We are excited to bring you a host of updates and new offerings from the East, West, and South Africa Chapter newsletters consolidated into one! Through this 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.
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Talent Management Workshop | ANDE West Africa
Date: 22 March, 2022 | 2PM GMT +1
The ANDE West Africa Chapter is excited to invite you to the upcoming Talent Management Workshop, supported by Aspire Coronation Trust (ACT) Foundation. This session will provide unique insights into the talent management landscape in Sub-Saharan Africa, and share tools that enable Entrepreneurs Support Organizations (ESOs) and the businesses they support to think strategically and holistically about their talent resources, systems, and practices, with emphasis on attracting, retaining and growing their talent. Register here!
Save the Date: 2022 Regional Conference | ANDE West Africa
Date: 19-20 July, 2022
Venue: Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City Accra, Ghana.
This is to announce that the 2022 ANDE West Africa Regional Conference date is fixed. The 2022 conference themed “Accelerating SGB Growth in Africa'' will focus on critical talent challenges in the SGB sector, as well as how SGBs can help developing economies achieve the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in the context of rebuilding a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem post-COVID. Kindly reach out to Ajoke Omoware for questions and watch this space for the registration launch.
Save the Date: ANDE 2022 Annual Conference
Date: 13-15 September, 2022
This year we are building an exciting agenda around the theme of Resilient Entrepreneurship. We have seen the resilience of the SGB sector at work in so many ways - responding to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, finding solutions to climate change and encouraging sustainable businesses, unlocking equal opportunity for entrepreneurs, and enabling ecosystems for this work around the world. Please direct any questions to our Events Manager Tess Newell.
Applications Open: ANDE Investment Manager Training (IMT) - Training of Trainers (ToT)
Deadline: 1 April 2022
We are excited to announce that for the first time in ANDE’s Investment Manager Training (IMT) history we are offering an IMT Training of Trainers (ToT) to be held in Nairobi, Kenya on 27 June - 1 July 2022. As part of ANDE’s talent development programs; our goal is to build critical skills within member organizations, reduce training costs, and ultimately create a pool of talented leaders in the small and growing business (SGB) sector facilitation. For more details Apply here!
Pan - African Digitalization Learning Lab series (ANDE Members Only)
ANDE, in collaboration with Make-IT in Africa by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), is working to improve the ability of intermediaries to accelerate transition to digital support services, sign up for our Pan-African Digitalization Learning Lab series this year here (ANDE members only)
Ground up Podcast | UEEI Powered by ANDE
In this episode of Ground Up, your host Fay Kakai from UEEI sits down with Allen Asiimwe from TradeMark East Africa. Allen shares insights on the African Continental Free Trade Area and its implications for small businesses, collective action, as well as the leadership and mentorship work she does with young women at Project Girls4Girls. Listen Now!
ANDE Member Anniversaries
Growth Africa turns 20!
Congratulations to Growth Africa as they complete an impactful 20 years. GrowthAfrica is a growth frontier and growth partner dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs , growing ambitious and scalable African ventures and SMEs into successful enterprises through business acceleration, strategic advice and access to investments. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, GrowthAfrica today has offices in Uganda, Ethiopia, Zambia, Malawi and Ghana where their accelerator programme is present.
LEAP Africa turns 20!
Congratulations to LEAP Africa as they mark their 20th anniversary! LEAP Africa, a youth-focused leadership development organization committed to raising leaders that will transform Africa, has over 1 million direct and indirect beneficiaries; footprints in about 26 states in Nigeria and 8 African countries, and 11 published books, which are action oriented guides to creating positive and lasting change in individuals, organizations and communities.
Dalberg Turns 20!
Congratulations to Dalberg as they mark their 20th anniversary. Dalberg, a global group working to build a more inclusive and sustainable world, started as a tiny group of passionate folks crammed into a small office space in New York working on UN reforms. Today, Dalberg has a presence in close to 30 cities and has completed more than 3,000 projects in 100+ countries.
Amani Institute turns 10!
