Africa
Photo by GMAC.
Dealflow | January 23, 2023
Bamboo Capital’s Build Fund backs Green Mountain Arabica Coffee in Rwanda
ImpactAlpha, January 23 — In Rwanda’s Karenge region, women-owned Green Mountain Arabica Coffee exports green unroasted coffee beans that it sources from 1,200 …
Photo Triodos Investment Management.
Clean Energy | January 19, 2023
WeLight raises €19 million to bring solar mini-grids to rural Madagascar
ImpactAlpha, January 19 — The majority of Madagascar’s population lacks access to electricity. Triodos Investment Management, the European Investment Bank and EDFI ElectriFI …
Photo by Terra Global.
Dealflow | January 17, 2023
Anew Climate commits $640 million to Terra Global for nature-based carbon offsets in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, January 17 — Oakland-based Anew is the product of TPG Rise’s rollup last year of Element Markets and Bluesource (for background, see …
Africa | January 11, 2023
Pakam raises pre-seed funding to improve waste recycling in Nigeria
ImpactAlpha, January 11 – Africa has an outsized waste problem. Less than 5% of the continent’s waste gets recycled, far short of the …
Francistown, Botswana
Frontier and Growth Markets | December 15, 2022
TLG Capital partners with two investors in Africa to lend to startups and growing businesses
ImpactAlpha, December 15 – There’s a $330 billion financing gap for small and mid-sized businesses in Africa. TLG Capital is teaming up with …
Photo credit: PharmAccess Group
Investing in Health | December 14, 2022
Transform Health Fund scores $50 million from investors for healthcare in Africa
ImpactAlpha, December 14 – Impact investor AfricInvest and internationally-backed Health Finance Coalition are partnering on a planned $100 million fund to improve access, …
Gender Smart | December 14, 2022
IIX raises $50 million for fifth Women’s Livelihood Bond
ImpactAlpha, December 14 – Singapore-based IIX has raised $50 million for the fifth bond in its Women’s Livelihood Bond series. The bond will …
Photo credit: Calinounou
Dealflow | December 12, 2022
WIC Capital backs Calinounou’s home services in Senegal
ImpactAlpha, December 12 – Senegal-based Calinounou offers an online recruitment and booking service for home cleaning, care and cooking services aims to professionalize …
Photo by MEDA.
Dealflow | December 9, 2022
ImpactAlpha Deal spotlight: Financing women-led small businesses in Africa
ImpactAlpha, December 9 — Small businesses are drivers of jobs and inclusive economic growth. In Africa, where more than half of small businesses …
Photo by African Guarantee Fund.
Catalytic Capital | December 8, 2022
British International Investment provides $75 million guarantee for small business lending in Africa
ImpactAlpha, December 8 — British International Investment is investing $75 million in Nairobi-based African Guarantee Fund to guarantee loans from partner financial institutions …
Photo by Sun King.
Clean Energy | December 7, 2022
Sun King gets $10 million to finance off-grid solar in Africa
ImpactAlpha, December 7 — In Africa, millions of off-grid low-income and rural households still use dirty and expensive kerosene lamps. Solar companies, like …
Photo by MEDA.
Women Rising | December 6, 2022
How Mastercard Foundation’s $200 million Africa Growth Fund invests at the intersection of gender lens and good jobs
ImpactAlpha, December 6 — An African consortium led by Mennonite Economic Development Associates, the international development organization known as MEDA, will manage Mastercard …
Photo by Pivo.
Financial Inclusion | November 29, 2022
Pivo scores $2 million to provide financing and tools for Nigeria’s vendors
ImpactAlpha, November 29 — Pivo provides financial services and digital tools to 300 small- and medium-sized vendors in Nigeria’s manufacturing supply chains. Launched …
Photo by Goodwell Investments.
Dealflow | November 23, 2022
Goodwell Investments raises €50 million to drive inclusive growth in Africa
ImpactAlpha, November 23 — Dutch impact investor Goodwell Investments is looking to raise €150 million for its second uMunthu fund to invest in …
Photo by BasiGo.
