The Development Bank of Namibia (DBN) is preparing to roll out a Women-Owned and Women-Led SMEs (WSME) Market Programme to improve access to finance and strengthen business productivity for women entrepreneurs.
The initiative is supported by a grant from the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) Trust Fund, with the African Development Bank (AfDB) as the implementing partner.
According to the bank, the programme’s primary objectives are to “improve access to finance for Women owned/led SMEs in Namibia’s renewable energy, agriculture, manufacturing, and social welfare sectors” and “advance economic resilience and improve quality of life of women.”
The DBN has started the process of hiring a consulting firm to conduct a diagnostic assessment and provide technical support for launching and operationalising the scheme.
“The objective of this assignment is to provide technical and implementation support to DBN for the launch of its WMSME market programme, including systems readiness, WSME capacity building, training development, and strategic communications, ensuring a gender-responsive approach,” DBN said.
The consulting firm will review DBN’s SME lending strategy, validate and refine products tailored to women-led enterprises, and integrate gender considerations into the bank’s operations.
It will also design capacity-building programmes, train DBN staff on WSME financing, and develop a gender-sensitive communication and marketing strategy. The assignment is scheduled to run from January 2026 to January 2027.
Key areas of research under the programme include “green industrialization, green hydrogen, marine engineering and water efficiency,” alongside a gender mapping exercise to identify value chains where women can expand their participation or establish new businesses.
The bank noted that financing women-owned enterprises aligns with its Sustainable Finance Framework, which prioritises inclusion and the empowerment of disadvantaged groups.
The terms of reference for the consulting services will be released next month, with expressions of interest due this week.
The selection will be conducted under AfDB procurement rules in line with the grant agreement.
DBN said the expected outcomes of the initiative include a comprehensive diagnostic report on its WSME financing framework, a validated suite of financial products, and a strengthened monitoring and reporting system for gender-lens financing.
