Ecobank Foundation and UN Women form historic partnership to promote women's empowerment in Africa

"Women have always had a central role in the Foundation's activities and initiatives. Through our partnerships, we have been able to promote, among other things, women's leadership and girls' education. With UN Women, we want to go further. We are thrilled to have such a partner, which expertise and experience will help us ensure that a gender equality lens is applied in all our actions," explains Elisa Desbordes-Cissé, COO of the Ecobank Foundation.

Financial inclusion, focusing on women

For the past nine years, the Ecobank Foundation has been organising the "Ecobank Day", a unique opportunity for Ecobank Group employees each year to serve the well-being of their communities. This year's Ecobank Day, scheduled for 12 November, will focus on financial literacy and inclusion as a key factor in reducing poverty and promoting shared prosperity for women and youth, mostly in marginalized communities, with the theme “Leave no one behind: Financial Inclusion for all!”. Through this partnership with UN Women, particular attention will be paid to the specific needs and challenges faced by women and women entrepreneurs in both rural and urban areas.

16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign is an annual international event that begins on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and continues until 10 December, Human Rights Day. For the first time, the Ecobank Foundation and UN Women will jointly carry out a series of awareness raising, advocacy and action activities to combat violence against women and girls in several African countries.

Sport as a vehicle for women's personal and professional empowerment

Through this partnership, the Ecobank Foundation and UN Women will put a specific focus on the sports sector and the opportunities that exist for women along the value chain, both in terms of personal and professional empowerment.

Regional Director a.i., Deputy Regional Director, UN Women West and Central Africa Regional Office, Florence Raes, said, "We are excited about this partnership with Ecobank in many ways. Through this collaboration, we will be able to work together to promote gender equality in Africa and empower many more women by increasing their levels of financial literacy and inclusion. And given our shared interest in sports, we will together more effectively combat gender stereotypes by promoting more equal participation of women and girls in the sports industry in Africa.”

Media Contact

Christiane Bossom, Responsable de la communication du Groupe Ecobank
Email : groupcorporatecomms@ecobank.com
Tél. : +228 22 21 03 03

Hawa Seydou Diop, Regional Communication Specialist, UN Women, West and Central Africa Office
Email : hawa.diop@unwomen.org
Tél. : +221 77 515 08 12

About UN Women

UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global standard bearer for women and girls, UN Women was created to accelerate progress in addressing their needs around the world. UN Women supports UN Member States in adopting international standards for achieving gender equality and works with governments and civil society to develop the laws, policies, programmes and services needed to ensure that these standards are effectively implemented and benefit women and girls everywhere. 

About Ecobank Transnational Incorporated 
Ecobank Transnational Incorporated ('ETI') is the parent company of the Ecobank Group, the leading independent Pan African banking group. The Ecobank Group employs over 13,000 people serving nearly 32 million customers in retail, commercial and corporate banking in 33 African countries. The Group has a banking license in France and has representative offices in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Johannesburg, South Africa; Beijing, China; London, United Kingdom; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Group offers a full range of banking products, services and solutions including bank and deposit accounts, cash management, advisory, trading, securities and wealth management. ETI is listed on several stock exchanges namely London Stock Exchange in London, Nigerian Stock Exchange in Lagos, Ghana Stock Exchange in Accra and the Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières in Abidjan. 
For more information, please visit www.ecobank.com 

About the Ecobank Foundation
The Ecobank Foundation was created to make a positive impact on the lives of people in Africa. Established by the Ecobank Group, the leading pan-African bank, the Foundation is positioned to contribute to the social and economic transformation of the continent, particularly in the communities in which the bank operates. 
For more information, please visit www.ecobankfoundation.org