We are excited to bring you a host of updates and new offerings through 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. Wish to have your content featured in the next one? Submit your event, fellowship, report, initiative, or opportunity via this form.
Meet the ANDE Team in Kigali!
Are you in Kigali for the #SEforALLForum? We’d Like to Meet!
This week, the ANDE team led by our Executive Director Richenda Van Leeuwen and the East Africa Director Rosemary Amondi are in Kigali, Rwanda for the #SEforALLForum. They hosted a wonderful networking reception yesterday and they'll be meeting with a couple of stakeholders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem over the next few days. Let us know if you would like to meet with them by writing to Edna Karanja.
Contribute to ANDE’s 2022 Member Satisfaction Survey - ANDE Members Only*
Deadline: May 31, 2022
ANDE wants your feedback! Please set aside 10 minutes to complete this year's Member Satisfaction Survey by May 31, 2022. All member contacts are asked to respond, and we encourage multiple submissions per organization. As an incentive, ANDE is offering 3 months of Audible or Spotify premium subscriptions to 4 randomly chosen respondents! Additionally, 3 randomly chosen respondents will receive a $100 credit towards registration for any ANDE event, including the Annual Conference. Thank you in advance for taking the time to give us your feedback and helping us to help grow the sector.
Register Now for the 2022 ANDE West Africa Regional Conference
19 - 20 July 2022 | Accra, Ghana
The 2022 conference theme “Accelerating SGB Growth in Africa” will feature an interactive agenda, with sessions focused on solutions to the most pressing challenges faced by SGBs, informal networking time, and Anglophone and Francophone plenaries with speakers working to build the culture of entrepreneurship in the region. Register here for an impactful hybrid and bilingual event.
Register Now for the 2022 ANDE Annual Conference
13 - 15 September 2022 | Leesburg, Virginia, USA
After two years of all-virtual conferences, the 2022 Annual Conference is back in person outside Washington, DC. This year’s theme, Resilient Entrepreneurship, will bring the ANDE community together to discuss how to best ensure the strength and sustainability of the SGB sector. Register and join us for ANDE’s flagship event!
Shared Interest’s New Refreshed Website is Live!
Through their new business model and latest strategic plan, Shared Interest is positioned for a new chapter of growth, impact and sustainability. They are ramping up their work with Black small and-medium-sized enterprises, especially those owned by women – who are working at the intersection of addressing some of the world’s most urgent development challenges: climate change, gender equity, rural poverty, agriculture and fintech. They are also expanding their efforts to advance financial inclusion by working with a broader network of financial institutions and partners. Click here to visit the new website.
Building Business Integrity Across Africa - Ethics 1ST| Centre for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)
The goal of Ethics 1st is to de-risk investment into African economies to increase return on investment and better integrate companies across the continent into global value chains. The Ethics 1st Governance and Corporate Ethics compliance benchmark is based on internationally recognized standards adapted for business operations in emerging markets, making it accessible for African businesses. Register on the Ethics 1st compliance platform to give your business a competitive edge by enhancing your governance framework.
Apply for Funding to sustain and grow your Business | SMEgo by Old Mutual
Old Mutual has powered SMEgo, an easy-to-use online portal that allows SMEs to apply for funding from multiple funders with one application The platform enables businesses to apply for diverse products such as asset finance, invoice discounting, and merchant capital finance. Whether you need to fulfil a large shipment, or scale operations to facilitate longer-term growth, the platform gives SMEs the funding support they so desperately need. Apply here. Bursaries available - Social Entrepreneurship Programme | The Gordon Institute of Business
Deadline: 22 May 2022
Applications are open for the Social Entrepreneurship Programme and bursaries are available for applicants who meet the criteria. The sought-after course takes excellence in business innovation thinking and applies it to the social development space. To apply for the bursary, email a letter of motivation to Lorenzo after you have applied for the programme. Get more details here Apply for the JCCI Export Programme | Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Deadline: 25 May 2022
The export programme that will equip you with all the necessary exporting skills.
