This week on Womanity – Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka speaks with Natalie Africa, a leading advocate for women’s economic empowerment and Interim Director for Economic Opportunity at the Gates Foundation. The conversation offers listeners a deep dive into how economic transformation on the African continent can be accelerated through inclusive financial systems, agricultural innovation, and the dismantling of institutional and cultural barriers to women's progress.

The Gates Foundation’s Role in Africa

Ms Africa reflects on her five-year journey at the Foundation, starting in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. She shares how the crisis deepened her understanding of the Foundation's agility and its extensive networks, particularly in health. Since then, the Foundation has significantly expanded its presence on the continent to work closer with partners, tripling its staff in Africa and opening new offices to better respond to development challenges.

Economic Opportunity and Women’s Empowerment

Now leading the Economic Opportunity division, Ms Africa explains the Gates Foundation’s integrated approach to development. Her portfolio spans agricultural development, digital public infrastructure, financial inclusion, and women’s economic empowerment. She emphasizes the importance of breaking silos - such as linking agricultural projects more intentionally with women's economic participation and financial access. For more than a decade the Gates Foundation has supported the Women’s Empowerment In Agriculture Index https://www.ifpri.org/project/weai/ , which is a tool that gives a comprehensive understanding of real issues and how to address them

Barriers to Financial Independence for African Women

The conversation delves into the major barriers facing women - legal constraints, cultural norms, and patriarchal systems. While South Africa and other countries have revised discriminatory laws, Ms Africa stresses that cultural change often lags behind legal reform. Women remain disadvantaged in accessing land, capital, skills, and equal pay. Even where women contribute significant unpaid labour, their economic value often goes unrecognized, women are still not paid on equal terms to men. Despite legislative changes, culture still needs to reform for gender equality to take effect in society. Historically we come from a patriarchal history, where the means of economic production like land, property, capital and skills are still limited for women.

Systemic Approaches to Policy and Institutional Change

The Gates Foundation does not implement projects directly but works through partners, including UN Women, academic institutions, and advocacy groups. Ms Africa outlines the Foundation’s support for governments adopting national women’s economic empowerment policies, reforming agricultural laws, and improving access to credit—especially for women-led small enterprises. She highlights collaborations with central banks and ministries of finance to lower the cost of capital and foster financial inclusion.

We discuss how technology enables economic inclusion and advancement. For instance how climate smart technologies such as solar powered milling equipment and irrigation systems not only contribute to production efficiencies but also more nutrient rich foods cultivated by women. We also hypothesise how a digital ID and appropriate data collection could radically benefit women in accessing facilities.

Natalie Africa’s insights underscore the urgent need for a multi-layered approach to women’s economic empowerment. Legal reform, policy innovation, cultural transformation, and institutional inclusion must go hand-in-hand. As African economies recover and rebuild post-pandemic, women must be placed at the centre of economic opportunity and prosperity.

Tune in for more…