Daniel F. Runde

Our latest Aceli Africa learning brief shares data from $200M in Aceli-supported loans to #agriSMEs in #EastAfrica as well as insights from our partnership with Value For Women Ltd. to promote more gender inclusive lending practices. Some highlights: Women-owned businesses still struggle to access finance, but lenders are increasingly motivated to serve them; for example, one Kenyan bank launched a dedicated loan product and scaled up its loans to #womenowned agri-SMEs from three in 2021 to 54 as of mid-2024. Women's ownership does not necessarily correlate with employing more women or purchasing a larger share of produce from women #farmers; in fact, we found that about half of men-owned agri-SMEs meet the 2X Global international standard for gender inclusion and these businesses engage slightly higher percentages of women workers and farmers than their women-owned counterparts. Demand from lenders for capacity building to support their #genderinclusion strategies has doubled in the past year. Commercial banks are leading this market pull – an indication that gender lens investing is moving from niche to mainstream. These trends are encouraging, but sustained interventions are needed to ensure #genderlensinvesting is not a passing fad. Additionally, much more evidence is required to go beyond output metrics (i.e., “counting women”) and address issues such as the quality of working conditions for employees and services offered to farmers. Kudos to Eddah Makinia Nangole for leading Aceli's gender inclusion strategy and thanks to Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for supporting this work.  Read the full brief for more insights: https://lnkd.in/eini4j3g.

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On Thursday, 13 September 2024, I’ll be moderating a crucial discussion on the transformative power of trade and economic reforms in advancing peacebuilding efforts in Somalia. Our session will delve into how strategic trade policies can drive economic growth, enhance public welfare, and promote sustainable stability in a country navigating the complexities of conflict and recovery. 📌 Core Discussion Points: - Leveraging Somalia’s World Trade Organization accession to establish a solid framework for fragile states seeking to reintegrate into the global economy. - Aligning trade and economic reforms with broader peacebuilding goals. - Overcoming trade and investment barriers to unlock Somalia’s potential and facilitate deeper integration into regional and global markets. 🔑 Key Takeaways for Attendees: Participants will uncover actionable strategies to utilize trade policy for post-conflict recovery and stability. Emphasizing the significance of coordinated efforts at local, regional, and international levels, we will highlight how aligning trade policy with governance reforms is pivotal in creating a peace-supportive environment. This discussion presents a unique opportunity to analyze the nexus of trade and peace, offering a roadmap not just for Somalia but for other fragile states encountering similar challenges. Join us to explore the intersection of trade and peacebuilding, shaping a brighter future for nations in transition. #TradeForPeace #EconomicReforms #WTOAccession #PostConflictRecovery #WTO2024

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It’s critical to continue to shine a light on the financial gap for climate adaptation (in 2021-2022, $1.15 trillion went towards mitigation with only $63 billion going towards adaptation) but sometimes, that means the conversation stops before the good news – that here are scalable and effective climate adaptation solutions that can be funded now.  Thanks, Scott Onder and Confluence Philanthropy for sharing this great piece on how emerging technologies like mobile internet, renewable energy, and AI are poised to drive exponential growth in climate adaptation solutions over the next decade. At Mercy Corps, we know that investment in these scalable technologies can significantly enhance climate resilience. 

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Really like this concept of the "Impact Hedge" and also interesting to read about the focus on DFIs here and (other) roles they could play, like creating liquidity in the market. A part, not mentioned here, but liquidity (exits) would of course inject dynamism into the East African impact space, but presumably, capital that exits is likely to be "recycled" and pumped back into the impact arena. That's not a given, but a DFI offering opportunities for exits could theoretically influence this, as I suspect that there are true impact investors who would chose to take an opportunity to exit to realize concessional (financial) returns and reinvest the capital.

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#UEW2024 For all those in Uganda and elsewhere, this years UEW will be seriously interesting and seriously practical, especially if you are an expert or enthusiast in elements of this years theme “Development with Purpose: Empowering Accountable learning for achieving Development Goals and Enhancing Climate Resilience” - see link to the modest registration costs below: https://lnkd.in/dYUCWBTV

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