Cambridge, United Kingdom | 9 June 2026 – Closing the financing gap for women-led enterprises took centre stage at the Global Power Women Forum (GPWF) Cambridge 2026 as Zeinabou Sidibé, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Afrisends, presented a practical roadmap for transforming informal trade into bankable, investment-ready businesses across West Africa.
Speaking during the Forum’s National Showcase, she demonstrated how innovative trade-finance solutions can accelerate the growth of women entrepreneurs while strengthening regional economic integration.
The two-day Forum was convened by the Centre for Economic & Leadership Development (CELD) in strategic collaboration with Wolfson College, University of Cambridge and hosted by Dr. Mrs. Ibifuro Ken-Giami, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CELD and Publisher of Amazons Watch Magazine. Held under the theme, “Women-Powered Economies: Capital, Trade & the Future of Economic Governance,” the Forum brought together global leaders, policymakers, diplomats, business executives, academics and development partners to advance practical solutions for women’s economic empowerment and sustainable development.
The Forum commenced on Day One with the GPWF Private Networking Mixer & Partnerships Dinner, an invitation-only gathering that strengthened strategic partnerships among international delegates and institutional stakeholders. Day Two featured the Opening Plenary: Women, Power & the Architecture of Global Economies, the Insight-to-Action Roundtable, National Showcase – Women-Powered Economies in Action, Market Access, Trade & Capital Pathways, and concluded with the Global Power Impact & Legacy Honours.
Drawing on Afrisends’ work across West Africa, Mrs. Sidibé highlighted that although approximately 90 percent of business-to-business trade in the region still operates through informal channels, women entrepreneurs continue to face significant barriers, including limited access to verified supplier networks, delayed financing and inadequate documentation required to secure commercial credit.
She presented Afrisends’ operational model, which verifies suppliers, compares quotations, structures trade transactions, manages commercial corridors and documents trading activity to create reliable business records that improve access to finance. She explained that these interventions help convert informal enterprises into investment-ready businesses capable of participating in regional and global value chains.
Mrs. Sidibé further highlighted the scale of opportunity, noting that Afrisends is working alongside WIC Côte d’Ivoire and CEPICI’s Guichet Investir au Féminin to support a pipeline of 3,845 qualified women-led small and medium-sized enterprises. She called on financial institutions, development partners and policymakers to recognise operational trading data as a valuable basis for extending trade finance, while advocating stronger institutional collaboration to unlock capital for women entrepreneurs.
Concluding her presentation, Mrs. Sidibé urged governments, investors, academic institutions and development organisations to work collectively in building evidence-based financing systems that empower women-led businesses to scale beyond local markets. She stressed that expanding access to trade finance is essential to unlocking Africa’s entrepreneurial potential and driving inclusive economic growth.
The Forum welcomed an exceptional assembly of global leaders, including Her Excellency Diana Nausėdienė, First Lady of the Republic of Lithuania; Her Excellency Ambassador Professor Olufolake AbdulRazaq, First Lady of Kwara State, Nigeria and Chairperson of the Nigeria Governors’ Spouses’ Forum; Hon. Dr. Emma Kantema (MP), Namibia’s Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare; Baroness Sandy Verma, Member of the UK House of Lords; Her Excellency Mrs. Sara Amani, Ambassador of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire to the United Kingdom; Mrs. Oghogho Gwabin Musa; Ann Cotton OBE; Rachel Blackburn MBE; Dr. Renuka Thakore; Professor Tolullah Oni; Joan Asante; Professor Ronita Bardhan; Professor Elizabeth Garnsey; Professor Fawzia Rasheed; Tililenji Phiri; Mrs. Nanna Sylla Coulibaly; and other distinguished representatives from government, academia, business and civil society.
The Global Power Women Forum Cambridge 2026 reaffirmed the importance of strengthening market access, trade finance and strategic partnerships that enable women entrepreneurs to build resilient businesses and contribute meaningfully to Africa’s economic transformation.
About the Global Power Women Forum (GPWF)
The Global Power Women Forum (GPWF) is a premier international leadership platform convened by the Centre for Economic & Leadership Development (CELD) in strategic collaboration with Wolfson College, University of Cambridge. The Forum brings together influential women leaders, policymakers, diplomats, business executives, academics and development partners from around the world to foster dialogue, strengthen strategic partnerships and champion innovative solutions that advance women’s leadership, economic inclusion and sustainable development.
Comments are closed.