Once you have completed the training, you will be assisted to access new markets through established international networks. Download form here or email Busi Mkhabele for more information. Call for Social Entrepreneurs with Innovative ventures that support preschool teachers| Innovation Edge
Deadline: 15 June 2022
Social entrepreneurs with a proven track record of implementation are invited to apply for funding for their product, service, or venture. The stage of the solution or venture can be anywhere on the spectrum - from feasibility to scale-up. Successful applicants will receive fit-for-purpose funding, customised venture building support and connections to social capital. Learn more here
Apply to join Triggering Exponential Climate Action (TECA) | BFA Global
20 May 2022 | 16:00 - 17:30 EAT
Are you passionate about Climate Action and require funding? Do you have a startup idea to promote sustainable economic use of Oceans, Lakes, and Rivers in the broader East African region? Do you require support to develop your idea into a venture? Learn more and join the community here for the first series of online webinars (opportunities and challenges in the blue economy in Africa).
Apply Now for Kua Ventures Second Round of Investments | Kua Ventures
Deadline: 31 May 2022
Kua Ventures is launching its second round of investments in Kenya and calls for you to apply to be part of a portfolio of entrepreneurs creating and leading change in how business is done within the ecosystem. The Kua Ventures investment goes beyond injection of capital to include customized coaching that is aimed at generating growth within the SME sector. Kua Ventures deliberately drives community support by linking portfolio companies with each other for peer support and synergy. Learn more about the funding criteria and to apply.
The eCommerce Summit | KECTD
30 June 2022 | Nairobi, Kenya
The second eCommerce Summit will offer a unique platform to discuss the development implications of e-commerce in Africa and the African digital economy. Delegates will hear from regional partners and stakeholders about good data & digitization practices, initiate collaboration and explore solutions and partnerships to leverage digital tools for development. Register here
Sector Events and Opportunities
Social Innovation Management Fellowship - Scholarship| Amani Institute
Deadline: 18 May 2022
Do you strongly desire to engage in a career that gives you a sense of purpose and impacts the world positively? The award-winning Social Innovation Management program by Amani Institute can help you do exactly that. The next 6-month hybrid edition of the program involving a 3-month immersion phase in Kenya is starting on June 20, 2022. More details here Partnership for Scale
Programme | UNDP
Deadline: 31 May 2022
Digital X is UNDP’s ‘Partnerships for Scale Programme’ to find, match, and scale proven and innovative digital solutions around the world. Applications are invited from non-profits, social enterprises, universities, and UN organisations with scalable digital solutions. Find more details here Seed Transformation Program | Stanford Seed
Deadline: 1 June 2022
Learn how to grow and scale your company in this 11-month program. Throughout the experience, you will work in small, facilitated peer groups called Leadership Labs to share experiences, resources, ideas, and support. Learn more here. Nominations for the 2022 AWIEF Awards now open | AWIEF
Deadline: 3 June 2022
Nominations are now open for the 2022 edition of the prestigious AWIEF Awards, which recognise, honour and celebrate women entrepreneurs and business owners in Africa and across various industry sectors for their achievements and contribution to the continent’s inclusive economic growth and social development. Learn more or submit your nomination here Powering up the
workforce for universal energy access | BNEF
24 May 2022 | 14:00 - 15:00 BST (GMT+1)
Ashden and BloombergNEF (BNEF) invite you to join a webinar discussing how to blast through the jobs and skills barrier preventing universal access to clean, affordable, decentralised energy. Register here Impact Measurement Training | Efiko Academy
Efiko Academy & Common Approach to Impact Measurement has collaborated to launch a brand-new training opportunity for social purpose organizations. Secure your early bird ticket now to guarantee your place and to secure your early bird benefits, including a 40% discount on the course fee. Learn more: Here.
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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