Economic
Empowerment
Women Entrepreneurs
Breaking barriers and building sustainable businesses through dedicated support for women-led enterprises around the world.
Breaking barriers and building sustainable businesses through dedicated support for women-led enterprises around the world.
At UHAFD, we recognize women entrepreneurs as powerful catalysts for economic growth, community development, and social transformation. Despite their immense potential, women business owners worldwide continue to face disproportionate barriers in accessing capital, markets, networks, and business development opportunities.
Our Women Entrepreneurs initiative takes a comprehensive approach to addressing these challenges, combining access to finance with tailored capacity building, mentorship, and market connections. We prioritize not just the success of individual businesses, but also their potential to create quality employment, address market gaps, and demonstrate innovative models that can inspire other women.
Through our gender-lens investment approach, we ensure that women don't just receive resources, but gain genuine decision-making power over those resources. Whether providing micro-equity investments with no repayment obligations or delivering specialized business development support, our programs are designed with women's specific needs and constraints in mind.
Our programs directly address the key barriers that prevent women entrepreneurs from reaching their full potential.
Women entrepreneurs face a significant gender financing gap, with studies showing they receive less than 3% of global venture capital.
UHAFD's micro-equity model provides women entrepreneurs with growth capital requiring no interest payments, collateral, or fixed repayment schedules—removing the typical barriers women face in traditional financing.
Women often have limited access to business networks, role models, and mentors who can provide guidance and open doors to opportunities.
Our Women's Business Network connects entrepreneurs with experienced mentors and peers across industries and borders, providing access to knowledge, inspiration, and business connections.
Women-owned businesses often struggle to access markets, secure contracts with larger companies, and connect to global supply chains.
Our Market Linkage Program creates connections between women entrepreneurs and larger buyers, provides export readiness training, and supports participation in key industry trade fairs.
Our comprehensive suite of programs addresses the diverse needs of women entrepreneurs across regions and business stages.
Our dedicated micro-equity program focuses on women-led businesses with high growth potential. With investments ranging from £5,000 to £250,000, the fund supports women entrepreneurs in sectors with historically limited access to capital, allowing them to scale sustainably without the burden of debt.
Our intensive 12-week accelerator program is specifically designed for early-stage women entrepreneurs with innovative business models. The program combines training, personalized coaching, and networking opportunities to help participants refine their business strategy and prepare for growth.
This program addresses the unique challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in rural areas, combining access to appropriate financing with training adapted for rural contexts. The network focuses particularly on agricultural value addition, handicrafts, and community-based tourism enterprises.
When Fatima Diallo approached UHAFD in 2018, she was running a small natural cosmetics business from her home in Dakar, Senegal. Using traditional recipes passed down through generations, she created high-quality products but struggled to scale beyond her local market due to limited capital and business knowledge.
Through our Women's Micro-equity Fund, UHAFD invested £85,000 in Fatima's business with our standard 1.5% equity stake and no repayment requirements. Equally important was the business development support that helped her standardize production, develop professional packaging, and create a digital marketing strategy.
Today, Fatima's company "Sahel Beauty" employs 32 women, primarily from disadvantaged backgrounds whom she trains in both production techniques and business skills. The company exports organic skincare products to 12 countries across Africa and Europe, generates annual revenue of £1.2 million, and has established a foundation that provides business training to other aspiring women entrepreneurs in West Africa.
"UHAFD didn't just provide capital—they believed in my vision when traditional banks saw only risk. The freedom from debt payments allowed me to reinvest every franc of profit back into growing the business and improving quality. Now I'm not just building a company; I'm creating opportunities for other women like me." — Fatima Diallo, Founder & CEO, Sahel Beauty
Since 2010, our women's entrepreneurship initiatives have created substantial economic opportunities across the globe.
Women entrepreneurs supported
Invested in women-led businesses
Five-year business survival rate
Jobs created for other women
Whether you're just starting out or ready to scale your established business, our women's entrepreneurship programs offer the capital, connections, and support you need to succeed.
Our women's entrepreneurship programs are designed for diverse needs across different stages of business growth:
For entrepreneurs with innovative ideas needing initial funding, training, and guidance.
For established businesses ready to expand, enter new markets, or develop new product lines.
For high-potential enterprises ready for significant expansion and institutional investment.