• Our Programmes

    Crosscutting Themes

Investing in women, youth and fragile contexts

In our commitment to building resilience, we focus on the most vulnerable and disenfranchised members of Africa’s rural and marginalised communities: women, youth and those living in fragile states and contexts.

We are working to tackle gender-based inequalities that continue to frustrate progress in agriculture and renewable energy, as well as youth unemployment that threatens to undermine their demographic dividend. Our goal is to overcome the structural bias that exists in society today by generating empowerment and employment.

We also work in fragile contexts where our work is driven by courage, and by the conviction that people in these communities are as deserving as those in thriving economies. Private sector development is essential to achieving progress and stability in conflict-affected environments. With a strong track record in entering nascent markets, we specialise in de-risking and attracting investment to create positive impact in fragile states.

Since 2012, our investment in fragile, frontier markets has benefitted over 4 million people, creating over 795 additional jobs and generating US$ 5.8 million in wages, with a total benefit of around US$ 25.6 million.

Ongoing Programmes

    Investing in Women in Benin and Burkina Faso

    Investing in Women in Benin and Burkina Faso (IIW-B&BF) is a six-year gender transformative and economic inclusion programme funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) to improve women entrepreneurs’ participation and economic resilience in a greener economy.

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    Sudan SME Catalyser

    The Sudan SME Catalyser with an initial €12.5 million from the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) via KfW, seeks to support SMEs in Sudan that are relocating from areas of conflict to more stable parts of the country. 

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    Investing In Women in the Blue Economy in Kenya

    The Investing in Women in the Blue Economy in Kenya (IIW-BEK) is a programme that aims to contribute to enhanced economic empowerment of women-owned enterprises, their suppliers, and producers along key supply chains where women are discriminated against in the blue economy in Kenya.

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    Nkwanzi Scaling Women SMEs Project

    Nkwanzi Scaling Women SMEs Project is part of AECF Nkwanzi programme​. The programme was designed to address the unique capacity needs of women to enable them lead effectively and scale their business operations. ​

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    Kakuma Kalobeyei Challenge Fund (KKCF)

    The Kakuma Kalobeyei Challenge Fund (KKCF), a five-year program of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), is designed to unlock the economic potential of refugees and their hosts, in Turkana County by increasing private sector investments.

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