Hand in Hand CEO Makes the Case for Betting Big on Women-Led Micro-Businesses

In a wide-ranging conversation hosted by Devex, Amalia Johnson, CEO of Hand in Hand International, laid out a data-driven argument for a fundamental shift in how banks, governments and development funders treat women's microenterprises — not as charity, but as scalable economic engines. Johnson pointed to a critical gap in financial services, accelerator programs that triple women's incomes in a year, and a new strategic plan to reach 40,000 women globally by 2030.

• Hand in Hand's accelerator programs triple women's income from roughly $5/day to $15/day within 12 months, placing participants in Kenya's top 10% income bracket

• A "missing middle" in lending leaves women stranded: those needing $2,000–$20,000 to scale find virtually no financial products, despite default rates of just 2%

• Hand in Hand unveils 2030 strategic plan targeting 40,000 new women globally, building on 10,000 already served in East Africa

• Johnson challenges the "entrepreneurs out of necessity" framing, arguing women micro-entrepreneurs are ambitious businesswomen whose growth potential is systematically underestimated

For two decades, Hand in Hand International has worked alongside women small business owners across East Africa. Kate, the Devex moderator, framed the organization's track record at the top of the conversation: "Their incredible work has lasted for 20 years where they have walked alongside women small business owners who have helped raise themselves out of poverty and in the meantime create more than 12.6 million jobs."