job” — conversations with senior women leaders about how their careers got started and the lessons they learned along the way. We kick off the series with Mary Porter Peschka, IFC’s Regional Director for Eastern Africa.
NEW RESEARCH
New research highlights how equity and bond markets foster growth in developing economies, contributing $4 trillion in capital and generating 5 percent more jobs over three decades. Deeper capital markets channel more investment toward productive firms, helping them expand and fueling development. Download the report here
Studies have found that young firms are more likely to thrive and grow in advanced economies than in emerging markets. IFC’s Emerging Market Insights, a new series of research articles, shows how business accelerators can help startups in developing economies become more productive through mentoring, networks, and funding. Read more
IFC’s investments in private healthcare services delivery reached 61.5 million patients across all regions of the world between 2021 and 2023. Financing healthcare through the private sector is an important step in helping countries reach their Universal Health Coverage goals. Public health sectors are strained and on their own cannot meet the growing demand. A strong private health sector adds capacity and provides the medical technologies and advanced services that strengthen access to quality care. Read more
WHAT'S ON THE HORIZON
Attend these events:
Location: Paris, France | Event Date: March 27–28
Location: Berlin, Germany | Event Date: April 2–3
Location: Washington D.C. | Event Date: April 21–26
Location: London, UK | Event Date: April 29–30
Location: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire | Event Date: May 12–13
JOB OPENINGS
To learn more about jobs at IFC, visit www.ifc.org/careers and sign up for our “job alerts” to receive job opportunities in real time. Here are some of the openings:
Location: Istanbul, Türkiye | Deadline: March 26
Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil | Deadline: March 26
Location: Washington, DC; Bogota, Colombia; and Nairobi, Kenya | Deadline: March 27
Location: Nairobi, Kenya | Deadline: March 27
Location: Manila, Philippines | Deadline: March 28
Location: Bangkok, Thailand | Deadline: March 28
Thank you for reading IFC Insights. Send your feedback to ifc_insights@ifc.org.
IFC INSIGHTS EDITORIAL TEAM
Berrin Özdemir Akyıldız , Brian Beary , Lee-Roy Chetty , Moussoukoro Diop , Dr. Bukola Ogunyemi , Isabelle Poupaert , Nataliya Radchenko , Daisy Serem , Gavin Thorpe , Vinit Tyagi , and Chris Vellacott .