Congratulations to Amani Institute as they mark their 10th anniversary. Amani Institute is an organization that envisions a community of global changemakers. Founded in 2011, Amani Institute was incorporated in the USA, and has offices in Brazil, Kenya and India with over 2.6 Million USD scholarships offered and 20% revenue growth for the registered SGBs.
Africa Futures Conference | Africa Futures and Lauder Institute
18-19 March | Lagos |1pm GMT +1
Featuring multi - sectoral and interdisciplinary conversations between business leaders, innovators, development practitioners, policy makers and academics, this annual event provides a platform for the exchange of extraordinary ideas and making connections. Register here! Call for Application: The Emerging Entrepreneurs Program | FATE Foundation
March 21-June 10, 2022
The FATE School of Entrepreneurship has opened the Call for Applications for the 29th Cohort of the Emerging Entrepreneurs Programme (EEP) by FATE Foundation and registration is ongoing. EEP is a 12-Week Strategic Growth Focused Programme that is designed to offer a holistic set of courses and modules that address all key challenges in growing a business in Nigeria. Apply here! Webinar Series: What is Needed from the 21st Century Leader | L&D Africa
Date: 5 April , 2022 | 2PM GMT +1 | Ghana
Learning and Development Africa is hosting their first webinar in 2022 tagged ‘ What is Needed from the 21st Century Leader’. This webinar will be facilitated by Peter A. James (PhD, MBA, PCC) who is the president and CEO of HCG Consulting Solutions. Register here! Impact Linked Fund for Education | Jacobs Foundation and Impact Linked Finance Fund
The Jacobs Foundation is partnering with the Impact-Linked Finance Fund and SDC to provide impact-linked financing to Education organizations in West Africa and MENA (Middle-East and North Africa), rewarding them for the additional impact that they create with regards to access to quality education for vulnerable children and youth. Education organizations can apply here.
Thrive Fund | Riversands Incubation Hub
Riversands I-Hub has developed the Thrive Fund to address the major inhibitors of growth for SMEs: access to finance and funding readiness. The Thrive Fund is based on a debt fund that strives to offer easy access to interest-free, affordable debt finance for Purchase Order Funding, Equipment Finance, and Working Capital. Visit the Thrive Fund website! Business Foundation Programme | Black Umbrellas and Sasria SOC Limited
If you have an SME in the finance or insurance brokerage sector, transform your business through the Business Foundation Programme. This entry-level programme is designed to take you from having an early-stage idea or an unstructured existing business to a position where you can take your business to the next level. Apply here! Call for research participation: Identify and Build Entrepreneurial Skills | Allan Gray Orbis Foundation
This survey is aimed at measuring capacity and motivation in performing entrepreneurial activities. Your participation will assist to develop an instrument that may be used to identify and progress entrepreneurial skills. It takes 15 to 25 minutes to complete, and if interrupted, you may continue at a later stage. Take the survey! East London IDZ Hackathon 2022 | Propella Business Incubator and East London IDZ
Date: 25-27 March 2022
Do you know entrepreneurs between the ages 18 and 35 with a passion for ICT living in the Eastern Cape? Invite them to work and compete in a team setting for a grand cash prize. The East London Industrial Development Zone SOC Ltd Science and Technology Park (ELIDZ STP) invites you to take part in the upcoming Hackathon Challenge! Contact the hosts, Propella Business Incubator and find out more. New Resource: Access to Finance Guide | Property Point
In partnership with Advancing Women’s Empowerment Fund (AWEF) by ANDE and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Property Point has developed an Access to Finance Guide - a definitive toolkit to accessing funding in South Africa. This is an essential toolkit in growing your business into a financially fit enterprise.
Call for Business Advisory Service Providers | USAID’s Kenya Investment Mechanism
Are you a Business Advisory Services Provider operating in Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan and/or Ethiopia? Do you have core capabilities in supporting the mobilization of capital (debt or equity) for enterprises operating in the energy, agriculture, health, environment and tourism, education, workforce development, trade, infrastructure, or water and sanitation sectors? Find more information on the call for tenders.Leadership Development Course | Amani Institute
Looking for an impactful leadership program for middle and senior managers in SGBs? Take a look at the Leadership for Growth program open to social impact focused businesses. Join any of their two intakes of the 6-month practical Leadership & Management Development program commencing in May and September this year. Visit here to apply.
