Rawbank Wins 2026 AFAWA Bank of the Year for Empowering Women Entrepreneurs

Rawbank received the prestigious accolade for its flagship Lady’s First programme, an initiative specifically designed to address the financial barriers faced by women-led businesses in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The Democratic Republic of Congo's largest commercial bank, Rawbank SA, has been named the 2026 AFAWA Bank of the Year, earning continental recognition for its efforts to expand access to finance for women entrepreneurs and support inclusive economic growth.

The award was presented during the African Banker Awards ceremony held on 27 May alongside the African Development Bank Group's 2026 Annual Meetings in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.

Rawbank received the prestigious accolade for its flagship Lady's First programme, an initiative specifically designed to address the financial barriers faced by women-led businesses in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The award recognises financial institutions that demonstrate leadership in providing innovative financial products and services that help women entrepreneurs overcome obstacles such as limited collateral, restricted access to credit, and unequal participation in financial systems.

The recognition comes as African governments, development institutions, and financial organisations intensify efforts to close the continent's estimated $42 billion gender financing gap, which continues to limit business growth and economic opportunities for millions of women.

Award Presented at African Development Bank Annual Meetings

The award was presented by Martin Fregene, the African Development Bank Group's Officer in Charge for Agriculture, Human and Social Development.

Representing Rawbank at the ceremony were Mamie Lukusa, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, and Gancho Kipulu, Head of Public Sector and Government Clients, who accepted the award on behalf of the bank.

The award is sponsored by AFAWA (Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa), a joint initiative of the African Development Bank Group and the African Guarantee Fund.

AFAWA was established to tackle one of the most persistent challenges facing women entrepreneurs across Africa: limited access to finance.

Through partnerships with financial institutions, the initiative seeks to create more inclusive banking systems and improve access to credit for women-owned and women-led businesses.

The AFAWA Bank of the Year Award celebrates institutions that are making measurable progress toward these objectives.

Rawbank's Lady's First Programme at the Centre of Success

Central to Rawbank's achievement is its Lady's First programme, which has become one of the Democratic Republic of Congo's most prominent initiatives supporting women entrepreneurs.

The programme offers a range of specialised financial products and business support services designed specifically for women-led enterprises.

Rather than focusing solely on lending, the initiative provides an integrated ecosystem that combines financing with mentorship, business development support, and skills-building opportunities.

The programme aims to address structural barriers that often prevent women from accessing conventional financial services.

Many women entrepreneurs face challenges in meeting collateral requirements, securing business credit, and accessing professional networks that support business growth.

Rawbank's approach seeks to overcome these barriers by tailoring products to the realities of women-owned businesses.

According to the bank, the programme has been operating for more than a decade and has become an important platform for supporting female entrepreneurship across the country.

Innovative Financing Without Traditional Collateral

One of the most significant features of the Lady's First programme is its focus on flexible financing arrangements.

Traditional lending models often require collateral that many women entrepreneurs are unable to provide, limiting their access to capital.

To address this issue, Rawbank offers amortising loans of up to $50,000 and invoice financing facilities of up to $150,000 without requiring collateral.

These products are intended to provide women-owned businesses with access to the working capital needed to expand operations, manage cash flow, and pursue growth opportunities.

By reducing collateral requirements, the programme aims to make financial services more accessible to women who might otherwise be excluded from formal banking systems.

The approach reflects broader efforts across Africa to develop gender-responsive financial products that recognise the unique challenges faced by women entrepreneurs.

Positive Impact on Women-Owned Businesses

Rawbank reports that the Lady's First programme has generated significant results for participating entrepreneurs.

According to survey data collected by the bank, 81 percent of the 200 women entrepreneurs surveyed reported expanding their customer base after participating in the programme.

Meanwhile, 88 percent said they had gained new business opportunities as a result of the support received.

These outcomes suggest that access to tailored financial services can have a substantial impact on business performance and growth.

For many women entrepreneurs, financing is not only about obtaining capital but also about gaining confidence, expanding networks, improving business skills, and accessing new markets.

