Online Reporter
EMPOWER BANK Limited says young women continue to lag behind on accessing loans despite the microfinance institution’s drive to give equal opportunities to loanees.
The bank was established with the goal of providing financial solutions to the financially-excluded population, with greater focus on the youth.
Empower Bank CEO Mr Shadreck Mhembere said a lot of awareness campaigns need to be conducted to improve women’s participation in financial activities as they continue to be under-represented.
“We try to balance between male and female in our offers, but generally we are finding that women’s number is slightly lower.
“We target 50:50 allocation of loans, but as it stands, the ratio is around 60:40, with the majority being men,” said Mr Mhembere.
The bank strives to empower marginalised communities and small businesses to upscale through wealth-creation projects and generate better employment opportunities.




