Crosscutting Themes

In our commitment to building resilience, we focus on the most vulnerable and disenfranchised members of Africa’s rural and marginalised communities: women, youth and those living in fragile states and contexts.

We are working to tackle gender-based inequalities that continue to frustrate progress in agriculture and renewable energy, as well as youth unemployment that threatens to undermine their demographic dividend. Our goal is to overcome the structural bias that exists in society today by generating empowerment and employment.

We also work in fragile contexts where our work is driven by courage, and by the conviction that people in these communities are as deserving as those in thriving economies. Private sector development is essential to achieving progress and stability in conflict-affected environments. With a strong track record in entering nascent markets, we specialise in de-risking and attracting investment to create positive impact in fragile states.

Since 2012, our investment in fragile, frontier markets has benefitted over 4 million people, creating over 795 additional jobs and generating US$ 5.8 million in wages, with a total benefit of around US$ 25.6 million.