Banco Comercial e de Investimentos (BCI) has reaffirmed its commitment to women's economic empowerment, highlighting financing, market access and integration into value chains as essential factors for converting women's economic potential into concrete income-generation and development opportunities.
The bank's position was presented at the VIII National Conference on Women and Gender, held on 9 and 10 September in Maputo, which brought together more than 500 women from across the country alongside representatives of national institutions, cooperation partners and international panellists.
As a conference sponsor, BCI participated in the panel dedicated to the theme 'Economic Empowerment through Rural Value Chains and Climate Resilience – Policies, Financing and Market Access', contributing the financial sector's perspective on ways to broaden women's participation in the economy.
Representing BCI, Maiasse de Deus, the bank's Women Champion and director of the Markets Room Office, underlined the importance of ensuring that women have access not only to financing but also to instruments, markets and opportunities that enable them to develop sustainable and competitive businesses.
In this context, BCI's experience in agribusiness financing was highlighted. The institution has been active in the sector for more than two decades, supporting different stakeholders and stages of productive cycles. In a country where women play a decisive role in agricultural production, processing and commercialisation, facilitating access to financial resources can contribute to income and employment generation as well as to the dynamism of local economies.
Among the instruments presented were the Mutual Guarantee Fund, the BCI Sustainable Credit Line, the BCI-FINOVA Agribusiness Credit Line and FECOP – the Portuguese Cooperation Business Fund — instruments designed to address the varying needs of businesses and projects, including initiatives linked to value chains and sustainability.
Organised around the themes of 'Zero Violence' and 'Liberation from Poverty', the VIII National Conference on Women and Gender served as a dialogue platform on the challenges that continue to constrain women's participation in the economy and in the country's broader development.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/09/11/economia/responsabilidade-social/bci-reforca-aposta-no-empoderamento-economico-das-mulheres/
