New lessons are emerging to help shape how impact investors work to increase and accelerate the flow of capital to small businesses in Africa and other emerging markets. A group of partners led by MacArthur grantee the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s Global Alliance for Social Entrepreneurship collaborated to support key stakeholders in the Global South in identifying and scaling up pathways that mobilize more capital for social enterprises and small and growing businesses (SGBs). The group published two articles on the need to support small businesses and how to build their resilience.
Two reports from the alliance explore related issues. One, Unlocking Local Pension Fund Capital for Small Business Finance, highlights how capital gaps in Africa can be filled in part by local pension funds. And SGB Fund of Funds Vehicles: Role, Opportunity, and Design Considerations helps establish the need for, value of, and considerations in the development of such investments, all with the goal of increasing capital for small businesses in emerging markets.
The Collaborative for Frontier Finance and the Global Steering Group for Impact Investing–both MacArthur grantees–were partners in producing these reports, along with the Sustainable Development Investment Partnership.
