Dr Amaleya had an interview with Natalie Afrika
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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.
Key Themes:
• 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, Natalie 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.
• 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, Natalie 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. Even though laws may change, culture still needs to reform for gender equality norms 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.
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 center of economic opportunity and prosperity.
Key Themes:
• 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, Natalie 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.
• 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, Natalie 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. Even though laws may change, culture still needs to reform for gender equality norms 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.
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 center of economic opportunity and prosperity.
