Africa needs to establish effective financing mechanisms to drive progress in its push to attain Sustainable Development Goals, job and wealth creation, experts now say.
This, as the Africa Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA), a network of social investors collaborating to mobilise and deploy capital for impact across Africa and drive sustainable growth, meets in Nairobi.
The three-day premier event has brought together leading social investors and impact players.
The 2024 AVPA Conference is focusing on the continent’s potential and provides a transformative platform for social investors, impact entrepreneurs, policymakers and other players to explore the use of catalytic capital to drive sustainable growth across Africa.
Key not speakers include AVPA chief executive officer Frank Aswani, Rockefeller Foundation vice president-Africa Regional Office William Asiko and managing director Samuel Akiyianu.
Others are Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), prominent voices from the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), Acumen, Oryx Impact, the Mastercard Foundation, the Global Innovation Fund, among others that play a crucial role in advancing sustainable growth across the continent.
“The AVPA 2024 Conference is a call to action for impact investors, social entrepreneurs, development agencies, and policymakers to come together, share ideas and mobilise capital toward Africa’s sustainable future,” Aswani said.
“We will provide the space to build new partnerships, explore actionable strategies and catalyse investments that deliver measurable, lasting impact. During this conference we will also launch the AVPA Africa Social Impact Exchange (ASIEx) that will house the Catalytic Pooled Fund to drive social investment across key sectors.”
According to AVPA, Africa stands at a pivotal moment, brimming with opportunities to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Despite facing numerous challenges, the continent is experiencing a surge in innovative solutions and transformative initiatives that are driving significant growth and development.
To capitalise on this opportune moment, Africa needs to establish effective financing mechanisms to drive progress.
This involves recognising philanthropy’s evolving role in supporting innovative, impact-linked financial tools that unlock domestic and international private capital for social investments across the continent.
Under the theme “Catalysing Africa’s Sustainable Growth,” the conference provides an opportunity for social investors, impact players, and global experts to explore innovative financing solutions for Africa’s socio-economic challenges.
This includes insights into emerging trends such as the role of Funds of Funds in catalysing Africa’s impact ecosystem, Climate Adaptation financing, the integration of AI in social impact, Catalytic Capital, Gender-Lens Investing, and financing SME growth, and how these initiatives can spur sustainable growth on the continent.
The AVPA 2024 Conference is supported by global impact organisations, including Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), Prosper Africa, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and Climate works.
The 2024 AVPA Conference has formed a strategic partnership with Angel Fair Africa to present Impact Week: Impact Meets Investment, a dynamic week-long series of events focused on Impact.
Impact Week will also showcase the eleventh Angel Fair Africa by Chanzo Capital, the Cross-Continental Exchange - African and European Philanthropy by WINGS and MB100 event by Meaningful Business, further enriching the experience for attendees.
“The conference will emphasise the power of partnerships and collaboration to create meaningful change, highlighting successful models of impact investment that are enhancing Africa’s development,” AVPA said.
