IFU

🌱 HOW WE CONTRIBUTE TO SUSTAINABLE REFORESTATION IN THE AMAZONIA REGION 🌱 Large areas in the Amazon region of Colombia have been transformed from native grasslands and/or gallery forest into low-productivity pasturelands for cattle or agricultural activities, leading to land degradation and soil erosion. A new afforestation and reforestation project, Amazonia Nativa, is set to revert the development and plant an area of up to 7,500 hectares with native species in the form of hard wood and acai palms. Together with the Dutch Development Finance Institution, FMO, IFU is co-financing the first phase of the project of 550 hectares that aims to prove the project design concept and be ready for the scale-up. “The Amazonia Nativa project is very interesting and fits well with IFU’s aspiration to support climate action and greening the economy. We hope to see it evolve and become at project that can be commercialised and attract other investors as well,” said Jesper Kaspersen, Senior Investment Manager in IFU. Watch the video and learn more about the project #Impactinvestment #reforestation #dkpol

🎓 AFRICA’S LARGEST SINGLE PHASED STUDENT HOUSING IS OPEN 🎓 About 90% of South African students need accommodation near their educational institutions. But the lack of capacity and high rental prices force many into long commutes, unsafe living conditions, or even dropping out of school. Especially students from low-income families suffer from the deficit, which is estimated to be of more than 500,000 beds. Now SASAII, a platform investing in and owning student accommodation in South Africa, has constructed and opened Africa’s largest single phased purpose-built student accommodation facility in Cape Town, providing housing for up to 3,000 students, primarily from low-income families. “Rise Student Living Cape Town offers an exceptional living experience with a wide range of facilities. As a resident on the 11th floor, I appreciate the study labs and collab lounges available on all floors, providing excellent spaces for individual and group study,” said Olwethu Khanyile. SASAII has also opened student housing facilities in Johannesburg and Pretoria and has additional projects in the pipeline. All co-financed by the Danish SDG Investment Fund managed by IFU. “By providing students with quality housing in a safe and secure environment close to their place of study, we are contributing to making access to education more equal in one of the world’s most unequal countries. SASAII focuses on students from disadvantaged backgrounds, aligning perfectly with IFU’s investment and impact strategy to foster more just and inclusive societies in developing countries,” said Emil Sierczynski, Investment Director at IFU. 👇 Read the full story in comments Eris Property Group (Pty) Ltd, Johan Janse van Vuuren #Southafrica #impactinvesting #SDGs #dkpol

🎓 BACK TO SCHOOL - IFU IS LOOKING FOR STUDENTS IFU has open positions for students within Finance & Accounting, Communication and Strategy & Business Development. We are looking forward to reading your applications! See the job ads on Jobteaser: Finance & Accounting: https://lnkd.in/dAefZVdS Communication: https://lnkd.in/d-HWYMWD Strategy & Business Development: https://lnkd.in/d_ggw9ct Read more about working in IFU: https://www.ifu.dk/en/job/

🚀 NY CEO LARS BO BERTRAM SÆTTER KURSEN FOR IFU 🚀 I det første større interview efter sin tiltrædelse understreger CEO Lars Bertram , at IFU går en spændende fremtid i møde. IFU får mere end fordoblet sin 💵 kapital fra ca. 15 til 35 mia. kr. mod 2030 Der skal rejses en ny Verdensmålsfond II på fem mia. kr. i samarbejde med danske pensionsselskaber og private investorer IFU skal som organisation udvikles til at kunne fordoble sine årlige investeringer I interviewet med FinansWatch understreger Lars Bo Bertram, at skiftet til IFU ikke er tilfældigt. ”Det er heller ikke helt tilfældigt. Jeg har altid syntes, at det var sjovere at bygge op end at vedligeholde. Og så har jeg jo en forholdsvis stor forkærlighed for udviklingsøkonomier,” siger Lars Bo Bertram, som også sidder som næstformand i bestyrelsen i SOS Børnebyerne. Dialogen med nye potentielle investorer i Verdensmålsfond II er sat i gang, og det forventes, at de første underskrifter kan blive sat i løbet af efteråret. ”Vi ser frem til dialogen og håber meget på, at danske pensionsselskaber, fonde, familiekontorer m.fl. igen vil stå på listen over investorer i den nye Verdensmålsfond II, når den er færdigtegnet i løbet af det næste års tid,” siger Lars Bo Bertram. Den første Verdensmålsfond er fuldt investeret i 27 selskaber i Afrika, Asien og Latinamerika. Indtil videre har investeringerne bl.a. bidraget med behandling af 1,2 millioner patienter i 2023, etableringen af samlet 1.800 megawatt vedvarende energi og understøttet knap 100.000 småbønder i at omlægge til økologisk produktion. Forventningen er, at fonden samlet giver investorerne et årligt afkast på 10 – 12 % netto i danske kroner.   Læs hele interviewet hos FinansWatch (kræver abonnement) #impactinvestment #SDG #dkpol

🌍 For the next four days, IFU Senior Vice President Reik Haahr Müller, Senior Vice President Thomas Hougaard and Investment Director Henrik Henriksen are ready to discuss energy investments at the Africa Energy Forum in Barcelona. Meet IFU and the other Nordic DFIs at stand A124.