Sector Events and Opportunities
Register for the Gender Equity Plus Financial Equity Forum | KIVA
Date: 15-17 March, 2022
With support from USAID, KIVA is hosting a virtual convening, which will give participants the opportunity to hear from industry leaders and engage with peers including investors, gender experts and representatives from financial institutions and social enterprises. Register here! Call for Applications: Land Accelerator Africa 2022 | World Resources Institute
Deadline: 31 March, 2022
The Land Accelerator is launching applications for their fourth cohort in Africa. The program is the world’s first training and mentorship program targeted specifically toward businesses that restore degraded forests, farmland, and pasture. Participants leave the program ready to connect with potential investors so that they can take their business to the next stage of growth. Apply now. Calling For Social Entrepreneurs: Miller Center Accelerator | Miller Center
Deadline: 31 March, 2022
Miller Center is seeking social entrepreneurs with a focus on women’s economic empowerment and/or climate resilience who are looking for support to scale their impact. Applications are currently accepted on a rolling basis for two cohorts launching in June and September 2022. Apply here! Calling All Women Entrepreneurs - What’s Your Experience Like When Accessing Financial Products from Banks? | M-Kyala Ventures
Deadline: 31 March, 2022
M-Kyala Ventures, with support from the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) is developing a Gender Smart Lending toolkit that will increase the capacity of financial institutions to provide lending products that are relevant to women entrepreneurs. On filling the survey, you will be included in future communications regarding any info sessions and events surrounding the intervention. Please respond before the
deadline. 2022 Lexington Summit | Concordia
7-8 April, 2022
Taking place in both a digital and in-person capacity, the inaugural Concordia Lexington Summit will convene a variety of voices across the political spectrum and across sectors to advance civil discourse and understanding between the different socioeconomic worlds present in the U.S. Register here! Innovation Stories: Insights from Africa | Goodwell Investments
Date: 7 April, 2022
Join founders and leadership teams from one of Goodwell Investments' 21 sub-Saharan African portfolio companies to share their journey of building an inclusive business from start-up to enterprise. In addition, their investment team will share insights into investment opportunities on the continent, discuss trends in financial inclusion, agriculture, mobility and more. Register to attend. Calling for Concepts: Digital Invest Finance Program| USAID
Deadline: 29 April,2022
Digital Invest is a new USAID blended finance program under the Digital Connectivity and Cybersecurity Partnership (DCCP) which works with fund managers to mobilize private capital for digital finance and internet service providers (ISPs) serving traditionally underserved consumer populations in developing markets. Learn more and apply! Professional Development Programme (PDP) | EAVCA
The EAVCA Professional Development Programme (PDP) is a three- day in person masterclass targeting attendees who seek to deepen their knowledge into the workings of private capital. The PDP programme is suited for new entrants into the private capital industry as an induction into the industry, as well as professional services providers who wish to reinforce their understanding of the transaction value chain. Register and Apply here! Call for Grant Proposals: Fostering Solutions and Infrastructure | C3 Grantmaking Program
With this call, the C3 Grantmaking program is seeking to foster solutions and infrastructure that will enable and accelerate the deployment of catalytic capital around the world, across diverse sectors and markets. Learn more and Apply 2022 WE Empower UN SDG Challenge | ASU
The WE Empower UN SDG Challenge is the first of its kind global competition for social entrepreneurs who are advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals and inspiring entire communities to act to create an ideal world in 2030. Learn more and apply! DFC and USADF Launch New Initiative to Help Accelerate Small Businesses in Africa
The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) have announced the launch of the African Small Business Catalyst (ASBC), a business accelerator for early growth-stage small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in sub-Saharan Africa. Learn more!
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.
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