Impact Tech | November 22, 2022
Kenyan electric bus maker BasiGo scores $6.6 million to electrify mass transit
ImpactAlpha, November 22 — Kenya has emerged as Africa’s early leader in e-mobility, primarily for two- and three-wheelers. EV leaders in the country, …
Photo credit: IFAD
Frontier and Growth Markets | November 16, 2022
Katapult’s Africa accelerator zeros in on food security
ImpactAlpha, November 16 – Insect farming in Ghana. Aquaculture in Kenya. Land restoration in Morocco. Seven of the nine startups in the Norway-based impact …
Photo by Eco Ltd.
Climate Finance | November 14, 2022
Philanthropic organizations commit $500 million for energy transition in developing countries
ImpactAlpha, November 14 — A three-year commitment by nine philanthropies will support energy transition projects by low- and middle-income countries and their partners …
Photo credit: Akintune Babatunde
Climate Finance | November 10, 2022
At COP27, ‘loss and damages’ inches from discussion to action
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 10 – Scotland kicked off the race with $7 million. Then came $13.5 million from Denmark, $10 million from Ireland, $50 …
Photo credit: Quona Capital
Dealflow | November 9, 2022
Quona Capital raises $332 million for its third financial inclusion fund
ImpactAlpha, November 9 — Washington, D.C.-based Quona Capital exceeded its $250 million target for its latest fund, raising $332 million to back ventures expanding access …
Financial Inclusion | November 2, 2022
Bamboo Capital Partners exits Honduran microfinance institution Banco Popular
ImpactAlpha, November 2 — Luxembourg-based emerging and frontier markets investor Bamboo Capital Partners is exiting its investment in Banco Popular a decade after …
Satgana's founding team | Photo by Satgana.
Women Rising | November 1, 2022
Satgana raises funds for climate tech startups in Africa and Europe
ImpactAlpha, November 2 — Luxembourg-based Satgana, which means “a good company” in Sanskrit, has raised an undisclosed amount in a first close from …
Photo credit: Flourish Ventures
Return on Inclusion | October 26, 2022
Flourish Ventures to invest $12 million in tech startups ‘Made in Africa’
ImpactAlpha, October 26 — U.S.-based venture capital firm Flourish Ventures has launched Madica, short for ‘Made In Africa’, to invest in and provide …
Photo by OnImpact.
Conservation | October 20, 2022
New Forests’ African Forestry Impact Platform secures $200 million from development finance institutions
ImpactAlpha, October 20 — Nearly 10 million acres of forests in Africa, one of Earth’s most important carbon sinks and soil, are disappearing …
Photo credit: CCS Logistics
Frontier and Growth Markets | October 5, 2022
A $150 million fund aims to curb food waste by investing in Africa’s cold chain
ImpactAlpha, October 5 – Fragmented supply chains, inadequate technology and unpredictable power cause nearly half of food produced in Africa to go to waste. …
Photo by SweepSouth.
Good Jobs | October 4, 2022
South African home cleaning service SweepSouth raises $11 million, led by Alitheia IDF
ImpactAlpha, October 4 — The domestic services industry in Africa has a reputation for being unregulated and exploitative. Cape Town-based SweepSouth launched in …
Photo by The Money Engineer.
Dealflow | September 30, 2022
ImpactAlpha Deal Spotlight: Small business lending in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, September 30 — Small and medium-sized enterprises create seven out of every 10 jobs and contribute up to 40% of annual GDP …
Photo by Numida.
Inclusive Economy | September 29, 2022
Numida raises $12.3 million to provide loans to small businesses in Uganda
ImpactAlpha, September 29 — Kampala-based Numida provides unsecured working capital loans, ranging from $100 to $5,000, to micro and small enterprises in as …
Kakuma Refugee Camp | Photo credit: Dominic Chavez / International Finance Corp.
Refugee Lens Investing | September 28, 2022
Displaced East Africans remake camps into testbeds for refugee-lens investing
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 28 – A settlement camp in a remote area of northwest Kenya is abuzz with economic activity – and a signal of the …
Photo by MDIF.
