The union, which joined G20 member states in 2023, is part of the delegates attending the G20 Global Conference on Financial Inclusion and Women Empowerment held at Sun City outside Rustenburg.

A call for banks to remove barriers that hinder women from access business funding. Head of the Youth, Gender and Women Empowerment of AU Development Agency, Jessica Annor says policy reform is vital.

"We need to work with the banks to de-risk women business to make sure we have specific products for women but we also need to support women collectives. we need to support building women banks, having big financial champions at country level that women do no longer suffer to access finance,'' Annor said.

A delegate from United Nations (UN) Women, Tshegofatso Diphukwane emphasised the importance of women in leadership and global knowledge sharing.

“We have a lot of programmes that hone in on women, that are in various rural areas. One of them is the entrepreneurial programme for which, I am a programme analyst. The programme is the part of women a empowerment broader programme, in partnership  with UN Women. The programme is funded by the De Beers Group and is implemented by UN Women in collaboration with other partners,” Diphukwane said.

---SABC--