Millennium bim has called for the creation of financing solutions tailored to the needs of women entrepreneurs in Mozambique, combining access to credit with financial education and business capacity-building. The proposal was put forward by executive board member Liliana Catoja at the II Women’s Economic Forum, held on 21 and 22 October in Maputo.

According to a statement sent to Diário Económico, Liliana Catoja participated in the panel on ‘Financing and Financial Inclusion for Women’, where she highlighted the need to create conditions that allow women to develop and expand their businesses.

She stressed that access to banking services alone is insufficient to guarantee a more equitable participation in the economy. According to the Bank of Mozambique’s 2024 Financial Inclusion Report, women accounted for just 31% of credit and 34% of individual deposits among records where gender data was available.

“The real challenge is ensuring that access translates into concrete opportunities. An entrepreneur seeking to organise her first business has different needs from a businesswoman looking to invest, increase production or reach new markets. It is essential that financial institutions understand these realities and develop responses that accompany the different stages of business growth,” she said.

In this context, Millennium bim is preparing solutions aimed at businesswomen and small and medium-sized enterprises led by women, including a dedicated Linha Mulher Empresária credit line and microcredit products for less formalised economic activities.

The bank has also established partnerships in financial education and business training, seeking to support both women looking to start a business and those seeking to expand their existing operations.

The II Women’s Economic Forum was held at the Joaquim Chissano International Conference Centre under the theme ‘More Investment in Women, More Growth for Mozambique’, bringing together representatives from government, financial institutions, companies, and national and international organisations.