Africa, Middle East, Pakistan, March 5, 2025 — Standard Chartered has announced an expanded investment in its Futuremakers Women in Tech programme, extending its reach across Africa, the Middle East and Pakistan through a partnership with Village Capital.
The three-year initiative aims to support 400 women entrepreneurs by providing training, funding and access to networks to help scale their businesses and drive economic impact.
The programme will deliver more than 32 catalytic grants totalling nearly USD1.9 million and is expected to enable and support over 1,200 jobs across participating markets. It will be rolled out across 12 markets, including Bahrain, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, the UAE and Zambia, with expansion into Uganda and Egypt.
Futuremakers Women in Tech forms part of the bank’s broader youth economic empowerment initiative and is supported by the Standard Chartered Foundation. The programme provides entrepreneurs with investment-readiness training, mentorship, and access to industry networks and financial resources.
Standard Chartered said the initiative is designed to address structural challenges faced by women-led businesses, particularly in accessing capital and scaling operations.
Applications for the 2025 accelerator are expected to open in late April, with participants receiving tailored development plans and ongoing support from ecosystem partners.
Since its launch more than a decade ago, the Women in Tech programme has supported over 4,000 women across 17 markets, while the broader Futuremakers initiative has contributed to supporting more than 88,900 jobs since 2019.
The Banking Outlook Insight:
Standard Chartered is using targeted ecosystem programmes to expand influence in high-growth markets, blending financial inclusion with long-term client and pipeline development strategy.
Source: Standard Chartered