Levelling the Playing Field for All

Investing in women pays dividends since women invest 90% of their earnings on food, health and education for the household. Despite this, there exist structural inequities in the systems of finance that create barriers for women to access finance, markets, paid employment and technical assistance to create sustainable and prosperous livelihoods

AECF shares the global vision of empowering women and is committed to investing in a way that sustainably advances gender equality. Our commitment goes beyond achieving some headline numbers and reorients the investment process to find, nurture and grow businesses that are providing innovative solutions to increase gender equality in rural communities at the household, business and market levels. AECF’s Gender Lens Investing approach integrates a gender analysis throughout the investment process; designs and hosts inclusive investment mechanisms that allow equal access to finance for female entrepreneurs and businesses working for and with women; and shares insights from these experiences. Our aim is to level the playing field for all in order to support the equal economic participation of women and men. By ensuring the full participation of women as producers, consumers, business owners and key decision-makers, we hope to create a potent force for change.

#BalanceforBetter resonates with the work we do, transforming the lives of rural and marginalised communities in Africa through catalytic financing and advisory support to enterprises, bridging the gender gap in the agribusiness and renewable energy sectors. As an Institution, we aspire to demonstrate the opportunities available by valuing markets in which women thrive to create gender equitable markets for all.