Investors in Asia and Africa are invited to join the growing impact investing market

July 2021

Topic

First Impact Investing Fellowship program for asset owners and managers in Asia and Africa was launched to offer learning and networking.

Business Spirit News reporting ⬤ Author

The Impact Investing Fellowship was born from the shared mission of the African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA) and Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) to transform the social investment landscape and increase the flow of capital and resources towards impact investing in these regions.

This trailblazer project is designed to challenge the perception of asset owners and managers that impact investing is a trade-off for financial returns, and the private sector should only focus on achieving financial returns.

Organisers of the Fellowship program state that today’s impact investment market offers diverse and viable opportunities for investors to advance social and environmental solutions through investments that also produce financial returns.

“Both continents have huge potential to augment their economic and social potential and to build on their recent successes by sharing different experiences of growth and development,” says Bridget Fury, Head of Oppenheimer Generations Philanthropies about why a program like this is needed.

“There is scope for Asia and Africa to see synchronised, sustainable growth if we establish optimal alliances between the regions.”

Bridget Fury, Head of Oppenheimer Generations Philanthropies; Image: Harambeans

In the last four years, the compound annual growth rate in impact investing in East and Southeast Asia alone was 20%, higher than the U.S and Canada.

“There is a mismatch between the supply of impact investment capital and demand from impact businesses. Investors will need to find innovative means to tailor their funds and meet the needs of these businesses where they are,”

adds Dr. Frank Aswani, CEO of AVPA.

Sixty participants will be selected in equal numbers from Asia and Africa to join the program that will help them have the right information and resources on building an impact investing strategy, managing a portfolio, defining, evaluating, and managing impact, among other skills.

In collaboration with Faculty from the Oxford Saïd Business School, impact investing experts will facilitate the program over four months.

Applications are open to asset managers, foundation directors, accelerators, incubators and NextGen leaders until 12 August 2021.

The first cohort of alumni will be supported by the unique network of AVPN, committed to building a vibrant and high impact social investment community across Asia, and the Pan-African network of AVPA that seeks to transform the social investing agenda in the continent.

Eventually, the Impact Investing Fellowship aims to increase the flow of social investment capital into Africa and Asia.

Headline image: Alexander Suhorucov from Pexels