January 2023

The ANDE East, West and South Africa Chapters would like to begin this year by wishing you a happy new year and extending a hearty thanks for your support in making the entrepreneurial ecosystem resilient. 

Through this consolidated newsletter, we provide updates from our network, including sector opportunities, news, events and publications.  We hope you find this pan-African perspective helpful and informative and welcome any ideas or feedback on how we can further improve it. Do you wish to have your content featured in the next one? Submit your event, fellowship, report, initiative, or opportunity via this form.

ANDE Highlights

2022 was quite a great year for the ANDE East, West and South Africa Chapters as we successfully organized a number of far-reaching activities which created tremendous impact in the entrepreneurial ecosystem; while addressing issues related to gender equality, decent work and climate action. We are therefore excited to share 2022 highlights with you, and look forward to your continuous support and engagement in this new year.   

      - ANDE West Africa 2022 Highlights
      - ANDE South Africa 2022 Highlights

ANDE Updates

ANDE Pan-African Digitalization Learning Lab
As we have finished our 3-part series of the Pan African Digitalization Learning Lab, we hope you made the best of this experience and could effectively grasp the very specific needs and concepts around Digital Transformation for Entrepreneur Support Organizations. We thank ANDE -member Vera Solutions for facilitating and GIZ´s Make-IT Africa for sponsoring the initiative. To understand the effectiveness of the learning lab, GIZ and ANDE kindly ask you to complete a brief survey regarding your organizational growth in digitalization since attending the session(s). We value your feedback and hope you can take some minutes to provide feedback on your experience by 31st January 2023. Please choose "ANDE's Inclusive Digitalization in Sub-Saharan Africa" as the first response. Note that all responses are confidential and will remain anonymous. 

The Uganda Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Initiative (UEEI) Ecosystem End of Year Mixer
The Uganda Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Initiative (UEEI) Ecosystem End of Year Mixer was held on 15th December 2022 at Onomo Hotel, Kampala and brought together a mix of ecosystem actors to network and share key takeaways from 2022. The mixer was UEEI’s 4th Ecosystem Mixer event and had 38 ecosystem actors in attendance, including a mix of BDS providers, investors, policy makers, and entrepreneurs.

ANDE Events

ANDE Resources

New Knowledge Brief: Strengthening Gender and Climate-Lens Investing in Sub-Saharan Africa
Check out ANDE’s latest learning brief, Strengthening Gender and Climate-Lens Investing in Sub-Saharan Africa. Learn more on what works as well as investment and programming opportunities in the climate entrepreneurship ecosystem to support small and growing businesses and intermediaries in the region. The brief is informed by ANDE’s Accelerating Women Climate Entrepreneurs (AWCE) project, generously funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and implemented in partnership with Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) and World University Services of Canada (WUSC). See the full brief in English or French.

New Report: What We Learned about Women-Led Ventures and Acceleration: Examining Evidence From Four New Studies | ANDE
Despite accelerators’ positive impact on ventures, women entrepreneurs do not experience the same benefit as their male counterparts. With support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), ANDE supported four teams of researchers in Africa and Latin America to build on the existing evidence base on gender and acceleration. Drawing from the selected research projects, ANDE published a knowledge brief that covers the types of support women-led ventures - especially in male-dominated sectors - need.

Fostering Entrepreneurship for Women in Nepal | ANDE
Check out ANDE's latest blog post, Fostering Entrepreneurship for Women in Nepal, which highlights the work of one of ANDE's member organizations, Good Return.

How to Close the Finance Gap for Women Entrepreneurs in the Global South | ANDE
Check out ANDE's blog post, How to Close the Finance Gap for Women Entrepreneurs in the Global South, on our nine 2022 Gender Learning Communities.

Advancing Women’s Inclusion and Social Impact in the Recovery Economy | ANDE
Read ANDE's blog post, Advancing Women’s Inclusion and Social Impact in the Recovery Economy, about IDRC funded work by ANDE and partners to advance women's inclusion and social impact in the recovery economy.

