Access Bank Kenya and the National Bank of Kenya (NBK) have unveiled an enhanced W Initiative, a nationwide program designed to expand financing, business skills, and market access for women entrepreneurs across the country.
Leveraging Access Bank’s reach across more than 20 African countries, the W Initiative seeks to close persistent gender financing gaps that prevent many women-led small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from realizing their full economic potential. To date, the initiative has facilitated over USD 141 million in funding for women-owned and women-led businesses within the Access Bank network.
“Women are creating impactful businesses every day. Economic empowerment of women strengthens families, communities, and the nation,” Barungi said.
This launch presents a more integrated approach for Kenya, merging NBK’s existing women-focused programs—NIA and Almasi Lady—under one umbrella. The unified platform enables Access Bank Kenya and NBK to coordinate gender-focused financing, broaden loan offerings, and deliver a wider spectrum of non-financial support services.
These efforts are expected to significantly boost the participation of women in Kenya’s entrepreneurial landscape, where SMEs contribute close to 40% of GDP but continue to face hurdles accessing formal financial services.
At the launch event, Barbara Barungi, Board Chair of NBK and Access Bank Kenya, emphasized that the expanded initiative embodies the group’s commitment to crafting an inclusive financial system tailored to the realities and ambitions of Kenyan women.
The W Initiative goes beyond providing credit, offering a holistic 360-degree support system for women in business. The program includes W Cards, W Loans, W Insurance, and trade finance solutions designed to ease access to capital. It also provides mentorship and business advisory services, supported by networking events that connect women to peers and industry experts.
Through capacity-building programs and entrepreneurship training, participants gain the skills needed to scale their ventures. The initiative further opens doors to regional and international markets through exposure trips and global linkages, while strategic partnerships with development organizations help de-risk MSME financing and expand opportunities for women-led enterprises.
Women entrepreneurs in Kenya still face significant barriers to capital. Currently, only about 7% of women-led MSMEs have access to formal credit, and women receive just 36% of total MSME lending, despite dominating the informal sector. George Odhiambo, Managing Director of NBK, described the joint initiative as a strategic response to these persistent gaps.
“Our objective is not just to provide capital, but to nurture an ecosystem in which women-led businesses can thrive and scale,” Odhiambo stated. “Investing in women entrepreneurs drives economic growth and job creation.”
The Kenyan rollout benefits from experiences in other markets where the W Initiative is already well established, such as Nigeria, Rwanda, and Ghana. In these countries, the program has supported women in agriculture, exports, digital business, and manufacturing through blended finance solutions and focused mentorship.
The expanded W Initiative signals a new chapter for women’s economic empowerment in Kenya, promising greater financial access, practical support, and opportunities for growth.
