Synopsis Most of the countries in the region are undergoing rapid social and economic change. The obstacles to women’s participation in and benefits from these changes mean that the potential contribution of half of the population of these countries is either unutilized or underutilized, signifying an economic loss to the country. The direct links of expanded opportunities for women, especially in education and income-generating activities, with reduction in population growth, improved health and education of children easing of environmental pressure, improved nutrition,poverty reduction and sustainable development, indicate that under investment in women is an uneconomic proposition. Keeping women at the margins of development could prove detrimental to the overall development efforts and goals of the country. Likewise, improving womens access to financial services contributes to poverty reduction as it enables women to contribute to household income and family welfare, thereby making the transition out of poverty easier for their families. Extending such services to women also makes good economic sense for fincial intermediaries, as women have shown themselves to be better savers, leading to greater savings mobilization and better repayers resulting in fewer bad debts.