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Viewpoint: Beyond Grants and Impact Investments, There’s a Growing Interest in Africa
As at 2014, the UNDP estimated that at least $8 billion had come into Africa via impact investment. Yet, there’s still a huge gap of $100 billion annually needed to support Africa’s much needed growth.
- Categories
- Investing, Social Enterprise
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- impact investing, scale
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South Africa’s Planet42 Raises $10 Million in Debt Round to Scale Internationally
The South Africa-based Planet42, a car subscription company that helps individuals ignored by banks to get access to a personal vehicle, has announced a US$10 million debt funding round to help it scale its operations and move into new markets.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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UNICEF and Microsoft Launch Improved, Scalable Technology to Protect Vulnerable Children and Women Amid Rise in Domestic and Gender-Based Violence Due to COVID-19
Primero, an innovative online and offline application, empowers social workers to help more children.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Investing, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- impact investing, scale, youth
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Maker Spaces vs. COVID-19: How the Pandemic Is Bringing the Small Manufacturing Revolution to the Development Sector
When COVID-19 first struck, it soon became apparent that there wasn’t enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to go around. As Kuldeep Bandhu Aryal and Nishat Tasnim at BRAC point out, this has resulted in price gouging and acute scarcity, in Bangladesh and other developing (and developed) countries. They explore BRAC's innovative solution to this problem: collaborating with maker spaces and other small manufacturers to produce PPE locally and affordably.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Health Care, Technology
- Tags
- COVID-19, manufacturing, scale
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Zambian Startup Widenergy Raises New Funding to Scale Its Impact
Zambian startup WidEnergy, a woman-led for-profit social enterprise dedicated to female empowerment and the expansion of affordable energy access, has raised a new round of funding to help scale its impact.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Data + Digitization: The Key To Helping African Banks and Microfinance Institutions Support Their Customers During COVID-19
Thanks to COVID-19, the IMF projects 2020 to be the worst year for Africa's economic growth since its record-keeping began in 1970. And concerns are also mounting about the likelihood of an increase in non-performing loans, which will impact businesses, industries and individuals across the continent. Cate Rung at Pngme explores how financial technology – including a unified data API platform – can help banks and microfinance institutions weather this crisis, while delivering services that comply with social distancing measures.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology
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Press Release: CrossBoundary Energy Fully Exits First Fund at 15% Net Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Raises $40 Million To Continue To Scale Financed Solar for Businesses in Africa
CrossBoundary Energy (CBE) today announced the exit of its first fund at a 15% net IRR to investors. ARCH Emerging Markets Partners’ Africa Renewable Power Fund (ARCH ARPF) is providing $40M in new equity funding to exit initial investors and support CrossBoundary Energy to continue to develop, construct and operate distributed commercial & industrial (C&I) solar projects that will provide businesses across Africa with access to cheaper, cleaner power.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: The State of Blended Finance 2020 Addresses Ways To Turbocharge the Market To Achieve Scale and Advance the SDGs
Convergence, the global network for blended finance, launched the 4th edition of the State of Blended Finance today.
- Categories
- Investing
- Tags
- blended finance, impact investing, scale, SDGs
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