August/September have been incredible months here at Finding XY , filled with numerous activities. In this newsletter, we share highlights from our different projects across sectors.

We share highlights from the Women in Agriculture Impact Investment (WAII) Facility, updates on Mainstreaming ambition – Vulnerable Youth in Business practical business, and the Africa Green Technologies Fund.  Each of these is core to what we do at Finding XY – designing and implementing innovative projects that provide access to low-cost capital, capacity development and market-based research to support entrepreneurs and eco-system builders to address climate change and create a social impact. Please receive our August-September News update.

Eddie Sembatya,

C.E.0

 

THE WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE IMPACT INVESTMENT (WAII) FACILITY

Finding XY established the Women in Agriculture Impact Investment (WAII) facility to accelerate investment to Agri-SMEs, across the value chain using a blend of instruments and a gender lens approach. The facility seeks to remedy COVID 19 effects, such as irregular cash flows, by partially de-risking loan agreements with partner financial Institutions (PFIs). Finding XY is deploying two blended finance approaches, that is the bridge financing cover and the loan-discount approach.

 Agri-SMEs run complex supply chains, under multiple operations; however, limited access to capital has not allowed them to realize their full potential, while others have not fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic impact.

Learnings from the WAII facility so-far indicate that Agri-SMEs are impeded from growth mainly due to;

  • Lack of access to affordable and flexible finance to sustain production and operations despite the uncertainties of the Agricultural value chain to enable scale up-production and increase profitability margins.
  • Price fluctuations of agricultural products and Climate change which makes planning on both the demand and supply side of the Agricultural value chain difficult.
  • Limited trade with-in the eco systems, which makes operations efficiency difficult.
  • Inadequate operational functions to support company-wide risk management, quality assurance, record keeping, governance, procurement, financial management and fundraising.

The Women in Agriculture Impact Investment facility (WAII) Facility call for applications commenced in June 2022 and the facility has since received over 100 companies expressing interest.  The call for applications is still open and we are still receiving applications from female-led enterprises across the agricultural sector aimed towards supporting a community of female-led Agri SMEs to grow and receive investment.

After vigorous screening and due-diligence ,10 out of the 100 companies were selected for the first cycle and are currently undergoing business advisory and investment readiness prior to investor matching.

WAII is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Feed the Future Uganda Inclusive Agricultural Markets Activity and is implemented by Finding XY.

 

Light for the World 

Mainstreaming Ambition; Vulnerable Youth in Business Project

Finding XY conducted a Mainstreaming ambition – Vulnerable Youth in Business Inclusive Enterprise Group (IEG) training to cover 5 sector workbooks including branding and Marketing and the Technical Business Training, along disability inclusion facilitators (DIFs) in 5 districts across Uganda. This was the last out of the 4 Mainstreaming ambition – Vulnerable Youth in Business project deliverables.

The training aimed at equipping persons with disabilities especially the youth and young women with diverse business and financial skills and knowledge which can be implemented in their existing businesses, or start-up new ventures in the value chains. The training had guiding principles that employed special needs inclusivity, practical approaches and the use of proven take-home manuals which enabled effective delivery of training to persons with disabilities.

Learnings from the project indicated that persons with disabilities have a high affinity toward entrepreneurship and investments and can excel in any array of businesses including apiary, poultry, fruit and vegetable production, goat farming, Rabbitry, cereal banking and post-harvest investment, nursery management and seedling production, piggery, fish farming, transport, storage, manufacturing and bar soap making.

The programme is implemented by Light for the World (LFTW) as project lead, together with the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD), Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE), and Standard Chartered Bank. The project aims to generate decent work for vulnerable youth with a focus on young women and youths with disabilities through either waged employment or self-employment in the districts of Moroto, Lira, Gulu, Arua and Wakiso.    

Read the report Here

 

AFRICA GREEN TECHNOLOGIES FUND (AGTF)

Finding XY  and partners have designed the Africa Green Technologies Facility (AGTF), a programme intended to strengthen and accelerate the adoption of green technologies in domestic markets.

Rather than being a traditional VC fund, this facility takes the approach of a “match- making” business and profiles feasible projects where investments can be made, matching them to funders via an alternative/blended financing scheme, which provides cover across the different investment needs of funders and local enterprises alike.

The facility promotes increased co-operation among green business promoters by taking a bespoke approach to defining green technology needs, learning and facilitating deal flow using finance and project consulting for commercial uptake by investors. The end goal is to enable the implementation of green technology projects giving opportunity to local climate smart enterprises to grow, and to provide green energy and better climate adaptation solutions in local communities.