Afrishela and Chanzo Capital woo Angel investors to support early growth stage businesses Photo: Entrepreneurs proudly presenting their innovative products at the Angel Fair Across Africa angel investors are becoming powerful catalysts for entrepreneurship. Yet, according to a World Bank report (2019), less than 10% of early-stage businesses receive funding from
The Graça Machel Trust (GMT) convened the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Regional Convening to discuss the importance of digital finance in promoting women's financial inclusion. The event, held virtually on September 14, 2023, under the theme Digital Finance: A Panacea for Women's Financial Inclusion, brought together thought leaders, experts, policymakers, and practitioners
The Graça Machel Trusts' Gender Lens Investment Fund continues to drive innovative blended capital to early growth stage women-owned and led businesses in sectors where women are prevalent. While increasing efforts to build a track record in East and Southern African network activities, the Funds team led by Investment Director Andia Chakava, and Investment Analyst Jane
By Andia Chakava and Eva Warigia Women entrepreneurs make a substantial contribution to the economic growth of a country. While many are yet to achieve their full potential, female-led Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are vibrant through self-financing ‘chamas’ where they pool resources as a group of individuals for investments and loans
The Graça Machel Trust's Investment Team held three entrepreneur roundtables in June, August and November 2021. These sessions pulled together over 33 entrepreneurs from South Africa, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania. Different business sectors, including Agribusiness, Agro-processing, Manufacturing, Renewable Energy, Education, Financial Services, Construction, Health, Technology, Transport, Creative and Mining, attended the sessions.
The Graça Machel Trust held its inaugural Entrepreneur roundtable on 3rd June 2021. The session was led by Andia Chakava, Investment Director, Korkor Cudjoe, Women Creating Wealth Technical Advisor, and Jane Muia, Investment Analyst at the Graça Machel Trust (GMT). The event was aimed at relationship building with entrepreneurs as part of GMTs pipeline development efforts.
On June 3, via a virtual Zoom event, the Graça Machel Trust (GMT) hosted its Inaugural GMT Entrepreneur RoundTable: Understanding the Fundraising Journey - An Entrepreneur and Investor Perspective. The session was run by Andia Chakava the investment Director, Korkor Cudjoe the technical assistant lead, and Jane Muia the investment analyst at the Graça Machel
About the Author: Andia Chakava is the Investment Director at Graça Machel Trust and Investment committee member at OPES LCEF Restart fund, Justice, equality, diversity and inclusion steering committee member at GenderSmart, visiting lecturer at Bertha Centre for social innovation and entrepreneurship and Founding Chairperson of New Faces New Voices Kenya. IMPACT INVESTING IN
The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting children’s rights, to carry out advocacy and action across Africa. Special focus is placed on Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia where child marriage continues to be a problem largely driven by poverty, gender inequality, harmful traditional practices, conflict, low levels of literacy, limited opportunities for girls and weak or non-existent protective and preventive legal frameworks.
Education is a fundamental right for all children, which is also a vehicle for social, economic and political transformation in communities, countries and the African continent at large. Recent studies indicate a lack of progress in some of the critical commitments aimed at improving education quality, access, retention and achievement, particularly for girls. In most African countries, girls may face barriers to learning, especially when they reach post-primary levels of education. By implementing multi-dimensional approaches to education which includes core education, personal development, life skills and economic competencies, the Trust partners with funding partners, governments, civil societies and the private sector to improve education access.
The Nutrition and Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition, (RMNCAH+N) of the Children’s Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescents’ health within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda. The strategy emphasises on the importance of effective country leadership as a common factor across countries making progress in improving the health of women, children and adolescents.
Through its Early Childhood Development (ECD) plan, The Trust will seek to put into action the new science and evidence Report that was presented by Lancet Series on Good and early development – the right of every child. This will be achieved by mobilising like-minded partners to contribute in the new science and evidence to reach all young children with ECD. The Trust’s goal is to be a catalyst for doing things differently, in particular, to rid fragmentation and lack of coordination across ECD sectors. In response to evidence showing the importance of political will in turning the tide against the current poor access and quality of ECD. Even before conception, starting with a mother’s health and social economic conditions, the early years of a child’s life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.