AFRIK 21: The consideration given to African women varies from one society to another. Wives, mothers and professional women often play second fiddle. What is the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)?
Joëlle Kabayo: The DRC is no exception when it comes to the problems facing women in terms of equality. In terms of education, the literacy rate for women is lower than for men, despite the fact that primary education is free. In the workplace, women are under-represented and there are limited opportunities for them to reach decision-making positions.
In terms of health, the challenges are maternal and infant mortality and access to healthcare facilities, especially in conflict zones where sexual violence is perpetrated.
To improve the status of women in the DRC, Rawbank has launched the “Lady’s First” programme. How is it being deployed on the ground?
The programme launched in 2010 covers our entire branch network. It has two main strands, financial and non-financial. The non-financial part is based on training, networking activities and coaching.
Training focuses on both general and thematic subjects. For thematic subjects that require a certain amount of expertise, Rawbank signs partnerships with appropriate structures, particularly in the fields of agriculture, finance or financial technology (FINTECH).
The financial part of the ‘Lady’s First’ programme develops electronic banking products, in particular credit cards that are specially designed to meet the needs of women, with more attractive rates. We also provide loans with specific repayment terms for women, such as the ‘Ladys First’ loan.
In addition, we have launched the Lady’s Act and Lady’s First business Club sub-programmes. The Lady’s Act sub-programme provides support for women who want to enter the digital sector. The “Lady’s First business Club” brings together all the women who can exchange and share their knowledge with other women on Facebook.
Who can benefit from this programme?
The “Lady’s First” programme supports Rawbank customers.
How do you become one?
You have to be 18 years old and be formalised, i.e. have your register and status. Women who do not have these documents can follow the testimonies of women who are clients of Rawbank through the “Lady’s First business Club”, and who have benefited from Rawbank’s support to move from the informal to the formal sector.
To date, how many women in the DRC have benefited from Rawbank’s Lady’s First programme?
We have supported nearly 2,000 women on two levels. Firstly, directly with women who are Rawbank customers. And indirectly, through the support provided to women entrepreneurs.
We recently signed a partnership with the African Women Saving and Credit Cooperative (MUFFA) to reach out to women involved in income-generating activities who can’t come to the bank. We’re helping to get them into banking. We are also raising their awareness of citizenship and digital technology.
Once the training has been completed and the financing granted, are these women monitored as they implement their business projects?
The women entrepreneurs who are Rawbank customers are monitored directly. In the case of women we support indirectly, we keep in touch with the managers of the mutuals and cooperatives in which they work. We go even further by carrying out field visits.
As you said, 2,000 women have already been supported by the “Lady’s First” programme to date. What are your ambitions for the coming years?
Our ambitions are to continue to share our vision and communicate about the programme to encourage support, and to provide training and services that are dedicated to and adapted to the challenges they face on a daily basis.
We also want to increase initiatives such as the Lady’s First business Club. We will also strengthen collaboration with other initiatives and forums that promote women’s empowerment and maintain Rawbank’s ongoing and unwavering commitment to women entrepreneurs in the DRC.
As part of this programme, you have also created the title of ambassador. To what end? To encourage more commitment from women, perhaps?
Yes, we want to encourage women entrepreneurs to get involved and challenge Rawbank’s female customers. The title of ambassador is held for three years. One of her tasks is to go round the branches to meet the women. It is important to stress that women who do not have the title of ambassador are not sidelined.
The current ambassador is Françoise Kielende Muzinande. She is involved in waste management and in placing staff in mining companies, and has set up a polyclinic in which she cares for around a hundred families. It has really diversified over the years. Today, Françoise Kielende Muzinande employs nearly 500 people in all her businesses, and like Rawbank, she is committed to corporate social responsibility (CSR), which she tries to implement in her companies.
Apart from the “Lady First” programme, how is Rawbank working to promote gender equality in the DRC? Do you think it is possible to achieve this ideal?
We can achieve gender parity with determination. Internally, we run awareness campaigns against violence against women in the workplace. We have a partnership with UN Women to raise employee awareness of gender-based discrimination. We have even gone further by raising awareness among the children of Rawbank staff as part of activities to promote gender equality.
Our ambition is to achieve 50/50 parity between men and women by 2028. Rawbank is also banking on its new “Women’s Empowerment” programme, launched in July 2023. As part of this, we have set up a plan to identify high-potential women who will become tomorrow’s leaders and support them through training.
Rawbank also supports gender equality by joining initiatives such as UN Women’s “HeForShe” since 2019. The aim of this initiative is to invite men and women to work together for gender equality. In addition, the bank encourages positive masculinity to create an environment that is favourable for all.
In addition to advocacy for gender equality in the DRC, what other specific role can a bank play at national level, particularly in increasing the presence of women in the economic world, which is largely informal?
Informal, much more so with women. But it’s these women who run the economy, and it’s only natural that they should be given the means to formalise in order to strengthen the economy. Women are the backbone of households and when we support them, there are direct repercussions on education, health and even the quality of men’s work. And the economy can only get better.
Interview by Inès Magoum and Delphine Chêne