fundraising Archives - AfricaBusiness.com

26Oct

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2021 sees surge in fundraising by African infrastructure funds with $2.14bn USD targeted

Africa-focussed infra investment funds have set a record fundraising target in 2021 Majority of deals by infra funds are of ‘green’ assets, as climate rises up the agenda for asset managers Dry powder and assets under management by infra funds at an all-time high, signalling investment boom to come Africa-focussed infrastructure investment funds have set record fundraising targets in 2021, according to new analysis by global law firm Linklaters. A total of ten funds have set a combined target of 2.14bn USD in their latest fundraising, a marked increase on previous years and over three times the average annual amount targeted over the last ten years. This year has also seen the largest number of newly formed funds that will specifically target Africa’s infrastructure needs - at ten...

Solar Cow- a Samaritan for the Children in Need

The relief of indigence is the primary goal in bringing about a positive change in the lifestyles of children in Africa. To this day, 1 in every 5 children in Africa is devoid of the right to education owing to child labor. Since electricity is a dire need of people even in the utmost rural areas, many low-income families rely on kerosene lighting and exorbitantly expensive charging stations (taking up to 15% of their monthly income) to meet their energy needs, forcing children to toil hard to contribute to their income. That’s why YOLK invented ‘The Solar Cow’ – one of Time Magazine’s 100 Best Inventions of 2019. It’s a solar charging system installed in schools in the backward regions of Africa, allowing children to charge portable batteries called ‘Solar Milk’ while they attend class an...

Innovative funding models in EduTech help to eliminate skills shortages

According to the latest figures released by Stats SA, South Africa’s unemployment rate jumped to a staggering 29% in the last quarter - the worst it’s been since 2008. The unemployment rate for the youth in particular is one of the highest in the world – currently sitting at 56.4%. With all eyes on government to curb the growing unemployment rates, President Ramaphosa has remained steadfast in his call to corporates to absorb more of the youth into the workforce. With the increased focus on how the country will lead the fourth industrial revolution on the continent, most notably in his last State of the Nation Address, Ramaphosa reaffirmed that skills and education was high on the new administration’s list of priorities. The high-tech industry is set to be expanded, by making sure that leg...