Towards a Gender Transformative Climate Finance Roadmap | WUSC | ANDE | Aga Khan Foundation Canada
Climate change and gender inequality are among the world’s most pressing and complex development challenges. While each is separately dangerous and consequential; together, they pose a significant threat to people all over the world. Although women are catalysts for innovative solutions to tackle climate change, their underrepresentation in decision-making processes and labour markets prevents them from fully contributing to climate-related planning, policy-making and implementation. Read the blog post and Roadmap report! 

Member Showcase

West Africa Events & Opportunities

Call for Mentors for the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation | Royal Academy of Engineering 
Deadline:23 January, 2023
The Academy is looking for mentors to work with the current shortlist of 16 entrepreneurs, providing engineering expertise to support them to refine their products and guide them to find solutions for any challenges that they may face with their innovations. You can learn more about each entrepreneur here. To find out the entrepreneur preferences for mentors, please contact catriona.macarthur@raeng.org.uk for more information. To express interest in becoming a mentor, please fill out this survey and indicate which entrepreneurs you would like to support. 

Dakar 2 Summit - Feed Africa: Food Sovereignty and Resilience | AFDB, Government of Senegal, the African Union Commission
Date: 25 - 27 January 2023
Location: Senegal Abdou Diouf International Conference Center (CICAD), Diamniadio, Senegal
The Dakar 2 Summit seeks to bring together governments, private sector leaders, representatives from multilateral organizations and NGOs, as well scientists and researchers to explore ways to meet the escalating challenge of food security in Africa and strengthen the continent’s resilience to future shocks. Register here!

Nigeria M&A Webinar 2023| The Legal 500
Date: 26 January, 2023 | 11am WAT
In this webinar, brought to you by The Legal 500, Olajide Oyewole LLP, and DLA Piper Africa, there would be discussions on the evolving M&A scene shaping the investment landscape in Nigeria. The webinar will also provide practical guidance on upcoming M&A challenges and opportunities forecasted in 2023. Register to attend!

The Flourish Africa Grant for Female Entrepreneurs | Flourish Africa
Deadline: 29 January, 2023
Flourish Africa has opened applications for The Flourish Africa Grant for Female Entrepreneurs - Year 2. This grant is aimed at supporting and promoting African Female owned businesses over 5 years through training, mentoring, and funding. Through this programme, a minimum of 500 female entrepreneurs would be trained in business and life skills each year, after which the top 100 achievers from the pool would be eligible for grants of up to 2 million naira each from a 200 million naira annual fund. Learn more and apply here! 

Dakar DSI Forum | Business Africa
Date: 28 January 2023
Time:  9:00 pm - 5:00 pm GMT
Location: Radisson Blu Hotel, Dakar, Senegal
Les professionnels des systèmes d'information se donnent rendez-vous le samedi 28 janvier 2023 au Radisson hôtel de Dakar. Sont attendus plus de 200 participants qui débattront de sujets aussi cruciaux que la Gouvernance des données, les défis de l'externalisation des SI, la place des DSI dans le Management de l'entreprise, les DSI dans un contexte de conduite du changement. Register here!

Africa Logistics Conference | HELP Logistics
Date: 8-9 February, 2023 
Location: Radisson Blu Hotel, Dakar, Senegal
The conference will bring together key actors from the humanitarian, development, academic, government, and private sectors to discuss upcoming supply chain trends and challenges in Africa. Conversations around how the current infrastructural investments and urbanization trends in Africa will affect supply chain activities in humanitarian response operations in the years to come would be explored. Learn more and register!

Opportunity for Entrepreneurs | Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners, LLC (ESP)
Join the OC Côte d'Ivoire adventure! This opportunity is for young entrepreneurs working in Côte d’Ivoire. Apply now in order to benefit from customized technical assistance and financing.

Economic Program For the Innovation and Transformation of Enterprises | CIBAN (Côte d'Ivoire Business Angel Network)
CIBAN (Côte d'Ivoire Business Angel Network) is a network of investors aiming to transform Côte d'Ivoire into a leading African investment destination for women and young entrepreneurs. Apply here as a start-up to benefit from CIBAN investments.

South Africa Events & Opportunities

Apply to Join the 2023 Local Economic Development Start-Up Programme | Innovate Durban
Deadline: 19 January, 2023
Innovate Durban invites motivated innovators to join their 2023 LED-Focused Start-up Support Programme. The programme is a 12-month accelerated mentorship programme aimed at supporting Local Economic Development focused innovators and start-ups. Innovation for LED is an approach for solving local pertinent economic challenges using technology and innovation, thereby stimulating economic activity that leads to employment creation and economic growth in that local community. Click here for more information or apply directly here.

