In a concrete commitment to women's economic empowerment, NSIA Banque Côte d’Ivoire has partnered with the SEPHIS Foundation by mobilizing 3 billion FCFA to finance women entrepreneurs.

This initiative is rooted in on-the-ground realities. Indeed, the SEPHIS Foundation’s fieldwork has highlighted a persistent challenge: the main barrier for SMEs is not always their reliability or viability, but rather the mismatch between the types of financing banks offer and the specific needs of these businesses. Each financial institution has its own priorities, intervention thresholds, and risk criteria—factors that often complicate access to credit, particularly for women-led enterprises.

To address this, the SEPHIS Foundation has built a strategic circle of financial partners that reflects the diversity of its beneficiaries. At the same time, it prepares SMEs to meet the specific standards of each financial institution—and vice versa. The goal is clear: to build sustainable and effective bridges between real-world needs and available banking solutions.

However, for SEPHIS, a genuine financial partnership goes far beyond access to a credit line. It rests on three key pillars:

✔️ Tailoring financing conditions to the local entrepreneurial landscape;
✔️ Delivering real, impactful financing—beyond mere announcements;
✔️ Mobilizing a dedicated team to work closely with SEPHIS experts and ensure the success of the initiative.

NSIA Banque Côte d’Ivoire has demonstrated its commitment at every stage of the process. Thanks to this partnership, women entrepreneurs now have a new, credible, and accessible financing option—one that is truly aligned with their needs and ambitions.

This is another major step toward inclusive finance, serving both impact and sustainable growth.