This annual gathering promotes trade between Africa and Europe, North America and Asia. The agenda includes country-specific meetings and discussions of investment opportunities for the African diaspora. The conference themes include Agribusiness, Climate Financing, Renewable Energy and Technology. The cost to attend ranges from the equivalent of USD 1,100 to USD 1,640. For further information, you may contact the organizers via +31 616 950 384 or info@investinginafrica.eu.

Forty-seven women who work for private companies, including representatives of all 27 countries of the EU, have joined the Women Climate Leaders Network, which the EIB Group recently convened. The goal of the network is to “share knowledge and best practices for accelerating climate action, and work on new business models and ways to enable the low-carbon and green transformation.” Among the motivations for creating the group is EIB research that indicates women-led firms perform better on ESG measures than do companies run by men.

Originally scheduled to take place in November 2023, this event is centered on the effects of global trends on microfinance in Arab countries. Participants will discuss and build strategies on topics such as making microfinance less harmful to the environment, improving risk management, and expanding services to farmers as well as women in all sectors. The day before the main conference begins - May 13 - representatives of Sanad Fund for MSME and the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation will offer training on agriculture and climate finance. Founded in 2002 to promote microfinance in Arab countries, Sanabel has since expanded to include 79 members from both Arab and European nations. Sanabel is an NGO headquartered in Egypt, and it is also registered in the US. The general participation fee is USD 1,000, but for Sanabel members and all attendees from Jordan, the fee is USD 800. A further discount of USD 50 per person is applicable for groups of five or more. For more information, you may email info@sanabelnetwork.org or call +20 2 2537 3170 or +20 10 0041 0458.

This annual gathering focused on using entrepreneurship to address global challenges - such as climate change and access to healthcare - will take place both in-person and online. The detailed agenda has not been released, but the 2023 iteration included sessions such as: (1) Do Carbon Markets Have a Place in an Equitable Future?; (2) Nurturing Resilient Health and Wellbeing for Change Makers; and (3) Chain Reaction: Localizing Value Chains to Drive Change.

The application window to attend in-person officially closed on January 31, but online participation is free and open to all. Registration to attend online is scheduled to open during February 2024. There are also a range of associated in-person events to take place in Oxford during the 4-day forum, and details on these are expected to be released soon. The forum is hosted by the Skoll Foundation, which was founded by Jeff Skoll in 1999 and focuses on supporting social entrepreneurs via a global network. For more information, you may email registration@skoll.org or call +1 650 331 1031.

CERISE+SPTF, a partnership of two NGOs, is now offering a pair of three-hour, self-paced online training sessions at no cost. One is focused on protecting the clients of financial services providers, and the other covers the measurement and management of the social and environmental performance of FSPs. CERISE+SPTF also offers longer follow-up courses on both topics for purchase beginning at the equivalent of USD 870. This coursework can lead participants to become certified to audit FSPs on both topics. In addition to hosting trainings, the NGOs convene working groups, set standards and work with individual FSPs to document their achievements and improve their practices. The goals of CERISE and SPTF are to help FSPs and their partners “achieve their social and environmental strategies.”

This year's Sankalp Africa Summit focuses on “sustainable” development in Africa, including via entrepreneurship and impact investing. Attendees will engage on themes such as renewable energy, gender issues, engaging youth, agriculture, health and sanitation. Sankalp events are held in various locations as part of Intellecap, which is a member of India's Aavishkaar Group. The cost to attend ranges from USD 229 to USD 1,199. For further information, you may contact the organizers at SankalpForum@intellecap.net or +91 022 6195 2700.

This forum will bring stakeholders together to discuss topics such as: (1) Climate-Smart Financing for Smallholder Farmers; (2) Women’s Economic Empowerment by MFIs; and (3) Green & Sustainable Finance; Genuine Change from MFIs. The event is hosted by Uniglobal, a firm based in the Czech Republic that was established in 2002 and provides knowledge sharing and networking opportunities. The registration fee is EUR 1,500 (USD 1,633). For additional information, you may contact Oksana Zaleska at oksana@uni-global.eu  or +420 226 220 450.
Author: Aarya Dhru

ProCredit Bank Georgia has agreed to borrow USD 10 million from the multilateral European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for on-lending to micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises for purposes including upgrading their processes to meet EU standards. Of the total, 70% is earmarked for investments that reduce the MSMEs' environmental impacts. The EU is funding technical assistance to support the MSMEs' investments as well as 15% cash incentives for those that are successful in implementing their projects. ProCredit Bank Georgia, which was founded 25 years ago, is controlled by Germany-based ProCredit Holding. This entity operates banks in Ecuador and Europe that focus on serving smaller firms. It also has units that provide training and technology services.