Iconic singer hopes to close financing gap for African women

One of Africa’s iconic artists is the voice of a new project aimed at rewriting laws across the continent that keep millions of women from becoming a more powerful economic force.

Singer Angelique Kidjo is helping the African Development Bank launch an effort to close a $42 billion financing gap in a region where one in four women starts or manages a business. That’s the world’s highest female entrepreneurship rate.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Kidjo described hearing from women in vibrant marketplaces who wished they had the means to do more.

The G-7 group of major democracies has committed $250 million to the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa.

With the continent’s 1.2 billion population expected to double by 2050, the pressure for growth is huge.