AFAWA Banking on Women has secured top honors at the 2026 Africa SABRE Awards, earning recognition as the best Global Campaign for its impact-driven communications strategy. The award celebrates the African Development Bank Group’s efforts to spotlight its Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa initiative and advance financial inclusion across the continent.
The campaign will receive the coveted gold trophy at a ceremony in Johannesburg in March. Organizers describe the Africa SABRE Awards as a benchmark for excellence in branding, reputation, and engagement across Africa’s communications industry.
AFAWA Banking on Women Recognized for Global Impact
The AFAWA Banking on Women campaign stood out among more than 500 entries submitted by leading global and African communications agencies. The competition featured work representing major multinational brands and regional powerhouses.
The campaign combined data-driven storytelling with compelling video content. Through its AFAWA Stories series, viewers were taken to Kenya, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, and the Democratic Republic of Congo to hear directly from women entrepreneurs and financial institutions benefiting from the program.
Events supporting the campaign were held in cities including Johannesburg, New York, Paris, Rabat, and Abidjan. These engagements connected donors, policymakers, and banking partners to real-world outcomes achieved through AFAWA.
Driving Women’s Access to Finance
AFAWA Banking on Women aims to close Africa’s estimated $49 billion financing gap affecting women entrepreneurs. The initiative works through partnerships with commercial banks, regulatory advocacy, and business training programs to strengthen women-led enterprises.
According to the African Development Bank, the communications campaign helped achieve measurable results. These include a 44 percent increase in partner banks joining the AFAWA program and a 241 percent rise in women entrepreneurs receiving loans or business training.
The campaign also contributed to a 466 percent increase in financing disbursed to women-led businesses and a 16 percent expansion in participating countries.
A Model for Inclusive Communication
Dr. Jemimah Njuki, Director for Gender, Women and Civil Society at the Bank, said the campaign was designed to influence commercial banks to unlock billions in lending for women-owned enterprises. She added that the initiative also strengthened connections between donors and beneficiaries.
The Africa SABRE Awards jury highlighted the creativity and measurable business impact of the campaign. Organizers noted that public relations efforts across Africa are increasingly data-driven and focused on delivering tangible outcomes.
Global Recognition Ahead
As the Bank’s first Africa SABRE Award win, AFAWA Banking on Women will now advance to the Global SABRE Awards. The international competition, scheduled for October in Miami, will honor the world’s top 50 public relations programs.
This latest recognition marks the third major communications award for the AFAWA campaign and the Bank’s twelfth international honor for development-focused storytelling.
The achievement underscores the growing importance of strategic communication in driving inclusive finance and advancing Africa’s broader economic transformation agenda.
