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Mobilizing More Capital for African SME Funds: New Research Reveals Persistent Market Constraints — And a Growing Focus on Innovation
Over the past decade, African SME fund managers have experienced remarkable growth, diversifying geographically, across asset classes and in fund structures. However, according to Marianne Vidal-Marin at Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P) and Julia Kho at Triple Jump, SME investing remains challenging across the continent. They share insights from a new I&P report exploring the current SME fund investment landscape in Africa — the first in a series of NextBillion articles on what makes SME finance work across emerging markets, and in Africa in particular.
- Categories
- Investing
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Sierra Club Foundation Announces Break from BlackRock/Aperio In Favor of More Financially Responsible Asset Managers
The decision to switch asset managers follows refusal by BlackRock to address the systemic financial implications of the climate crisis in its investment and stewardship decisions.
- Categories
- Environment, Investing
- Region
- Global
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SEC Drops Proposed Anti-Greenwashing Fund Disclosure Rules
"The announcement marks the latest in a series of moves shifting the SEC away from Gensler’s climate and ESG-focus since the former Chair’s resignation from the Commission . . ."
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
- Region
- North America
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To Truly Innovate, WASH Funders Need to Get Their Hands Dirty: Key Learnings from Five Years of Pioneering Impact-Linked Finance in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
The water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector faces a funding gap of around US $138 billion per year if it hopes to reach SDG 6’s goal of universal WASH access by 2030. According to Arnaud Alt and Annemarie Mastenbroek at Aqua for All, and Christina Moehrle, to address this shortfall, funders need to develop more hands-on financing approaches, working closely with entrepreneurs and organizations to better understand their context, challenges and needs. They explain why Impact-Linked Finance (ILF) represents one such approach, and share two key lessons from Aqua for All's "ILF for WASH" program.
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Prominent Global VC Endeavor Catalyst Is Raising $300 Million, Sources Say
Endeavor Global identifies breakout founders early, provides them with global mentorship and market access, and then backs them.
- Categories
- Investing, Social Enterprise
- Region
- Global
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Press Release: Humentum and MzN International Partner to Strengthen NGO Capacity Against Geopolitical Headwinds
"This partnership is more than the sum of its parts. It is a practical response to the growing need for NGOs to adapt, modernise, and become more sustainable. "
- Categories
- Investing, Social Enterprise
- Region
- Global
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Acumen Invests $1 Million in Somalia’s KIMS to Grow Off-Grid Solar
"Sharia-compliant solar financing to boost energy access in Somalia."
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Africa Must Not Be a Spectator in its Own Economic Development: The Need for Pension-Backed Private Capital
Ghana’s startup ecosystem — like that of many African countries — is growing rapidly. But Amma Gyampo at Ghana Venture Capital and Private Equity Association points out that this growth is almost entirely funded by foreign capital. She argues that recent cuts in global development budgets have proven that over-reliance on foreign funding is not sustainable, and explains how tapping pension funds as a source of venture capital can provide a massive infusion of local funding into the continent's highest-growth businesses.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
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