Apply to Join the Digital Equity Accelerator 2023 cohort | Aspen Institute & HP
Deadline: 23 January, 2023
The Digital Equity Accelerator is seeking applications for its 2023 cohort from non-profit organizations and NGOs working to address the digital divide. Organizations must be working to advance social and economic equality in their local communities by accelerating digital inclusion, and may also be addressing issues of inequity across gender, disability, geography, wealth and income, race and ethnicity, and generation. Selected organizations will receive around $100,000 USD in capacity-building grants, HP technology solutions, mentorship, and other support. Click here for more information and to apply.

Apply for the FNB Advancer Programme | Edge Growth & FNB South Africa
Deadline: 25 January, 2023
The programme aims to strengthen South Africa’s B2B SME sector through specialised funding readiness support, access to bespoke funding solutions, mentorship and customized growth plans. Black-owned SME looking for growth or funding opportunities and have an annual turnover of between R1million - R10million are encouraged to apply. Click here for more details.

East Africa Events & Opportunities

Call for applications : Investing In Women in the Blue Economy in Kenya (IIW-BEK)| AECF
Deadline, 20 January, 2023
The project seeks to contribute to economic empowerment of women enterprises, their suppliers, and producers along key supply chains where women are discriminated against in the Blue Economy in Kenya. Find out more and apply here!

Pre- Sankalp Networking Reception | ANDE 
Date: 28 February, 2023
ANDE East Africa together with our partners will co-host a networking reception open to ANDE member organizations on the eve of Sankalp Africa Summit 2023. For more information on this kindly reach out to Lucia Mwangi!

10th Sankalp Africa Summit | Intellecap
Date: March 1-2nd 2023
The 10th Sankalp Africa Summit 2023 is the region’s largest annual inclusive development platform focused on entrepreneurship and impact investing. Join over 2000 Stakeholders’; Entrepreneurs, Investors, Entrepreneur Support Organizations and other Sustainable Development Practitioners from the ecosystem. ANDE members get a special discount. Please email Dennis Kyalo on the ANDE East Africa team to get the code. Register for the summit here!

GrowthAfrica Accelerator 2023 applications open | GrowthAfrica
Are you looking to grow and scale your business? The Accelerator is designed to help your venture unlock its growth potential by designing strategies to increase revenues and profitability, create jobs, and improve capital access. The programme also offers the opportunity for peer-to-peer interaction and learning. Apply for the GrowthAfrica Accelerator 2023 here!

SME Gender Growth Acceleration (SG2X) Playbook | Renew Capital
Developed by Renew Capital in partnership with USAID, the SG2X Playbook provides a set of practical tools specifically tailored for entrepreneurs and asset managers that are seeing to build gender-smart, scalable SMEs in sub-Saharan Africa. Click here to access the playbook!

Ten Years Invested! | Renew Capital
It’s been a decade since Renew Capital first opened operations in Ethiopia. They are now rapidly growing across Africa. Read about their journey and their bold vision for the future of impact investing on the continent in their latest Renew Capital 2021–2022 Impact Report!

Sector Events & Opportunities

Request for Application | DEIA Curriculum
Deadline: 18 January 2023
IREX, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization and implementing partner of the U.S. Department of State on the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Fellowship Program, requests applications from those interested in designing a YLAI Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Curriculum. YLAI Fellows, Alumni, and U.S. Partners will have access to this curriculum with the goals of countering unconscious bias, fostering inclusivity in the workplace, promoting DEIA values, and gaining knowledge and skills to lead diverse teams. Apply here!

Request for Application | Global Innovation Fund (GIF)
Global Innovation Fund (GIF) Innovation for Gender Equality sub-fund with already existing innovations working to advance women and girls' agencies are looking to expand this and have recently launched Innovating for Climate resilience sub-fund. They are currently looking for innovations on advancing gender equality and those which can improve climate adaptation and resilience outcomes for people living in poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa. The funding includes grants and risk capital investments.

