Deadline: 30-Jun-2020
The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and Standard Bank Group are calling on women fund managers across Africa to apply to join the African Women Leadership Fund initiative (AWLF), an innovative impact fund that will provide capital and expertise to successful candidates.
The AWLF Initiative has been established with the aim of uplifting female-owned and managed asset management firms and providing a defined economic stimulus to achieve sustainable economic growth in Africa.
Having already received some applications, the AWLF Initiative is inviting more applications from established women-owned or women-managed funds that participate in listed markets and short-term private debt.
The AWLF initiative was established in response to the AU Agenda 2063 and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals 5 and 8 – which target gender equality, decent work, and economic growth.
The fund, the first of its kind, aims to raise up to $1 billion over 10 years (€910 million or R19 billion) for women fund managers, who in turn will invest in high-impact businesses and projects across the continent, thus driving entrepreneurship.
Eligibility Criteria
- Under this first phase of the AWLF Initiative’s implementation, funding will be allocated to asset managers across North, East, Southern and West Africa. Allocations will be made with a view to achieving the best possible regional and geographic diversification.
- Applicants must be female, reside in Africa or be willing to relocate to Africa, and need to have proven fund- or asset-management experience. They will be subject to an investment and operational due-diligence process that will need to be completed by the end of August 2020, with the first phase of the fund becoming fully operational in the fourth quarter of this year.
For more information, visit AWLF.