Investing for Impact

In 2017, we launched a five-year strategy, which aimed to tackle the key development challenges facing countries in Africa and South Asia. A lot has changed since then - the pandemic has pushed hundreds of millions into extreme poverty, climate change has become the climate emergency, and there is greater understanding of the systemic injustices that hold people back.

This week, we launched our 2022-2026 strategy, which aims to address these emerging challenges and opportunities. It sets out three clear strategic objectives - to invest in productive, sustainable and inclusive development.

And in this podcast episode, we take a deeper dive into what all this means. We explore our impact objectives in more detail, discuss the lessons learnt since 2017 and understand how we will implement the strategy in the countries where we invest.

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Women are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change than men and, at the same time, can be critical agents of adaptation and resilience responses. 

In this podcast episode, we look at the reasons why women are disproportionately affected by climate change, and how investors can benefit from considering both gender and climate factors in their work. 

We hear from: 

We also discuss the Gender Smart Climate Finance Guide, a new free online toolkit from the 2X Collaborative. the Guide provides practical resources for investors applying a gender lens to climate finance investments. It is powered by CDC Group, the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

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It is now beyond debate that emerging economies will shoulder the burden of the climate crisis. It is estimated that out of the $90 trillion needed for the infrastructure to meet the 2030 emission goals, two thirds should go to emerging economies. And in the recent Global Climate Risk Index, eight out of the ten countries most affected by the quantified impacts of extreme weather events are low- to lower-middle income and half of them are categorised as Least Developed Countries.

COP26 is critical if we are to have a chance of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees. The recent IPCC report made it clear it is still possible to meet the target but only if unprecedented action is taken now. If the conference is to be effective, emerging markets voices and their needs must lead the agenda.

Join us for a conversation with Yvonne Aki Sawyerr OBE, the Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone and passionate climate champion. Since her election in 2018, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr has put the climate agenda at the heart of her administration, focussing on innovative solutions and local action to address the immediate challenges cities in emerging economies like Freetown face.

Your host is CDC’s Director of Communications Lynsay Taffe.

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In this episode, we explore the impact climate change is having on businesses in emerging economies. We look at how it's affecting firms today, how it might affect their future plans and what international investors can do to support a just transition to net zero emissions and resilient economies. 

We hear from founders, CEOs and senior managers working at companies operating in Africa and South Asia that CDC invests in, including: 

If you're interested in delving deeper into the topics we cover in this episode, take a look at the CDC Emerging Economies Climate Report 2021.  

A thriving private sector is the foundation of a healthy economy – creating employment, delivering vital goods and services, and providing valuable tax income. Which is why investment in emerging markets is critical to advancing development.

However, these markets are complex and need different types of financial interventions to enable economic growth. So the question arises, how do we ensure the growth from private sector investment is sustainable, inclusive, and equitable? Vineet Rai, chair of Aavishkaar Group, an emerging market financial group, believes impact investment is the key. A pioneer of the industry, Vineet’s realisation that investors need to offer a suite of products to truly meet the needs of burgeoning private sector, has transformed the way many think about impact investment today.

Join us for a conversation with the industry leader, in which he will share the story behind the growth of Aaviskaar over the last two decades, to become one of today’s leading impact investors. As well as reflecting on the current impact investing landscape, we will also discuss future industry trends and ask what more can be done to support the growth of impact led investment in emerging markets.

Vineet is joined by CDC Group's Director, Value Creation Strategies Jen Braswell, and General Counsel and Head of External Relations, Colin Buckley. 

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In this episode, we look back over our recent Insight events and ask what impact technology will have on economic growth on the African continent, and what challenges and opportunities it brings with it. We have a stellar line up of guests with expertise in investment, business and academia - you'll hear from: 

Efosa Ojomo, Leader of the Global Prosperity research group at the Clayton Christensen Institute

Dr Frannie Léautier, CEO of Southbridge Investment

Fred Swaniker, Founder of the African Leadership Group

Nikunj Jinsi, emerging markets venture capital investor

Tenbite Ermias, Managing Director and Head of Africa at CDC Group

We are on a summer break from hosting our regular events, so we thought we’d share some of our highlights from the last year of Insight. In this episode we’re focusing on the issue of climate change and in particular what our guests are thinking in the run up to COP26, which is taking place in November. 

COP – which stands for Conference of the Parties – is a UN led global climate summit. And this year’s meeting will be held in Glasgow with the UK taking presidency. 

Your guests for today's episode are: 

Dr Tara Shine, environmental scientist

Amal-Lee Amin, Director, Climate Change, at CDC Group

Hans Peter Lankes, Visiting Professor in Practice, Grantham Research Institute

John Elkington, author and entrepreneur

India's has been one of the countries worst affected by the pandemic, particularly when it comes to case numbers. Clearly this has had a significant impact on businesses and their employees too. 

In a large country, where workers can be regularly on the move or difficult to reach, it makes it hard for companies to communicate with people and provide access to information. In this podcast episode, we explore how three tech companies in India are responding to some of the challenges the pandemic has brought with it. 

You will hear from: 

Africa’s population is the youngest on earth and the fastest growing. Research recently published by the Lancet predicts that in the year 2100, five of the 10 most populous countries on earth will be in Africa.

These demographic trajectories will have a dramatic impact on the global economy and who shapes it. This is clearly an opportunity for the continent and its leaders, but job creation in Africa is not keeping pace with this rapid population growth resulting in a 'ticking time bomb'.

Yet for Fred Swaniker, Founder and CEO of the African Leadership Group, digital technology and the move to online is a chance for Africans to not only create jobs, but to reach new employment opportunities both on the continent and within the global jobs market.

In this conversation with Fred, a leading voice on African leadership, we discussed the role of leaders in unlocking the continent's potential, and how investors can work to create sustainable job-creating private sectors. 

The conversation is chaired by CDC’s Head of External Affairs, Colin Buckley, and he's joined by Tenbite Ermias, Managing Director and Head of Africa.

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The climate crisis is one of the biggest challenges facing humanity, with the threat to the most vulnerable and exposed populations in developing economies especially acute.

Given the scale of the challenge, climate finance for private sector development is critical to helping these countries, not only mitigate the worst effects of climate change, but also adapt and build resilience against future impacts.

Join us for a conversation with economist and sustainable development expert, Hans Peter Lankes where we look ahead to the pivotal COP26 conference later this year and discuss the role of climate finance in tackling the crisis.

Hans Peter, who until recently was Vice President of Economics and Private Sector Development at the International Finance Corporation, shares his insights on how development finance actors. impact investors and policy makers can accelerate action and enable critical climate focussed private sector investment in the countries that need it the most.

The event is chaired by CDC’s Head of External Affairs, Colin Buckley and Climate Strategy Director Amal-Lee Amin.

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