Economic empowerment of

women in PSDI
Dr Vijaya Nagarajan, Senior Gender Expert
Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative
Manila, 21 July
The views expressed in this presentation are the views of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Asian
Development Bank (ADB), or its Board of Governors, or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data
included in this paper and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. The countries listed in this paper do not imply any view on
ADB's part as to sovereignty or independent status or necessarily conform to ADB's terminology.

Background

Private Sector Development Initiative

Business law
reforms

Financing growth

SOE & PPP

Competition law

Economic
Empowerment
of women

EEOW has two paths 4 pilots

Fisheries &
supply chain

Corporate
Governance

Pilots

Starting up
businesses

Business
leadership

Corporate governance pilot, Solomon

Islands 2014-15

Fisheries & supply

chain, PNG 20152016

Women in informal
sector
Linking loans to skills,
markets, mentoring

Starting up businesses solar technicians in Solomon Islands

Business Leadership, Tonga 2015-2016

Three aims
skills training, mentoring, and networking
commitment from Tongan businesses to
increasing the participation and progress of
women
establish links between Australian and Tongan
businesswomen contributing to their
development and their businesses

Integrating EEOW into core areas

Private Sector Development

Initiative
Business law
reforms

Financing
growth

SOE & PPP

Competition
law

Business Law Reforms

One person company introduced
Business Names legislation amended
Online business and company registries

1200
1000
800
women directors

600

women shareholders
400
200
0
2010

Where to now

2015

Competition & consumer policy

Issues Paper 1 Consumer Protection and EEOW
(July 2015)
Levels of awareness
Rights to remedies
Informal economy and laws reach

http://www.ccfreview.info/

Finance and women

Interest rate is too
high
Lack of securities
Loan amount
inadequate

Fiji PNG Solomons Samoa Tonga Vanuatu

26% 41% 33% 17% 28% 56%
13% 19% 28%
10% 7% 11%

33% 28% 6%
11% 0 0

Secured transactions laws

1800

1600

1400

1200

2011

1000

2015
800

600

400

200

0
Equal W&M

Majority W

Majority M

Sustainable markets & EEOW

Awareness borrowers and financiers
Concessional finance
Increasing market access