♀ BANCOSOL ISSUES FIRST GENDER BOND IN BOLIVIA ♀   BancoSol, the largest microfinance bank in Bolivia, has issued the first gender bond in the country. The bond called “Bonos Sociales Avanza Mujer BancoSol 1 was sold in the Bolivian Stock Market ending at a total sales amount of 💵 USD 30 million.   The proceeds will go towards financing micro and small enterprises led by women (MSE Women) in Bolivia, with the goal of financing at least 4,500 MSE Women.   The project seeks to increase access to credit for MSEs in Bolivia, strengthening BancoSol's “Avanza Mujer” strategy, a programme that has a differentiated value proposition, which promotes the inclusion and growth of businesses led by women. Additionally, the project seeks to encourage the growth of BancoSol's portfolio with underserved clients in the Amazon region, promoting social and rural development.   The Danish SDG Investment Fund, managed by IFU and backed by large Danish pension funds and private investors, is an investor in Bancosol. “A big congratulations to Bancosol for a successful launch of the first gender bond in Bolivia. This is a perfect match with our impact strategy to provide financing for small businesses and empower women,” said Morten Elkjær, SVP, Head of Financial Services at IFU. Bancosol has provided microfinance in Bolivia for more than 30 years and has significantly impacted million of lives in the country. Two of those are Soledad Garcia and Felipa Mamani who are portraited in a book that pay tribute to the entrepreneurial spirit of the many Bolivian women who have made their own paths challenging barriers, breaking paradigms and building bridges towards a more inclusive and equitable future.   👇 Read the full story and more about Soledad Garcia and Felipa Mamani in the comments #bolivia #impactinvesting #2Xcahllenge

🚀 ABOVE AND BEYOND - A NEW 2X CHALLENGE TARGET OF USD 20 BILLION FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT 🚀 The 2X Global Challenge has set a new target of mobilising USD 20 billion between 2024 – 2027. This is by far the largest commitment made by development finance institutions and multilateral banks after the initial initiative was launched in 2018. For the first time the initiative is also joined by private investors. “We are very proud to be part of 2X Challenge putting a strong focus on our effort to empower women and improve their job and career opportunities. Last year, half of IFU’s investment had a gender lens equality focus and we intend to keep up the pace, going forward,” said Birgitte Bang Nielsen, Sustainability Director at IFU. About the 2X Challenge The 2X Challenge was founded by the G7 Development Finance Institutions as a call to action to shift more capital towards investments that empower women in developing countries to access entrepreneurship and leadership opportunities, quality jobs, and products and services that enhance their economic participation. Since then, the flagship initiative has raised gender lens investments totalling USD 33.6 billion.  👇 Read more about 2X Challenge in the link in comments

Det er ikke sikkert, du ved det. Men dine pensionspenge er med til at gøre en forskel i udviklingslande. Dit pensionsselskab er nemlig en del af Verdensmålsfonden på i alt fem mia. kr., der har investeret i private virksomheder i Afrika, Asien, Latinamerika og Ukraine. Udover sundhedsbehandling har fondens investeringer bl.a. også bidraget positivt til 100.000 småbønders liv og installeringen af 1.800 megawatt grøn energi. Og samtidig skaber investeringerne afkast, der gør din opsparing større. Mød os til debat om, hvordan vi kan gøre mere i Afrika. Det sker på Folkemødet i dag kl. 11.00 i FN-byen C41. Deltagere: Torsten Fels, Lotte Machon, Henrik Fredborg Larsen og Lars Bertram. Moderator er Kirsten Larsen Du kan også læse mere om Verdensmålsfondens mange resultater på www.ifu.dk

🚀 PÅ VEJ TIL FOLKEMØDE Igen i år deltager IFU i Folkemødet. Denne gang er det vores nye administrerende direktør Lars Bertram og vicedirektør Søren Peter Andreasen, der tager afsted for at bidrage, lytte, diskutere og blive klogere på, hvordan vi kan skabe en mere bæredygtig verden. Du kan bl.a. møde en af dem eller begge til følgende debatter: · På Klima- og energiscenen torsdag mellem klokken 13:00 og 13:30 omkring Danmarks fremtidige indsats i Afrika · På Europabevægelsens scene torsdag mellem 14.00 – 14.45, hvor det handler om genopbygningen af Ukraine · I FN-Byen (C41) fredag mellem kl. 11.00 – 11.45, hvor vi har vores eget arrangement i samarbejde med UNDP og UNEP, hvor vi diskuterer, om Danmark overhovedet kan gøre en forskel i Afrika · Hos Nordisk Ministerråd (B12), hvor det handler om miljøet og indsatsen i Ukraine Og så er der jo alle de mere uformelle arrangementer. Vi glæder os til at deltage. 

MØD OS PÅ FOLKEMØDET Kan Danmark overhovedet gøre en forskel i Afrika? Eller er det bare bare musen, der siger ”hør hvor vi tramper”, når vi følges over broen med de store elefanter? Mød os på Folkemødet i FN Byens telt (C41) på fredag den 14. juni kl. 11-11.45, hvor vi vil diskutere dette sammen med vores panel af eksperter i form af Lotte Machon fra Udenrigsministeriet, Lars Bertram fra IFU, Torsten Fels fra PenSam og Henrik Fredborg Larsen fra UNDP. Debatten vil blive modereret af Kirsten Larsen fra Globalnyt. Vi stiller skarpt på, hvilken rolle Danmark kan spille i Afrika, hvordan vi skal prioritere vores indsats, og hvordan det private og offentlige Danmark bedst kan bidrage, direkte eller gennem internationalt samarbejde i EU og FN. Eventet er arrangeret i samarbejde mellem UNDP, IFU, UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre og UN City Copenhagen. Vi glæder os til at se jer fredag d. 14. juni kl.11:00-11:45 i FN Byens telt (C41) på Folkemødet. Se link til det fulde program i kommentar #impactinvesting #Afrika #dkpol