By: Kanto
Kai Okanta
Deputy Governor of the
Central Bank of Eswatini, Felicia Dlamini-Kunene, has led discussions on
gender-inclusive finance at the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) Global
Policy Forum, focusing on stronger data, women’s leadership and sustainable
support for financial inclusion programmes.
Dlamini-Kunene, a member of
AFI’s Gender Inclusive Finance Committee, chaired the Committee’s Gender
Inclusive Finance Leaders’ Breakfast and Committee Meeting and presented its
annual report to the AFI Board.
Key discussions focused on
improving the use of data to inform financial inclusion policy, strengthening
mentorship for women leaders in regulatory institutions and securing
sustainable support for AFI’s gender-inclusive finance programme.
The Global Policy Forum
followed the AFI network’s Annual General Meeting, regional initiatives
meetings and working group sessions. Central Bank of Eswatini Governor and
Deputy Governor both participated in the Annual General Meeting, with the
Governor, as Chairperson of the AFI Resource Mobilization Committee, presenting
the Committee’s report on its behalf.
Technical officials from the
Central Bank of Eswatini are also participating in AFI working groups covering
SME finance, consumer empowerment and market conduct, digital financial
services, financial inclusion data and inclusive green finance.
These working groups are
responsible for developing practical policy guidance and establishing AFI’s
peer-learning and implementation priorities for the year ahead.
The engagements provide
Eswatini with an opportunity to contribute to global and regional discussions
on financial inclusion while supporting efforts to strengthen policies and
institutional capacity, particularly around women’s participation in financial
systems and leadership.
