DIFC and AIWF Launch Women in Family Leadership Program

The DIFC Family Wealth Centre and the Arab International Women’s Forum have introduced a program designed to enhance women’s involvement in family business governance across the MENA region. The initiative was unveiled during a roundtable event focused on women-led family businesses, held at the Dubai International Financial Centre on 5 October 2026.

Challenges and Opportunities

Family businesses constitute a significant portion of the MENA economy, yet women remain underrepresented in leadership and governance roles. The Women in Family Leadership and Governance Programme aims to address this disparity by providing frameworks for women to assume greater decision-making responsibilities within family enterprises. Key components include mentorship opportunities, legal and financial training, and networking platforms tailored to the unique challenges faced by women in family business succession planning.

The program also seeks to align with broader regional efforts to promote gender equality in economic leadership. By integrating international best practices with local cultural contexts, it addresses barriers such as traditional gender roles, access to capital, and institutional biases that hinder women’s advancement in family business governance. These barriers are particularly pronounced in the MENA region, where family-owned enterprises dominate private sector activity but often operate within patriarchal structures that limit women’s roles to advisory or non-decision-making capacities.

Significance for the MENA Economy

Family businesses in the MENA region contribute significantly to GDP and employment, with estimates suggesting they account for over 70% of private sector activity in some GCC countries. Increasing women’s participation in their leadership structures could amplify economic productivity, innovation, and resilience. This shift aligns with regional policy goals, including Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the UAE’s National Strategy for Women Empowerment, which emphasize diversifying economic participation and reducing gender gaps.

For financial institutions and regulators, the program highlights an emerging opportunity to develop specialized products and services catering to women-led family businesses. These could include tailored investment vehicles, succession planning tools, and compliance frameworks that address the unique needs of female business leaders. However, the announcement did not disclose specific financial terms, regulatory approvals, or implementation timelines for the program.

What Wasn’t Disclosed

The program’s details remain opaque on several fronts. No figures were provided regarding the estimated cost of the initiative, the number of participants expected to be enrolled, or the geographic scope of its outreach beyond the MENA region. Additionally, the announcement did not clarify whether the program would be funded by public or private entities, nor did it specify the criteria for selecting participants or the duration of the training modules. These gaps leave questions about the program’s scalability, sustainability, and immediate impact on the target demographic.