First Lady Jeannette Kagame, together with former South African First Lady Graça Machel, are today expected to launch 'New Faces, New Voices' Rwanda Chapter, a Pan-African advocacy group that focuses on expanding the role and influence of women in the financial sector.

New Faces, New Voices is a movement that was founded by Machel in 2010 in partnership with the African Development Bank and other Global Institutions to change the financial status of women.

Speaking at a dinner in honour of Machel in Kigali, yesterday, the head of New Faces, New Voices Rwanda Chapter, Dr Monique Nsazabaganwa, said, "We are very happy to be part of this initiative of which we have already made headways toward this cause.”

New Faces, New Voices is an initiative that actively engages key stakeholders in the financial sector in order to achieve its goals of increasing women’s access to finance and a variety of financial products, build the capacity and skills of women as entrepreneurs, consumers and investors to access finance, and fast-track the number of women in leadership positions in the financial sector.

Rwanda’s vision is having women co-create their full financial inclusion and reach their economic potential, officials say.

New Faces, New Voices will be launched under the theme "Transformative Financial Solutions for Women.”

It will be preceded by an international conference hosted under the patronage of Mrs Kagame and Machel.

The conference is expected to draw 350 delegates from financial institutions, leading women in business, financial sector and professionals, development organisations, policy makers, global partners and eminent researchers.

It aims at creating a forum to share experiences, learn from peers, discuss the role of women in the financial sector and generate transformative ideas to close the gaps in financial literacy and access to financing.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw