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1 week ago | 
impactalpha.com | Lucy Ngige
Around 20% of the Amazon rainforest, one of the world’s largest carbon sinks, has been deforested and degraded. Experts worry the forest is reaching a “tipping point,” after which it will be unable to regenerate itself. Sao Paulo-based reforestation company Mombak leases and purchases deforested land, restores it by planting native trees, and sells credits based on the carbon removal it achieves.
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1 week ago | 
impactalpha.com | Lucy Ngige
Animal feed production in central Kenya. Dairy production in the nearby Rift Valley. Tractor financing for Kenyan and Nigerian farmers. Global agriculture NGO Heifer International isn’t known as an impact investor, but with these and other projects, it’s applying catalytic impact financing tools to demonstrate the investability of Africa’s farmers, agriculture businesses and startups.
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1 week ago | 
impactalpha.com | Lucy Ngige
The Nigeria-based fund manager ARM-Harith, helps infrastructure developers in West Africa with project equity and project development financing. The firm is in the market with a planned $200 million Climate and Transition Infrastructure Fund, or ACT Fund. FSD Africa Investments,a UK government-backed investment firm, invested £10 million ($13.2 million) in with a goal of crowding in Nigerian pension funds.
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2 weeks ago | 
impactalpha.com | Lucy Ngige
Tokunboh Ishmael isn’t dispirited by the forecasts of private equity fundraising. Market volatility is compounding an already difficult environment for private equity and venture capital fund managers. But Ishmael, who spent more than five years trying to raise one of Africa’s first gender-lens private equity funds, is accustomed to “difficult.” Her firm, Alitheia Capital, is working toward the launch of its second fund and a goal of $200 million—double its first fund.
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2 weeks ago | 
impactalpha.com | Lucy Ngige
Inclusion has always been just the starting point for gender-lens strategies. As organizations work to bring more women into financial systems and better economic opportunities, more are now taking on the systemic issues that prevent women from having the right services, jobs and resources. Take Africa’s agriculture sector as an example. Women make up 80% of the labor force in some countries, but are often restricted from owning land or making critical decisions to support their livelihoods.
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2 weeks ago | 
impactalpha.com | Lucy Ngige
Nigeria’s AgroEknor sources hibiscus, ginger and sesame from a network of 5,000 smallholder farmers, 70% of whom are women. It then processes and exports their products to Europe, Asia, and North America. The company is one of an increasing number of African businesses looking to meet their growth capital needs locally. The company listed in February a five billion naira ($3.3 million) bond on the Financial Markets Dealers Quotation exchange.
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2 weeks ago | 
impactalpha.com | Lucy Ngige
The California-based startup, launched by Baiju Bhatt, former co-CEO of the trading site Robinhood, is seeking to capture space’s abundant solar energy for energy-poor locations. Aetherflux is developing a constellation of small satellites that can transmit solar power to ground substations with infrared lasers. Its technology is an improvement over microwave-based transmission, which requires larger ground stations,Bhatt explained in a blog post.
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2 weeks ago | 
impactalpha.com | Lucy Ngige
Despite a surge in rooftop solar installations in India, businesses struggle to make the switch because of the high upfront costs of installing solar panels. Aerem is improving access to specialized solar financing for commercial and industrial solar customers through its own financing arm, Netzero Finance, and through partner banks like Bank of Baroda. The company offers collateral-free loans of 500,000 to 10 million rupees ($5,800 to $117,000) to businesses.
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3 weeks ago | 
impactalpha.com | Lucy Ngige
In just five years, Nairobi-based FarmWorks has evolved from a produce grower to one of Kenya’s largest local food distributors. It connects some 4,000 smallholder farmers with finance, inputs, and training as well as reliable access to markets, including the country’s sprawling network of informal produce sellers. Dutch family office and impact investor DOB Equity invested an undisclosed amount in the female-led startup to help expand its network of farmers and improve its technology offerings.
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3 weeks ago | 
impactalpha.com | Lucy Ngige
The UK-based financial services firm has a $1 billion portfolio of impact products geared towards emerging markets. A new debt strategy focused on nature conservation and social infrastructure will make it possible for defined-contribution retirement account holders in the UK to make impact investments in emerging markets. The Nature and Social Outcomes fund invests in marine, forestry and habitat conservation, as well as health, education and water projects.