Democracy and Peace | September 28, 2022
Nearly a dozen independent news organizations in Nigeria get support from Media Development Investment Fund
ImpactAlpha, September 28 — Last year’s youth-led uprising against police brutality spurred Nigeria’s biggest anti-government protests in a generation. MDIF launched a three-year …
Photo credit: Kenyan EV maker Equator Mobility, a Maris portfolio companie
Frontier and Growth Markets | September 27, 2022
Maris raises $12 million from Proparco for climate resilience in Africa
ImpactAlpha, September 28 – Maris invests in renewables energy, agriculture and forestry, as well as gold mining, real estate and services. French development finance …
Gender Smart | September 26, 2022
How women-led funds in South Africa are unlocking capital for women and small businesses
ImpactAlpha, September 26 – Gender-lens investing is no longer a niche or little-known strategy. Still, too little capital is making it into the hands …
Image by standret on Freepik
Women Rising | September 26, 2022
African Women Impact Fund secures initial $60 million for gender-lens investments
ImpactAlpha, September 26 — South Africa’s Standard Bank Group and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa are looking to raise $1 billion …
Photo credit: The Good Roll
Climate Finance | September 21, 2022
How The Good Roll and Wangara Green Ventures are saving trees and creating green jobs in Ghana
ImpactAlpha, September 21 – A startup in the Netherlands is teaming up with a fund manager in Ghana to demonstrate the green, resilient, local …
Women Rising | September 12, 2022
Janngo Capital secures €34 million for its African gender-lens fund
ImpactAlpha, September 12 — Fatoumata Ba launched Janngo Capital at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2020 to help bridge the capital …
Photo by DOW.
Dealflow | September 9, 2022
Deal Spotlight: Clean energy financing for low- and middle-income countries
ImpactAlpha, September 9 — Emerging economies are helping lead the clean energy transition by attracting private investment to larger-scale renewable energy projects, the …
Credit: PesaChoice
Frontier and Growth Markets | September 8, 2022
CcHUB backs nine fintech startups in Rwanda
ImpactAlpha, September 8 – Nigeria and Kenya-based startup accelerator and angel investor network CcHUB is supporting a cohort of early-stage fintech startups in …
Photo credit: PEG Africa
Frontier and Growth Markets | September 7, 2022
Bboxx expands in West Africa with acquisition of off-grid solar peer PEG Africa
ImpactAlpha, September 7 – PEG Africa launched its pay-as-you-go solar business in Ghana in 2013 and has since expanded to Senegal, Ivory Coast and …
Innovative Finance | August 30, 2022
Rockefeller Foundation taps satellites and AI to guide green infrastructure in Africa
ImpactAlpha, August 30 – The Rockefeller Foundation is backing a digital platform to aid policymakers in understanding how and where resilient infrastructure could mitigate …
Frontier and Growth Markets | August 25, 2022
Three lessons impact investors can offer venture capitalists looking for deals in Africa
At the Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan earlier this summer, a striking consensus emerged: Africa is at a new investment crossroads. Venture capital …
Image credit: Microtraction
Frontier and Growth Markets | August 23, 2022
Nigeria’s Microtraction inks $15 million for second early-stage fund
ImpactAlpha, August 23 – Microtraction launched in 2017 with a Y Combinator-approach to investing in African tech startups: it cut a $25,000 check from …
Photo credit: Teranga Capital
Seeding Impact | August 22, 2022
Teranga Capital: Taking risks to build an impact ecosystem in West Africa
ImpactAlpha, August 22 – Dakar-based Teranga Capital does private equity deals. It deploys venture capital. It helps small businesses that are too early for …
Photo credit: Lori Systems
Frontier and Growth Markets | August 18, 2022
Lori Systems clinches investment from Google to improve the flow of goods across Africa
ImpactAlpha, August 18 – In Africa, where infrastructure is underdeveloped and fragmented, there’s an impact case in almost every logistics deal. Companies like Twiga …
Photo credit: Project CodeX
Frontier and Growth Markets | August 17, 2022
Village Capital and Moody’s accelerate 45 startups shaping the future of work in Africa
ImpactAlpha, August 17 – Village Capital and Moody’s second Future of Work Africa accelerator is supporting 45 startups boosting education and employment prospects for …
Photo credit: TeamApt
Frontier and Growth Markets | August 15, 2022
Nigeria’s TeamApt scores backing from QED for digital banking in rural Africa
ImpactAlpha, August 15 – TeamApt is tackling financial access by enabling anyone with a mobile phone and point-of-sales machine to become a local bank …
Financial Inclusion | August 9, 2022
How Balloon Ventures is (cost-effectively) banking the “missing middle” in Africa
ImpactAlpha, Aug. 9 – Ubora Specialty Crops is the definition of a “missing middle” business that is financially served by just about no one. …