The LadyAgri Impact Investment Hub Set to Launch to Support Women Agri-Entrepreneurs in Africa

Launching the LadyAgri Impact Investment Hub – A network of international and African professionals supporting women agri-entrepreneurs in Africa

BRUSSELS

A wind of change is blowing through Brussels, Nouakchott, Banjul, Dakar, Praia, Guinea Conakry, Abidjan, Accra, Ougagadougou, Lomé, Cotonou, Yaoundé, Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Kampala, Kigali, Bujumbura, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Lusaka, Antanarivo, Port Louis, and Addis Ababa.

On 12th October 2018 there was a unique gathering of experts united by a common goal to support and invest in women-led agri-businesses across Africa. The drive is to invest for impact.

The LadyAgri Impact Investment Hub provides access to medium- and long-term financing, technical capacity-building, and food technology partnerships to improve food safety, nutrition, and productivity in a sustainable way. The Hub will empower women to use their position in the African agricultural sector to create employment, upscale their commercial activities, and upskill the labour force, with an emphasis on women.

Our beneficiaries commit and comply with the LadyAgri Social Impact Charter thereby protecting and advancing the socio-economic interests of women in their supply chain. In addition to improving food security and nutrition for families, LadyAgri-supported projects emphasise climate, environment, and circular economy business opportunities within agriculture. Reaching the UN Sustainable Development Goals is a core objective of LadyAgri as the Hub is founded with a long term strategy to support agricultural transformation whereby women contribute, win and lead.

LadyAgri will create and promote a “Made by Women in Africa” label of quality as an emblem of fair trade business practices, i.a. through geographical indications adding value locally. By creating a new profile for women agricultural entrepreneurs, LadyAgri will make the African Continental Free Trade Area work for women, by raising their business capacity and economic resilience so that they may seize local and cross-border business opportunities.

In the words of Mammy Takizala, a business woman in Kikwit DR Congo who sources agricultural produce from women farmer smallholders; » LadyAgri is what we have been waiting for, to provide agricultural knowledge, technology and financing to the 500 hardworking mothers in our community. I’m proud to be part of LadyAgri, who believe in me and support me to further grow and expand my business and do good for my fellow women agri- producers. It is my responsibility as a daughter of Kikwit to give back to the women in my community, to improve their livelihoods and create a better future for our children”.

According to Pamela Anyoti Peronaci , CEO of Asante Mama, a socially responsible business sourcing from Uganda smallholders ; “ It is so difficult to invest into food processing as women, to purchase equipment, to ensure food safety and quality, to approach commercial banks for financing and agri-business insurance…to actually get products to markets.” “LadyAgri is the first organisation I have met who really understand the challenges I have faced as a woman especially with regards to financing, sourcing and mobilising specialised expertise, accessing agri-technology, organising efficient logistics to grow my business and to bring smallholder grown produce to markets in a fair and responsible way”.

Today’s event commemorating World Food Day, brings together experts from food systems, agricultural supply chain, public health professionals, trainers, investors, and academia, to officially launch the Hub. The LadyAgri Impact Investment Hub offers a unique combination of

Technical expertise – for identifying, coaching, and vetting women led agri-business projects with the potential for scalable social impact,
Private sector technology partnerships, and
A platform for public and private investors to source projects with bankable status.

The LadyAgri Impact Investment Fund will be launched in Brussels on 8th March 2019.