The fund will enable two additional organizations to undertake projects that help women climate entrepreneurs grow scalable climate-related businesses in Kenya and Ghana
Contact: Jon Purves
Associate Director, Media Relations
The Aspen Institute
Jon.Purves@aspeninstitute.org
Washington, DC, July 05, 2022 – The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) today announced two additional organizations in Kenya and Ghana will receive funds under the Accelerating Women Climate Entrepreneurs (AWCE) Fund.
The AWCE Fund, an activity under the Accelerating Women Climate Entrepreneurs project, aims to contribute to poverty reduction and respond to climate change by identifying and promoting good practices to support women entrepreneurs in climate-related value chains. The AWCE project also places an emphasis on developing a road map for international development stakeholders to provide further gender-responsive support to women climate entrepreneurs and intermediaries.
This additional funding phase of AWCE, made possible by critical financial support from FMO, Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank, will support projects that help women climate entrepreneurs to grow scalable climate-related businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa. “ANDE’s catalyst and challenge funds help organizations address challenges in the small and growing business sector, in this case bridging the gender finance gap for women-led climate enterprises,” said ANDE Executive Director Richenda Van Leeuwen. “We look forward to sharing key project insights with the sector from this new round of funding and continuing our collective support to African women climate entrepreneurs.”
Each winner will receive up to $65,500 over one year to test models for increasing gender lens investing in women climate entrepreneurs with small and growing businesses through innovative approaches. Projects will begin in July 2022. The selected organizations are:
- Africa Aquaculture Resource Center (AARC) – Will pilot a ‘Fish Farming Estate’ in Kenya with greenhouse Farm-In-A-Tank (FIAT) structures run by a group of at least 12 women entrepreneurs. AARC will field test and ascertain the operational, economic, financial and climate adaptation viability of the technology.
- Tele-Bere Green AgroFarms – Will pilot four model integrated agroforestry farms in Ghana that use small solar-powered irrigation systems in Ghana’s semi-arid Northern Savanna Ecological Zone. The agroforestry farms will be run by 65 women climate entrepreneurs and create decent green jobs.
About ANDE
The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) is a global network of organizations that propel entrepreneurship in developing economies. ANDE members provide critical financial, educational, and business support services to small and growing businesses (SGBs) based on the conviction that SGBs create jobs, stimulate long-term economic growth, and produce environmental and social benefits.
As the leading global voice of the SGB sector, ANDE believes that SGBs are a powerful, yet underleveraged tool in addressing social and environmental challenges. Since 2009, we have grown into a trusted network of nearly 300 collaborative members that operate in nearly every developing economy. ANDE grows the body of knowledge, mobilizes resources, and connects the institutions that support the small business entrepreneurs who build inclusive prosperity in the developing world.
ANDE is part of the Aspen Institute, a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society.
About FMO, Dutch entrepreneurial development bank
FMO is the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank. As a leading impact investor, FMO supports sustainable private sector growth in emerging markets by investing in ambitious projects and entrepreneurs. FMO believes that a strong private sector leads to economic and social development and has 50+ year proven track-record of empowering people to employ their skills and improve their quality of life. FMO focuses on three sectors with high development impact: financial institutions, energy, and agribusiness, food & water. With a committed portfolio of EUR 12.1 billion spanning 85+ countries, FMO is one of the larger bilateral private sector developments banks globally.