women’s access to capital and financial services. Some of the windows are as follows; a) The Women’s Micro-Finance Bank The Government of Zimbabwe in 2018 established a Zimbabwe Women’s Micro-Finance Bank whose objectives are to; • Improve access to affordable capital and operational finance by women. • Facilitate financial inclusion by decentralising the banking system so that it becomes accessible to the majority of women who reside in the rural or remote areas. b) The Women’s Development Fund. The Government has continued to implement the Women’s Development Fund which is a credit facility for marginalised women particularly those who live in the rural areas. The credit facility has relaxed collateral requirements whereby women beneficiaries guarantee each other. The interest rates for the loans are also very low to attract marginalised women to access. c) The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Loan Facility In 2016 the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe launched the Financial Inclusion Strategy and has put in place the following loan facilities targeted at improving women’s access to capital, means of production and employment opportunities-: i. $15 million Women Empowerment Fund ii. $10 million Horticulture Facility; iii. $40 million Gold Mobilisation Facility; iv. $50 million Export Facility; v. $10 million Business Linkage Facility and vi. $15 million Cross Border Facility. 10.12 These facilities are accessed through Microfinance Institutions, Deposit Taking Microfinance Institutions and Commercial Banks. Page | 95

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