EnterpRISING WOMEN – A Decade of Learning from Ethiopia’s Women Entrepreneurship Development Project (WEDP)

This report highlights a decade of Ethiopia’s Women Entrepreneurship Development Project (WEDP), launched in 2012 to close financing and skills gaps for growth-oriented women entrepreneurs. Operating in 18 cities, WEDP has provided over 25,000 loans worth $250 million and business training to more than 30,000 women by February 2024. Targeting the “missing middle” excluded by banks and microfinance institutions, WEDP reduced collateral requirements, piloted innovations like psychometric credit scoring, cashflow-based lending, and digital loans, and responded to crises with rescue funds. Impact evaluations show WEDP loans increased profits by about 30% and employment by 50%, while training enhanced business practices and socioemotional skills. Through partnerships with the World Bank’s Gender Innovation Lab and initiatives like IFWE, WEDP introduced scalable digital trainings, mentorship, and mindset-focused programs. After ten years, it has demonstrated that women-owned enterprises are bankable, paving the way for broader institutional investment and innovation in women’s entrepreneurship.