PRESS RELEASE: Ecobank Rwanda launches enhanced version of gender-financing programme 'Ellevate' to support more women entrepreneurs
Tuesday, July 01, 2025
Ellevate by Ecobank is designed to meet both the financial and non-financial needs of women entrepreneurs, women-led businesses, and women-focused enterprises , from formal SMEs to informal traders.

-‘Ellevate by Ecobank’ expands its reach to support the financial and non-financial needs of all women entrepreneurs, women-led and women-focused businesses.

- From large businesses to women sole traders, including those in the informal sector, the programme ensures tailored support for every stage of entrepreneurship.

Kigali, Rwanda, June 27, 2025 – Ecobank Rwanda, part of the leading pan-African financial services Ecobank Group, has unveiled a significantly enhanced version of its existing and multi award-winning ‘Ellevate by Ecobank’ gender-financing solution. Originally designed to accelerate access to financing for women-owned, women-led, or women-focused small and medium-sized enterprises within our Commercial Banking segment, ‘Ellevate’ now takes a more ambitious and inclusive approach. The new enhanced programme offers a broader range of financial and non-financial solutions tailored for women entrepreneurs across all Ecobank’s business segments: Consumer Banking, Commercial Banking, and Corporate and Investment Banking.

Ecobank Rwanda CEO Caline Umutoni addresses participants during the launch on Friday, June 27.

Carine UMUTONI, Managing Director, Ecobank Rwanda, said: "Rwanda’s businesswomen have already experienced the immense value of the pan-African Ellevate byEcobank programme which is dedicated to Africa’s businesswomen. The launch of theenhanced programme further extends Ecobank’s value proposition for Rwandan womenand demonstrates our intent to reinforce our position as the bank of choice for womenentrepreneurs.”

"Rwandan businesswomen deserve the best possible banking products, services andsolutions to help facilitate their businesses’ turnover, profitability and commercial growth. In addition to driving financial inclusion and ofering highly competitive loan and depositrates; state of the art digital payment, collection and cash management solutions; we alsohelp them to extend their market and customer reach across the African continent throughecommerce and our innovative MyTradeHub online matchmaking platform; and provide arange of training courses to upskill their business and leadership skills” she added.

Key benefits of New Ellevate 2.0 include:

-Increased access to finance including unsecured loans of up to 70,000,000 Frw at a discounted interest rate of 12.75%

-Helping women’s businesses to find new customers and access new markets across Africa through our innovative online matchmaking MyTradeHub platform

-Enhanced Cash Management and Digital Payment SolutionsBusiness training and leadership webinars to enhance customers’ business andleadership skills.

-Networking opportunities

-Mentorship programmes — and much more!

On that day, we marked a significant milestone in our commitment to women’s empowerment by unveiling 22 outstanding women-led businesses selected to participatein the prestigious Goldman Sachs 10,000 women programme, powered by Ellevate by Ecobank. This fully online programme features 10 short, high-impact courses covering leadership, negotiation, marketing, and sales, equipping participants with the essential skills to grow and scale their businesses. This initiative further underscores our dedication to supportingwomen entrepreneurs across Africa.

Would you like to join the Ellevate Community?

Simply scan the QR code and follow the steps — or visit any Ecobank branch, or call 0788629231 for more information.

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About Ecobank Rwanda

Ecobank Country Rwanda is a subsidiary of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), the parent company of Ecobank Group, which is headquartered in Lomé, Togo. Ecobank Group operates in 33 countries in Africa, and also has local representative offices in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Johannesburg, South Africa. Ecobank Group also has a banking licence in France and international offices in Beijing, China; London, UK; and Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. Ecobank began its operations in Rwanda in 2007 under the supervision and regulation of National Bank of Rwanda and has 8 branches. As part of its digital strategy, the Bank has 16 ATMs across the country with over 210 personnel and over 924 Xpress Point agencies serving customers through its Consumer Banking, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking and treasury business divisions.

About Ecobank Group (or ‘Ecobank Transnational Incorporated’ or ‘ETI’)

Ecobank Group is the leading private pan-African banking group with unrivalled African expertise. Present in 35 sub-Saharan African countries, as well as France, the UK, UAE and China, its unique pan-African platform provides a single gateway for payments, cash management, trade and investment. The Group employs over 14,000 people and offers Consumer, Commercial, Corporate and Investment Banking products, services and solutions across multiple channels, including digital, to over 32 million customers. For further information, please visit ecobank.com