Promoting Inclusion through Leadership and Investment

The project aims to improve the social and economic well-being for the most vulnerable populations in East and West Africa including crisis-affected communities particularly poor women and girls. The project works to accomplish this by building the capacity of targeted innovative social enterprises and emerging leaders committed to improving the lives of Africans specifically women and conflict affected populations living in poverty. The project also aims to help strengthen the evidence base for gender lens investing – or investing with an aim to earn financial returns and address gender disparities – as a poverty reduction tool. Project activities include: (1) providing “inclusion grants” to African social enterprises to develop or refine products services and approaches that better serve vulnerable populations in East and West Africa including women and girls and crisis affected communities; (2) developing and implementing gender-responsive impact measurement tools to deliver actionable insights into the impact of products and services on women and girls and crisis-affected populations in East and West Africa; (3) delivering training and tools to Acumen portfolio teams from East and West Africa to strengthen the integration of a gender equality lens across Acumen’s organization and investment cycle; and (4) supporting emerging leaders to participate in Acumen’s one-year Fellowship Program (55% women business leaders or entrepreneurs; 35% women and men in or working on issues related to crisis-affected communities).

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) enhanced access by vulnerable populations in East and West Africa including crisis-affected communities in particular poor women/girls to affordable quality and innovative products and services that meet their specific basic needs including clean energy and food security; and (2) strengthened capacity of emerging leaders including those working in crisis-affected communities particularly women leaders to develop and manage successful businesses and organizations that address poverty reduction and social justice in East and West Africa.