African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA)

🌙 𝐄𝐢𝐝 𝐌𝐮𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐤 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐀𝐕𝐏𝐀! 🎉 Wishing you a day filled with joy, connection, and abundant blessings! Eid reminds us that when we come together, we create something truly meaningful. Enjoy the celebrations, the feasts 🍛, and the laughter—may this Eid bring you prosperity and purpose!💛 #EidMubarak #ImpactThroughCollaboration #SustainableGrowth #AVPA

On Wednesday, our Regional Director, Southern Africa, Matebe Chisiza, joined a powerful conversation at the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) side event in Pretoria. The event was hosted by our Global Alliance partner, Women's World Banking, in collaboration with FinMark Trust and South Africa’s National Treasury. The event focused on "Moving the Needle: Advancing Financial Inclusion, from Access to Usage." The discussions emphasized that financial inclusion must drive economic empowerment, particularly for women and youth. While expanding access is not enough, the financial products must be designed for long-term impact. Data-driven insights are key to shaping solutions that genuinely serve women, but their true value lies in actionable implementation. Beyond formal banking, informal financial systems like savings groups and fintech solutions remain vital. Additionally, blended finance can unlock private sector capital, proving that investing in women yields strong financial returns. However, success should be measured by business growth, not just loan disbursement. Ultimately, collaboration among financial institutions, investors, and regulators is crucial to creating policies that remove barriers and incentivize gender-smart financial solutions. This month, we hosted a webinar on gender-smart investing. If you're interested in learning more or staying updated on future webinars, please fill out the linked Google form: https://lnkd.in/dCfyvD78 📷Pictures courtesy of FinMark Trust. #FinancialInclusion #GenderFinance #ImpactInvesting #G20 #FinancialEmpowerment  #MovingTheNeedle #BeyondAccess

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠? This week, African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA), in partnership with Impact Frontiers, hosted an Impact Reporting Masterclass. Over 900 participants registered to explore how impact reporting can be an effective tool in driving meaningful change. The session imparted attendees with expert insights on best practices and key frameworks, guiding them on enhancing their reporting for greater transparency and accountability. A huge thank you to all attendees, and our moderators:- Nasri Adam, Director of Impact & Communications (Pan-Africa) & East Africa Region Director at AVPA, and Matt Ripley, Director at Impact Frontiers. We also extend our gratitude to our esteemed speakers: Evelyn Castle, CEO & Co-Founder of eha Impact Ventures; Noura Bakkour, Head of ESG & Impact at SPE Capital ; Serah Joy Malaba, BSc, GeMBA, MPH, PhD (c), Chief Impact Officer at Tiko; Gwendolyn Zorn, Head of Impact at Acre Impact Capital; and Henry Vehslage, Manager of Signatory Engagement & Communications at Impact Principles. Your invaluable insights shed light on best practices across large fund implementation organisations, enriching the discussion on impact and transparency. If a course or structured learning opportunity were available, would you be keen to participate? Please take a moment to fill out the form linked below if you are interested in learning more about impact reporting. Link to the form: https://lnkd.in/dT-tvH5N #ImpactReporting #AVPA #SocialInvestment #Transparency #Sustainability 

𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐖𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐒𝐄 2025!📍 Our West Africa team is in full swing at the 7th West Africa Cold Chain Summit & Exhibition— WACCSE at the Landmark Centre, Lagos! 🔹 Happening today: The OTACCWA—AVPA Deal Room, an exclusive space designed to connect high-impact businesses with purpose-driven investors, enabling sustainable cold chain solutions across West Africa. 🔹 Yesterday’s highlight: AVPA hosted a dynamic panel discussion on innovative investment models and blended finance solutions to fortify agribusiness and cold chain infrastructure in West Africa. Stay tuned for more updates, and let’s keep driving impact together! #WACCSE2025 #ColdChain #SustainableInvesting #AVPA #ImpactFinance Tochukwu Ezeukwu Chinedu Monaira Allinson Jayeola Adekoya Oluyomi Banjo Alexander Isong Organization for Technology Advancement of Cold Chain in West Africa (OTACCWA)

𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: 𝐁𝐃𝐎 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐄𝐱𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 – 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 & 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 Manufacturing Africa, in collaboration with BDO East Africa, is conducting a study to explore equity exits across the continent. The study will focus on the financial structures that have been successfully implemented. The aim is to understand the challenges investors and businesses face when exiting equity exposures and to identify model structures that have worked in practice. These two organisations are seeking input from stakeholders—whether through data, case studies, or anecdotal experiences—on the financial mechanisms and strategies that have facilitated successful exits. This could include pre-planned exit structures, buybacks, sales to strategic investors, or restructuring efforts that have enabled smoother transitions. Additionally, they want to understand the barriers that hinder successful exits and explore ways to overcome them. By gathering these insights, the study aims to provide practical recommendations and assess how our program can support businesses and investors in navigating exits more effectively. BDO East Africa and Manufacturing Africa welcome contributions from industry experts, investors, and businesses who have firsthand experience in structuring and executing equity exits in the African market. For more information and to send your contributions, please email Fadzayi.Musanhu@bdo-ifi.com #MemberWednesday #AVPA #BDOEastAfrica #ManufacturingAfrica Membership Leads - Inez Wakungwi (East Africa), Chinedu Monaira Allinson (West Africa) & Zinhle Ngwenya (Southern Africa).

𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝 The Livelihood Impact Lab is a funding and capacity-building portfolio of the Livelihood Impact Fund dedicated to increasing incomes by investing unrestricted funding in high-potential African organisations. Livelihood Impact Fund also provides tailored technical assistance and strategic support to help these organisations improve their Return on Investment in income and expand their impact. Their Approach at the Lab:  🔹Strategic Investment – 3 years unrestricted grants ($50K-$250K per year, depending on the organisation’s need). 🔹Targeted Support – Funding, expertise, and mentoring tailored to each organisation’s needs of up to $50k a year. Eligibility Criteria:  🔹Annual operating budget of $150K to $1M. 🔹Beyond proof of concept with functional team structures. 🔹Programs that hit the 5x ROI on Income benchmark. Organisations are encouraged to use the Lab ROI Estimator tool to assess their ROI on the income measure - ROI Estimator: https://lnkd.in/d5YcTj35  🔹Initial impact evidence, even if anecdotal, with commitment to strengthening data and M&E systems. 🔹Clear ambition to scale, with a current reach of 300+ people and a vision to expand nationally, regionally, or globally. #MemberWednesday #AVPA #LivelihoodImpactFund Membership Leads - Inez Wakungwi (East Africa), Chinedu Monaira Allinson (West Africa) & Zinhle Ngwenya (Southern Africa).

📢 Unlock the Power of Impact Measurement with Nation Builder At AVPA, we connect changemakers with the right tools to drive real impact, and this masterclass is one you won’t want to miss! Measuring social impact effectively is key to driving meaningful change. Join Nation Builder’s Introduction to Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL)—an interactive online masterclass designed to equip you with the tools and knowledge to enhance your impact measurement strategy. Whether you're an emerging M&E professional, an impact funder, a non-profit organisation leader, a social impact leader, or anyone passionate about driving meaningful change, this course will provide you with practical frameworks, expert guidance, and peer learning opportunities to take your impact to the next level. Date: Friday, 04 April 2025 Time: 9 AM SAST | 10 AM EAT | 8 AM WAT | 7 AM UTC Cost: R350 for members & R700 for non-members. 🔗Secure your spot today: Register Here https://lnkd.in/d8GgQafW ℹ️For more information, contact: maurisa@nationbuilder.co.za #ImpactInvesting #AVPA #SocialImpact #MEL #ImpactMeasurement #NationBuilder #MemberWednesday Membership Leads - Zinhle Ngwenya (Southern Africa), Chinedu Monaira Allinson (West Africa) & Inez Wakungwi (East Africa).

💡 Elzé van Achterbergh, Viridian’s Research Associate, recently attended an African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA) webinar on gender-smart investing in Africa, moderated by Matebe Chisiza. The session featured a panel of women making an impact in the African investment space. Here are 4 key takeaways from the event: 1️⃣ There is a common assumption that dealflow of gender-lens/ gender-smart businesses will be an issue. However, according to Lelemba Phiri from ATG Samata, as well as many other funds in the space, this assumption is incorrect. Viridian’s findings in the Women Angel Investors in Africa: Barriers and Enablers report confirms this. 2️⃣ Climate change disproportionately affects women, especially in Africa. This makes it essential for gender-lens investing to include climate considerations. Jenni Chamberlain - CEO of Altree Capital - shared how her organisation integrates gender and climate metrics into the due diligence process. Jenni also introduced MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates)’s Rapid Assessment Survey, a free tool that evaluates gender equity in organisations (link in comments). 3️⃣ Social conditioning creates blind spots for everyone, including women. Monica Musonda, founder and CEO of Java Foods, shed light on the importance of being introspective when applying a gender-lens. She gave the example of recruitment, where even the phrasing of job descriptions can impact the number of women applicants. Monica also stressed the importance of understanding the local context—policies, regulations, and cultures—all of which influence women founders' access to finance. 4️⃣ Gender-lens investing is not a “tick-box” activity but a thorough process to understand how businesses foster gender equity. Lastly, Kate Perkins from British International Investment spoke about how her organisation evaluates businesses. She shared that gender-smart businesses might introduce initiatives that support all genders, but especially women, such as providing workplace crèches to help parents save time and costs. Thanks to AVPA for an insightful and thought provoking session. At Viridian, we are inspired to continue ensuring that our support for women-led businesses translates into tangible, equitable outcomes across all our programmes.🌱

Have you ever wondered how to write an 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 effectively? The webinar starts in an hour. Don't miss this interactive session! Register now: https://lnkd.in/dy_VKxGZ

The 7th West Africa Cold Chain Summit & Exhibition (WACCSE 2025), starts tomorrow at the Landmark Centre in Lagos, Nigeria. On Wednesday, 26th March, AVPA will host a panel discussion titled "Financing the Future of Cold Chain: Unlocking Capital for Sustainable Food Systems." This session will delve into the critical ways of exploring investment models and blended finance solutions to strengthen agribusiness and chain infrastructure in West Africa. The panel discussion will start at 1:00 PM WAT. To reserve your spot and gain valuable insights into the future of impact investment in West African cold chain and agriculture, kindly register here https://lnkd.in/emWjW74R Organization for Technology Advancement of Cold Chain in West Africa (OTACCWA) Tochukwu Ezeukwu Chinedu Monaira Allinson Jayeola Adekoya  #ImpactInvestment #Agribusiness #BlendedFinance #WACCSE2025 #OTACCWA #AVPA