The programme's success highlights the potential benefits of combining financial products with broader business support services.

Recognition of Long-Term Commitment

Rawbank officials described the award as recognition of the bank's sustained efforts to promote women's economic empowerment.

"This award is a strong recognition of over a decade of Rawbank's commitment to empowering women entrepreneurs," said Joyce Kindeke, Head of the Lady's First programme.

"We are proud to contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable economic development in the Democratic Republic of Congo and beyond."

Her comments reflect the growing recognition that women's economic participation plays a critical role in national development.

Studies consistently show that increasing women's access to finance and business opportunities can contribute to economic growth, job creation, poverty reduction, and broader social development.

African Development Bank Praises Partnership

The African Development Bank Group highlighted Rawbank's work as an example of how partnerships between development institutions and commercial banks can help expand access to finance.

Presenting the award, Martin Fregene praised the bank's contribution to advancing the objectives of AFAWA.

"Rawbank's actions exemplify the focused vision of the African Development Bank Group: leveraging partnerships in Africa to mobilise financing at scale and delivering access to finance, mentorship and skills training to the continent's key demographics such as women entrepreneurs," he said.

"We are proud to know Rawbank SA as an AFAWA partner financial institution."

The Bank believes partnerships with local financial institutions are essential for achieving large-scale impact and reaching underserved entrepreneurs.

By working through existing banking networks, development programmes can expand their reach and strengthen local financial ecosystems.

Strong Competition from Across Africa

Rawbank emerged as the winner from a competitive field of finalists representing several African countries.

Other nominees for the 2026 AFAWA Bank of the Year Award included:

• CRDB Bank (Tanzania)

• National Bank of Malawi

• NCBA Bank Kenya PLC

• NMB Bank PLC (Tanzania)

The diversity of nominees reflects growing efforts across the continent to develop financial products and services that support women entrepreneurs.

Many African banks are increasingly recognising the economic potential of women-owned businesses and the importance of gender-inclusive financial systems.

The competition also highlights the expanding role of financial institutions in addressing broader development challenges.

AFAWA's Ambitious Goals for Women Entrepreneurs

The award forms part of the broader work being undertaken through the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative.

AFAWA aims to unlock $5 billion in financing for 30,000 women-owned and women-led businesses through partnerships with financial institutions across the continent.

Its flagship instrument, the Guarantee for Growth facility, helps reduce lending risks and encourages banks to increase financing for women entrepreneurs.

Looking ahead, AFAWA has set ambitious expansion targets.

The initiative aims to at least double the amount of financing channelled to women entrepreneurs and reach twice as many beneficiaries by 2033.

Achieving these goals would represent a significant contribution toward narrowing Africa's gender financing gap.

Broad International Support

AFAWA is supported by a wide coalition of international development partners.

In addition to the African Development Bank and the African Guarantee Fund, funding and support come from France, Canada, Italy, Germany, the European Commission, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) hosted by the World Bank Group.

This broad backing reflects growing international recognition of the importance of women's economic empowerment as a driver of sustainable development.

Development institutions increasingly view access to finance as a critical factor in achieving gender equality and inclusive economic growth.

Financial Inclusion as a Development Priority

The recognition of Rawbank underscores the growing importance of financial inclusion across Africa.

Despite significant progress in recent years, many women entrepreneurs continue to face barriers when seeking access to credit, investment, and financial services.

These challenges limit business growth, reduce economic participation, and constrain opportunities for innovation and job creation.

Initiatives such as Lady's First demonstrate how targeted financial products and support services can help address these barriers.

By creating more inclusive financial systems, banks can play a central role in unlocking economic potential and supporting sustainable development.

As Africa continues to pursue ambitious economic transformation goals, expanding access to finance for women entrepreneurs is increasingly viewed as both a business opportunity and a development imperative.

Rawbank's recognition as the 2026 AFAWA Bank of the Year highlights the progress being made and the growing momentum behind efforts to ensure that women-led businesses have the resources they need to thrive and contribute to the continent's future prosperity.