Gender-Inclusive Capacity Building: 5 Lessons from the Women Driving Digital Financial Inclusion Webinar

“Too often, we focus on the tech, the platforms, the devices. But it’s the human element that truly drives transformation.”   – Bram Peters, Programme Manager, UNCDF

 

As digital finance continues to evolve, one question is gaining urgency. Who is shaping the future of inclusive economies? At a recent webinar hosted by UNCDF and Digital Frontiers Institute, on “Scaling Impact Through Women in DFS: Policy, Regulation and Innovation in Action”, the spotlight was on women in digital financial services (DFS) and their emerging roles as leaders driving policy, regulation, and innovation.

Women, youth and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) face many barriers to accessing digital financial services, especially in emerging economies. UNCDF’s Digital Finance for Resilience (DFS4Res) programme plays a vital role in building a more inclusive digital financial services ecosystem (UNCDF).

This webinar, a celebration of gender-intentional regulatory design, was curated under the Digital Finance for Resilience (DFS4Res) programme, a flagship initiative of UNCDF funded by the European Union and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS). The programme focuses on unlocking finance for underserved markets to drive inclusive economic growth, job creation, and poverty reduction. Through DFS4Res, UNCDF partnered with Digital Frontiers Institute to build the capacity of over 250 professionals, many of them women, across countries such as Niger, Gabon, Ethiopia, Malawi, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.

These professionals completed courses in AML/CFT, Blockchain, Regulation, and Consumer Protection, equipping them to lead digital transformation in their sectors. Many alumni are now applying their skills to shape inclusive, resilient, and gender-responsive digital finance ecosystems and contributing to stronger institutions, more inclusive markets, and better regulatory environments. To bring these stories to life, the webinar spotlighted women alumni, as panellists, who are turning their training into tangible impact by driving regulatory reform, influencing policy, and leading innovation. Their insights offer five compelling lessons on how gender-intentional capacity building can transform financial ecosystems.

Lesson 1: Capacity Building Must Be Gender-Intentional and Locally Relevant

Capacity Building is most effective when it is designed with both gender and local context in mind to create a lasting impact. From Trinidad and Tobago to Ethiopia, panellists emphasised the importance of training programmes that respond to local realities In Trinidad and Tobago, Nishanie Mohammed, a Financial Sector Transformation Analyst at the National Payments and Innovation Company of Trinidad and Tobago, shared how her training in MSME finance and consumer protection, through Digital Frontiers Institute, helped her identify and address the unique challenges faced by MSMEs led by women.   “Through UNCDF and Digital Frontiers Institute, I was able to take courses that aligned with our work. The MSME finance course, in particular, contributed significantly to the projects we embarked on,” she said.

With 77% of MSMEs without access to business bank accounts, Nishanie and her team have since launched assisted banking services and digital financial literacy workshops targeting MSMEs, youth, and differently abled individuals and groups often excluded from formal financial systems. These tailored interventions were made specific to the groups of underserved communities.

In Ethiopia, Tsedeniya Namrud, formerly with the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, used her Digital Frontiers Institute certification to contribute to the design of the National Digital Inclusion Strategy and a financial literacy survey that will soon be published. She noted that, “Policies can only work if the people implementing them are equipped and empowered.” These initiatives are now shaping how Ethiopia is approaching inclusion, by ensuring that strategies are not only written but lived.

Lesson 2: Having Women at the Table Impacts What Gets Done

Representation is transformational. When women step into leadership roles, and thereby present in decision-making, they bring perspectives that shift how decisions are made and ultimately who benefits. Temitope Akin-Fadeyi, Head of Financial Inclusion at the Central Bank of Nigeria, has been instrumental in shaping Nigeria’s financial inclusion strategy, including gender-focused policy shifts and enhanced agent banking frameworks.

“Women need to have a voice in the room to influence policy. Sponsorship and mentorship are critical to preparing women for leadership,” she emphasised the importance of mentoring and sponsorship to help women prepare for leadership roles, by noting that technical skills alone are not enough; visibility matters and women need to develop their soft skills.

Temitope also referenced the ICE framework, ‘Inclusion, Stability, Integrity, and Consumer Protection’ as a guiding principle for inclusive regulation.

Nthanda Manduwi, a Malawian entrepreneur and digital transformation advocate who describes herself as a storyteller, shared how powerful women in leadership inspired her, which in turn helped her visibility as a woman leader inspire other women to apply to her innovation hub.

