About | Financial Literacy Week

National Initiative

About the Annual Financial Literacy Week (AFLW).

The Annual Financial Literacy Week (AFLW) is a nationwide initiative led by the National Bank of Ethiopia. It is a core program under the National Financial Education Strategy (NFES) and closely aligned with the National Financial Inclusion Strategy II (NFIS-II). The campaign was established to improve the financial well-being of Ethiopians by promoting financial awareness, strengthening consumer protection, and expanding the use of digital financial services. The 2025 edition places particular emphasis on mobile money literacy, with a focus on women, youth, and underserved communities, to enhance trust and access to financial accounts.

As a flagship initiative, FLW brings together financial institutions, government partners, and development organizations to deliver coordinated outreach and education across the country. By integrating gender-disaggregated data tracking, the campaign ensures that progress in financial inclusion is measurable, inclusive, and responsive to national priorities. In doing so, FLW supports Ethiopia’s long-term goals of building a stronger, more accessible, and equitable financial system.

Why Gambella Region?

Gambella region was selected as the launch site for Financial Literacy Week because it serves as a vital regional hub linking both urban and rural communities. While the city is experiencing steady economic growth, many residents—especially those in surrounding rural areas with limited financial literacy —still face barriers to accessing financial services and reliable financial information.

Promoting rural financial education is a key priority under the National Financial Education Strategy. This makes Gambella an ideal starting point for expanding financial awareness, strengthening inclusion, and empowering communities to make informed financial decisions.

October 27–31, 2025: Nationwide Campaign – Kickoff Gambella

Goals & Objectives

Promote mobile money awareness and usage nationwide

Ensure individuals, especially women and underserved groups, understand and benefit from secure, reliable digital financial services.

Women & underserved

Expand women’s access to accounts and services

Drive targeted account-opening campaigns, community engagement, and workplace inclusion to increase access and usage by women.

Gender inclusion

Strengthen public trust and consumer protection

Raise awareness of consumer rights, responsibilities, and redress mechanisms to build confidence in the financial system.

Consumer protection

Foster collaboration among stakeholders

oordinate Financial Service Providers, government bodies, partners, and civil society to advance literacy and inclusion.

Multi-stakeholder

Promote accountability and evidence-based decisions

Collect gender-disaggregated data, surveys, and nationwide tracking to measure inclusivity and impact.

Data & M&E

Empower women and underserved communities

Deliver practical sessions, mobile money demos, and leadership training, including programs for female employees in FIs.

Equity focus

Support youth engagement and job creation

Link financial literacy with entrepreneurship and mentorship to strengthen youth employment opportunities.

Consumer protection

Strengthen financial literacy in schools

Introduce financial education modules into curricula and extracurricular programs to build financial capability from an early age.

Youth education

Gender-Disaggregated Data: Value & Aims

The Value of Gender - Disaggregated Data

Gender-disaggregated data is vital for understanding how different groups of people access, use, and benefit from financial services. Without such data, financial inclusion initiatives risk overlooking specific barriers faced by certain segments of the population. Collecting and analyzing this information enables policymakers, financial service providers (FSPs), and partners to:

Identify gaps in financial literacy, access and usage of financial products and services across different population groups.

Track progress in expanding financial inclusion for underserved communities.

Design products and services that are responsive to varied needs and lived realities.

Strengthen accountability for equity and inclusion in the financial sector.

Provide evidence to support targeted policies and programs that foster broad-based economic participation.

By mainstreaming gender-disaggregated reporting during AFLW 2025, we ensure that participation patterns are visible, measurable, and actionable.

What Financial Literacy Week Aim to Achieve

Through systematic collection of gender-disaggregated data during Financial Literacy Week, we aim to:

Capture participation trends – who are attending sessions, opening accounts, and engaging with mobile money services across different groups.

Assess impact – understand how underserved populations benefit from financial literacy interventions compared to others.

Support evidence-based decision making – provide NBE, FSPs, and partners with accurate insights to refine inclusive finance strategies.

Promote accountability – ensure institutions track and report on equitable outreach.

Build sustainability – establish a baseline for ongoing monitoring and reporting on inclusive financial literacy and consumer protection.

Ultimately, the goal is not only to count participation, but to ensure that the experiences, exposure, needs, and financial capability of diverse groups shape the future of Ethiopia’s financial sector, aligned with the visions of NFES and NEWFin.