We are excited to share with you updates, insights and progress across our various projects; implemented and designed. In this newsletter, we share with you updates on the Women in Agriculture Impact Investment (WAII) Facility, the Agricultural Apprentice Incubator and the Climate Finance& Business Advisory Training of Trainers.

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Eddie Sembatya,

C.E.0.

THE WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE IMPACT INVESTMENT (WAII) FACILITY.

Finding XY continues to build a strong pipeline of female-led Agri SMEs in both Kenya and Uganda looking to raise investment in debt or equity financing through the Women in Agriculture Impact Investment (WAII) Facility. The facility continues to partner with institutional and impact investors to accelerate investment in female-led Agri-SMEs. Since the facility launch in June 2022, we have partnered with investors including, Nordic Impact Funds ,I Gravity and Asante Financial services! We look forward to engaging with more investors to address the “gender gap” through Gender Lens Investment and a blend of development and commercial finance.

In a bid to continue supporting women in agriculture, last month Finding XY officially opened the call for applications for Kenyan female-led Agri-SMEs to express interest in joining the WAII facility. Since the launch in Kenya, over 40 Agri-SMEs have expressed interest and are currently undergoing further assessment to determine their eligibility into the facility. Finding XY established the Women in Agriculture Impact Investment (WAII) Facility to accelerate early growth stage of SMEs investment using a blend of instruments and a gender lens approach through bridge financing cover and loan-discount approach using Covid relief investment support. 

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.

THE AGRICULTURAL APPRENTICE INCUBATOR

Finding XY has designed and implemented various projects to unlock financing for female-led enterprises and created opportunities for vulnerable groups through programs like including the Women in Agriculture Impact Investment Facility, and Cente Ya Kikazi (CYK) loosely translated as a Businesswoman’s Wallet and the Entrepreneurs with Disability accelerator in partnership with Light for the world.

The Agricultural apprentice incubator will thus leverage Finding XY’s vast experience in providing financing and technical assistance to achieve financial and social impact returns. The Agriculture Apprentice Incubator will build strong partnerships between female led Agri SMEs and in refugee communities to source and facilitate trade with Agri-SMEs with operations there-in.

Finding XY will build the capacity of female led agri SMEs to deepen operations in refugee settlement by providing BDS apprenticeship to startups who sell or buy from small holder farmers within the refugee communities.

Using an Incubation curriculum guided by Finding XY, female led Agri-SMEs shall mobilize and provide apprenticeship to aspiring agri-prenuers from the resilience zones with the goal of developing agricultural business ideas adapted to the resilience zones. They shall be inspired to think broadly and innovatively to close food security gaps in their local communities and build into the female led Agribusiness value chain.  

CLIMATE FINANCE AND BUSINESS ADVISORY TRAINING OF TRAINERS (TOT).

Purposed to build trainer’s capacity to offer quality business and climate finance advisory services to micro, small and medium sized enterprises in Uganda, Finding XY shall conduct the  ”Climate Finance and Business Advisory Training of Trainers.” The Training shall provide a suite of tools and templates that trainers can use to adapt to their work so they can design and deliver relevant support to climate smart enterprises and the ecosystem.

Over time, Finding XY has curated a pipeline of Climate Smart Business Advisors, investors and professionals critical to bridging the knowledge on climate finance trends and business advisory services. The purpose of the training of trainers shall therefore be to equip advisors with practical and comprehensive understanding of climate finance including adaptation, mitigation and resilience, funding trends, and taxonomies and for them to network and learn from experts in the field of climate finance and business advisory.

The 5-day event is tentatively scheduled for 5th-9th June, 2023 and will cost each trainee UGX.1, 500, 000. At the end of the event, we will keep in touch with trainers to share experiences, challenges and if necessary further training especially in the delivery of training and business advisory solutions whether in person or through online training.

Click here to register: https://t.co/PH28qjd34e