Shaping Inclusive Economies: G20 2025 Summit Targets Women’s Financial Rights

South Africa is set to host one of the most significant global platforms for gender and economic transformation this week as the G20 Financial Inclusion and Women Empowerment Conference 2025 commences at the Sun City Resort in the North West Province. Running from 6 to 9 May 2025, the event marks a decisive effort under South Africa’s G20 Presidency to center women's economic empowerment through inclusive financial systems.

A Unifying Global Platform Under South Africa’s G20 Chairship

The high-level conference brings together two pivotal initiatives—the 2nd Empowerment of Women Working Group (EWWG) meeting and the Financial Inclusion Conference—into a unified agenda aimed at reshaping global financial structures to better serve women.

This effort is led by South Africa’s Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD), in strategic partnership with the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). The collaboration aims to establish a Guidelines Framework for Mainstreaming Women’s Priorities—a policy tool designed to influence G20 economic strategies by embedding women’s empowerment at their core.

The 2025 edition builds upon the momentum of the 2024 Conference in Brazil, setting a path for the inclusion of gender-responsive financial frameworks within G20 nations and beyond.

Driving Forward the Global Development Agenda

The conference aligns with South Africa’s G20 priority—EWWG Priority 2: Promoting the Financial Inclusion of and for Women—and complements key international and continental frameworks including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 5, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and South Africa’s National Development Plan (NDP) 2030.

With the global community now in the final five-year stretch to achieve the SDGs, particularly SDG 5 on gender equality and women’s empowerment, the conference is expected to serve as a springboard for accelerated and measurable actions.

High-Level Participation and Key Themes

The four-day event will convene an esteemed group of international policymakers, academic experts, entrepreneurs, youth leaders, and civil society organizations. As noted by the DWYPD, the sessions will promote best practice exchange and affirm South Africa’s unwavering commitment to gender equality.

Core themes under discussion include:

• Economic Policy and the Care Economy: Addressing both paid and unpaid care responsibilities as barriers to women’s economic participation.

• Advancing Financial Inclusion for Women: Exploring scalable models to enhance women’s access to financial products and services.

• Combatting Gender-Based Violence and Femicide: Tackling socio-economic obstacles stemming from violence and discrimination.

These conversations are not only essential for national progress but also for advancing international commitments to inclusive and equitable development.

Academic Track: A Catalyst for Evidence-Based Action

A standout component of this year’s program is the Academic Track, coordinated by the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development at TUT. Spearheaded by Dr Patrick Ebewo, Co-Chairperson of the G20 Conference, the Academic Track aims to inject rigor and empirical insight into policy debates.

“This conference offers a unique opportunity for policymakers, academics, and advocates to develop practical strategies for reshaping financial ecosystems and promoting economic justice for women,” said Dr Ebewo.

The Academic Track will feature a series of plenary sessions, research presentations, and policy dialogues, creating a dynamic platform for knowledge exchange and practical innovation.

Key objectives include:

• Developing Evidence-Based Solutions: Generating research-backed strategies that tackle structural barriers to financial inclusion.

• Policy Integration: Translating academic findings into actionable policy tools and inclusive financial products.

• Fostering Cross-Sector Collaboration: Engaging stakeholders from academia, government, industry, and civil society.

• Leveraging Global and Regional Learnings: Drawing on diverse international case studies—especially from developing nations—to identify adaptable interventions.

• Aligning with G20 EWWG Goals: Ensuring that academic outputs support measurable progress toward women’s empowerment under the G20 framework.

A Decade of the SDGs: The Time for Bold Action

As the world marks ten years since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the urgency of scaling transformative change has never been greater. SDG 5, which seeks to eliminate gender-based disparities and ensure full and equal participation of women in all domains, is a focal point of the conference’s agenda.

The DWYPD has reiterated its resolve to use South Africa’s G20 Chairship to accelerate the achievement of SDG 5, stating that the dual-track approach—policy and academic—is central to crafting practical, measurable, and impactful solutions.

With only five years left to meet global targets, the G20 Financial Inclusion and Women Empowerment Conference 2025 is positioned as a landmark event with far-reaching influence. By combining high-level policymaking with academic rigor and grassroots perspectives, the event promises to shape the next era of inclusive global economic reform—with women at the heart of the conversation.