Central Africa: Afriland First Bank GM restates ambition to lead women empowerment.

The renewed commitment to women empowerment is contained in a Women’s Day message, which the Director General, DG, of the Bank, Celestin Guela Simo, released on Sunday, March 8, 2026.

It coincided with the 41st edition of the International Women’s Day that was commemorated nationwide Sunday. 

According to the DG, “at Afriland First Bank, we have made a strategic choice; the economic empowerment of women is not a social programme on the sidelines of our business. It is part of our vision and priority”.

Guela said the financial institution will continue to work to expand a financial ecosystem that favours women’s empowerment.

He wrote that the Bank has “a transformative ambition” as part of its 2030 strategic plan to invest “…to significantly increase the proportion of women in our SME loan portfolio and to roll out programmes dedicated to female entrepreneurship in each of our locations”.

The Afriland First Bank DG said it is rather the lack of imagination that is the problem. Women, he insisted, have enormous potential and abilities.

He emphasised that the leading financial institution doesn’t subscribe to the policy of empty speeches and declarations. 

Guela noted that: “Our commitment to women's empowerment translates into measurable actions”.

Easing access to credit for women

Most of the actions, he noted, have been on easing access to credit for women. Afriland First Bank, the DG noted, has developed “…financial products tailored to the realities of women entrepreneurs: credit lines with flexible terms, alternative guarantee mechanisms that take into account the specificities of female entrepreneurship, and personalised support from business creation to growth”.

He hammered on the issue of limited access to credit for women as what Afriland First Bank is committed to addressing head on.

He intimated that limited access to credit for women “…can’t be due to a lack of talent, creativity, or resilience, but rather a lack of formal guarantees, networks, and appropriate support. 

“Clearly, it is not women who lack capabilities. Sometimes it is the financial system that lacks imagination”.

Putting women at heart of Africa’s growth

Beyond Cameroon and Central Africa, where Afriland First Bank is the leader in women’s empowerment, Guela said the Bank is leading a paradigm shift to make sure in Africa in general, women assume their role.

Lamenting on the limited support for women entrepreneurship, Guela said: “Women are at the heart of African growth”. He noted that: “Since its creation, Afriland First Bank has pursued the vision of a bank serving the real Africa, the Africa of markets, fields, workshops, and homes. This Africa has a predominantly female face”.

On the Bank’s expanding actions and vision, Guela noted that they are looking at “the trader in Douala who crosses borders with her goods, the farmer in the Far North who feeds her community and the young graduate in Yaounde, who is launching her technology start-up...”.

Such endeavours, he said, are the pillars of transformation, which he said, Afriland First Bank is committed to supporting.

Using technology & financial inclusion to reposition women 

With financial inclusivity being a key aspect of the modern economy, Guela in his message said, such is also one of the mainstays of Afriland First Bank’s services to the public.

He said the Bank is appropriating technology at the best of levels to give women the best. 

“Our digital transformation strategy puts women at the centre. Mobile banking, simplified payment solutions, and digital savings platforms,” he noted, have been designed with women in focus.

Knowledge empowerment 

Another area where Afriland First Bank has been active and will remain active in supporting women, Guela indicated, is through knowledge and capacity building.

He maintained that financing women-led initiatives goes with training and education. “We invest in financial education, business management, and women's leadership programmes. Because true empowerment comes through knowledge and self-confidence,” he stated in his write up.

Invest in women, guarantee the future

Going by Guela, the future of Cameroon, Africa and the world, can only be guaranteed through investing in women. He added that the Bank also provides and will continue to provide mentorship for women.

He indicated that Afriland First Bank has key alliances with women, which enables it multiply its impact, “…and create an ecosystem conducive to women's economic empowerment”.

Powering women to leadership

The DG also reiterated Afriland First Bank’s work in increasing the number of women in leadership positions. 

The Bank, he noted, “…actively works to increase the representation of women in leadership positions, ensure pay equity, and create a work environment where everyone can reach their full potential”.

Women part of Afriland First Bank’s DNA

Guela intimated that Women’s Day is a starting point that is renewed annually with the Bank continuing its work, knowing that women are part of its DNA.

“…our commitment to women is not limited to one day. It is embedded in our DNA, in our strategy, in every decision we make,” Guela’s message read, restating that the Bank is “…deeply convinced that an Africa that unleashes the economic potential of its women is an Africa that moves twice as fast”.

Appeal for collective action

 The Afriland First Bank DG also sent a message of appeal for real action to other actors in the financial sector. 

He called on the Central African Banking Commission, COBAC and the Bank of Central African States, BEAC, civil society, authority among others to support women.

Guela in this light noted that: “Women's economic empowerment cannot be the responsibility of a single institution. It is a systemic challenge that calls for a collective response”.

He surmised that: “Together, we can make the CEMAC zone a place where being a woman is no longer an economic handicap but an asset.  A place where talent, ambition, and hard work are the only criteria for success”. 

This year’s Women’s Day, he insisted, “…should go beyond speeches and other flamboyant actions to measurable commitment”.

Guela reminded actors that despite accounting for 52% of the population, women in Central Africa still face huge challenges.

In this age, he declared, “the question is no longer whether we should act, but how we can accelerate social inclusion”. 

In Central Africa, he lamented, not up to 25 percent of women have a bank account. Guela in his message cited studies which he said have proven that every investment in women’s economic empowerment “…generates a considerable multiplier effect on children's education, community health, and local growth”.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3726 of Monday March 09, 2026