Agriculture is the main livelihood for 60% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa and accounts for 23% of the continent’s GDP. However, efforts to scale the sector and increase food security are negatively impacted by resource constraints, political instability, and climate change. Additionally, Southern and Central Africa’s biodiversity and ecosystem services are under pressure from unsustainable agricultural practices. For investors looking to meet invest with a gender or ESG lens, investing in WE4F’s Southern and Central Africa innovators can result in scaled businesses and impacted key thematic focuses like end-user resource access, poverty reduction, gender mainstreaming, climate change resilience and adaptation, food security, and the sustainable usage of water and energy.
For investment partners interested in countries like South Africa, Mozambique, Angola, and nine others, but unable to pursue growth or expansion due to unfamiliarity with the national policies or inability to conduct the necessary due diligence, the Water and Energy for Food Grand Challenge (WE4F) is here to help. Due to the Southern and Central Africa Regional Innovation Hub (S/CA RIH), based in Pretoria, South Africa, investment partners can specifically target their focus countries – and potentially expand to new environments.
By joining WE4F’s investor pool, you can help innovative water-energy-food nexus companies scale their business and reach affected smallholder farmers and food value chains, while benefiting from attractive social and economic returns on your investments. The S/CA RIH provides investor support, right from pipeline development to due diligence, monitoring and evaluation, post-investment technical assistance, and continuous ESG-compliance – all ensuring your investments have an on-the-ground impact. Also, all of the companies we work with are committed to sustainable practices, climate-friendly technologies, and the reduction of GHG emissions. Investing in WE4F companies means real impact: real gender barriers addressed, real water and energy usage reduced, real food produced, and real smallholder farmers accessing previously unavailable technology.
If you’re interested in learning more about investment partnership opportunities and exploring the process to join the WE4F investor pool, register for the Q&A Webinar on December 14th and view the Expression of Interest document.