“We had a goal to train 60% women. My hub didn’t struggle; we had 75% women applicants. The simple fact that the hub was led by a woman meant other women could see themselves in that space.”

Lesson 3: Better Data Means No One Is Left Behind

Without gender-disaggregated data, financial systems risk overlooking the needs of women and other marginalised groups. Data is the foundation of inclusive policy. Ethiopia’s National Bank now requires financial institutions to collect gender-disaggregated data, a shift driven by practitioners like Tsedeniya. This data is essential for designing policies that reflect the lived experiences of women and ensure that financial services are truly inclusive.

In Nigeria, Temitope highlighted the adoption of the We-Fi Code, which promotes women in leadership, data-driven insights and actionable policy changes. She says, “Without data, you cannot adapt or enact policies that provide an enabling environment for service providers to innovate.” Data is not just a tool; it can be a catalyst for equity.

 

Lesson 4: People Cannot Use What They Do Not Understand or Trust

Without trust and understanding, access to digital financial services is meaningless. During the webinar, digital financial literacy emerged as a recurring theme across countries. In Trinidad and Tobago, Nishanie’s team launched assisted banking services to build trust among MSMEs and youth. Many women still rely on informal systems like “susu” savings groups due to mistrust or lack of awareness of formal financial services.

“We realised it’s crucial to do that hand-holding process to walk MSMEs through the entire journey into formal finance,” she explained.

In Ethiopia, Tsedeniya emphasised the need for multimedia literacy campaigns such as radio, digital platforms, and community engagement to reach rural women and bridge the digital divide.

“Even where services exist, women in rural areas face digital literacy gaps, affordability issues, and cultural barriers,” she said.

The efforts by Tsedeniya and Nishanie are building trust, increasing awareness and fostering long-term engagement in their local economies.

Lesson 5: It is Easier to Lead When You’ve Seen It Done

Role models, even those closest to us, can shape belief systems. Nthanda’s reflections on visibility and role modelling in her personal life were powerful. She credited her mother, a pioneering female pilot, for showing her what was possible. “I grew up believing women had to be powerhouses. Everywhere I went, it was ‘Oh, you’re Captain Loni’s daughter.’ That visibility shaped my belief in what’s possible.”

Her own leadership has now inspired many young women to pursue careers in tech and entrepreneurship. She now pays it forward by spotlighting young African innovators and advocating for systemic education reform.

“We must empower young Africans to grow up seeing themselves as doers. That starts with transforming education systems, not when they’re 20, but when they’re five.” Nthanda emphasised that visibility is key, and when women see other women leading, they believe they can too, which was echoed by Temitope, who stressed the importance of mentorship and sponsorship in helping women navigate complex policy environments. If women are not empowered to speak up and advocate for themselves and other women, brilliant ideas can be lost.

Panellists agreed that collaborations like the UNCDF and Digital Frontiers Institute capacity building programmes and our Community of Practice network, along with peer exchanges across countries, are vital as they foster mentorship, amplify impact stories, and create spaces where women can see themselves as leaders.

What’s Next?

As Bram Peters, Programme Manager, UNCDF, asked during the webinar, “How can we better support you to amplify and scale your work?” The answer lies in continued investment in gender-intentional capacity building, stronger public-private collaboration, people-centric product design, outreach to underserved communities, well-regulated emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), embedding digital capacity building in education systems, unlearning harmful gender norms, relearning inclusive practices and sharing impact stories to inspire change, in-country implementation partnerships, mentorship and sponsorship for women leaders, data systems that inform inclusive policy and platforms that elevate impact stories and role models.

UNCDF’s DFS4Resilience programme, through its collaboration with Digital Frontiers Institute, has already distributed over hundreds of scholarship seats globally. These investments are not just building careers but transforming ecosystems and ensuring that women are not just included but are empowered to lead.

From policy reform to grassroots innovation, stories from panellists offer a guideline for how to scale impact through human-centred design, inclusive leadership and collaborative capacity building.

Our webinar was followed up by two podcast episodes with two of the incredible speakers: Nishanie Mohammed and Nthanda Manduwi. Listen to the podcast episodes now.

 

Bryanah Kirsten Marais
Communications and Content Specialist at Digital Frontiers