Women in the Economy: An Untapped Resource for Growth in the Asia-Africa Region

Ensuring Women’s their participation in the economy requires access to skills, technology and finance. India and Japan have supported such initiatives in Asia and Africa in the past, but a joint effort in the form of Asia Africa Growth Corridor will be a catalyst for ensuring gender equality and women empowerment. Financial inclusion is a driver of women empowerment and entrepreneurship. The success of India and Bangladesh in micro-finance and self help groups and other such experiences can be replicated in Africa to speed up women’s inclusion. Similar experiences in Africa could also be replicated in Asian economies. Another area of intervention is to develop inter-country and inter-regional markets for women entrepreneurs. There is need for public investment in child care and educational services to create space for women’s participation in economic activity. Under the aegis of Asia Africa Growth Corridor, an Asia-Africa Women Economic Growth and Empowerment Fund may be created to facilitate exchange of experiences across Asia and Africa.