2024 Africa Impact Investment Awards open for entry

Nominations for the second annual Africa Impact Investment Awards are open. The awards, hosted by Krutham, aim to celebrate outstanding achievements within the impact investing sector in Africa and this year are sponsored by FirstRand.
Image source: andreypopov –
Image source: andreypopov – 123RF.com

In 2023, the awards received 75 nominations from 16 countries across the continent through key partner networks, including the African Venture Philanthropy Alliance, the African Private Capital Association, ANDE West Africa, the East Africa Venture Capital Association, Impact Investing Ghana, the Impact Investing Institute, the GSG, Impact Investing South Africa, the national advisory boards for impacting investing of both Nigeria and Zambia, the Southern African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, and the UNDP.

The impact awards were conceptualised so as to develop a repository of demonstration cases for impact investing in Africa. Africa faces deep developmental issues and, according to the latest OECD data, has a sustainable financing gap of approximately R1.6tn until 2030. Impact investing has a critical role to play in crowding in private sector investors to help fund groundbreaking solutions that achieve both a positive social or environmental impact and generate a return on investment.

These investment strategies contribute to development solutions in a sustainable way, reducing over-reliance on aid while relieving pressure on government finances. Ultimately, the Africa Impact Investment Awards seek to boost capital flows to Africa by recognising how organisations across the entire ecosystem are innovating to achieve excellence in the rapidly growing field.

To amplify the reach and exposure of the impact awards, the winners will be announced at the Africa Impact Summit, organised by the Africa Impact Investing Group, which is taking place in Nairobi, Kenya from 17-19 July 2024. Also in its second year, the Impact Summit is expected to attract 450 delegates from more than 20 countries across the continent and beyond.

This year organisations or individuals can enter for the following awards categories:

  1. Social enterprise of the year:

    2. Awarded to social enterprises, ie. businesses that aim to generate profit and have positive social or environmental impact, that are solving some of the continent's most entrenched social or environmental problems.

  2. Impact funder of the year:

    3. Funders deploying capital to support impact projects. Can include pension funds, endowments, corporations, banks, governments, development finance institutions, high net-worth individuals, and public funders will be eligible for consideration. The award will seek to highlight funders who opted for a non-traditional funding approach, either as a provider of catalytic capital or a third party investor deploying capital into an innovative structure.

  3. Financial structure of the year:

    4. This award is specifically for the innovative financial structures using new instruments and other mechanisms for impact investments. Innovations can include funding instruments or structures, impact delivery mechanisms and innovation in lending schemes to targeted beneficiaries.

  4. Impact fund of the year:

    5. This award recognises fund managers who have excelled with a dedicated impact investment fund within their investment house.

  5. Impact intermediary of the year:

    6. This award recognises intermediaries that support and enable impact investing, including arrangers, accelerators, incubators, government departments, research & consulting firms, policy think-tanks or professional services companies that promote impact investments through thought leadership, project implementations and advisory work.

  6. Outstanding individual achievement of the year:

    7. This award is for an individual that has made an outstanding contribution in the past year to support the growth of the impact investments ecosystem.

Any organisation or individual can submit entries. Entrants can submit for more than one category and must be registered in Africa, headquartered in Africa or have operations on the continent.

The following activities are excluded:

  • Corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives
  • Investments that are not explicitly planned and measured for impact
  • Investments that do not offer financial returns

The deadline for submissions is 7 April 2024. The awards will be announced on 17 July 2024 at an event in Nairobi, Kenya.

You can complete your nomination here or visit the Krutham Africa Impact Investment Awards page for more information.


 
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