The Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender & Community Development was mandated by the Government of Zimbabwe under the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (ZIMASSET), to strengthen and/or establish mechanisms for women to effectively participate and benefit from various empowerment programmes. The idea of a Women’s Bank was first put forward in 1982 by the Ministry of Community Development and Women’s Affairs, as a means by which rural women could get access to credit facilities.