2023 Entrepreneurs for Resilience Award | Swiss Re Foundation
Deadline: 23 January 2023
The 2023 Entrepreneurs for Resilience Award focuses on innovative, market-based solutions that increase financial access to healthcare in low-income communities. The three finalists will be awarded with funding up to USD 700,000 and non-financial support from experts across Swiss Re and beyond. Apply here!

Empowering African Startups| NTEEP 2023
Deadline: 27 January 2023
Nomfro Technologies’ Entrepreneurship Empowerment Project (NTEEP) is a project by Nomfro Technologies that seeks to identify and support innovative startups whose activities can create solutions and employment in Africa. The project seeks to provide African startups access to entrepreneurship training, websites, technological tools, and digital marketing strategies that help SMEs grow their businesses. Apply here!

Africa - Europe Partnership Programme | AEDIB|NET
Deadline: 29 January, 2023
On behalf of the AEDIB|NET consortium, the European Business and Innovation Centre Network (EBN) is looking for 100 startups (50 in Africa and 50 in Europe) to participate in one of the two Virtual Partnership Programs managed by two innovation centres (1 in Africa and 1 in Europe) within the framework of AEDIB|NET project. Apply here!

The WFA Mentorship Program | Women in Food and Agriculture
Deadline: 1 February, 2023
Application is open for the WFA Mentorship Program 2023 aimed at supporting women to grow their careers further within the food and agriculture sector. This year, the program is open to farmers, CEOs, Scientists, AgTech and everyone interested in shaping the future for women. Learn more and apply here!

ASME ISHOW 2023 Applications Open | ASME Innovation Showcase (ISHOW)
Deadlines: 7 February 2023 - India | 14 April 2023 - Kenya |1 June 2023 - USA
The ASME Innovation Showcase (ISHOW), a hardware-led social innovation accelerator, seeks applicants to join its 2023 cohort. ISHOW is open to any individual or organization interested in taking their innovation to market. Entrepreneurs with an existing prototype who have conducted some initial user outreach are encouraged to apply. Apply now!

Investment Readiness Program 2023| UN
Deadline: 10 February, 2023
The Investment Readiness Program (IRP) is a 16-week accelerator program that prepares young social entrepreneurs between the ages of 18-35 from across the globe for investment readiness through one-on-one mentorship, curated training, peer-to-peer networking, and other opportunities to foster youth innovation. Apply here!

Call for Climate and Clean Energy Projects | Private Financing Advisory Network (PFAN)
Deadline: 26 February 2023
Are you an entrepreneur looking for funding for your climate or clean energy project or to scale up your existing business? PFAN's expert network of advisors can provide you with the free business coaching you need to attract investment. Read more about the eligibility criteria and the application process on their website.

Annual Africa ESG / Impact Investing & Sustainable Finance Summit-East Africa Forum 
Date: 27-28 February 2023 in Nairobi | Kenya
The East Africa forum is part of Africa Insights continental series of ESG summits hosted in Southern, East and Central, West and North Africa annually over the last decade. The forums offer exclusive and premium opportunities for ecosystem actors to speak, partner, present, sponsor and exhibit with continental and global exposure. Learn more and register.

Sector Resources

5 Lessons Learned in Mobilizing Institutional Investment in African Economies | USAID INVEST
The Action Plan for Climate and SDG Investment Mobilization - High Level Summary | DAI
Why Investors Should Pay Attention to Africa | DAI
The Kenyan Startup Ecosystem report 2022 | Disrupt
Incubators 4 Change | ESSEC Business School

Career Opportunities

Finance Associate (Energy Access) | World Resources Institute | Nairobi, Kenya
Analyst Internship | Seedstars Africa Ventures| Dakar, Sénégal
Director, GEDI - Global Strategy and Delivery | International Rescue Committee| Dakar, Sénégal
Senior Contracts and Grants Manager | Winrock International| Dakar, Sénégal
Grants Manager | Village Capital | Individuals located and authorized to work in Kenya, India, US, Malta
Investment Officer | Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P) | Nairobi, Kenya
Innovation Lab Lead | Innovate Durban | Durban, South Africa
Various roles | AECF | Nairobi, Abidjan
Employee Relationship Consultant | Atlas | Nigeria (Remote)