The African women impact fund (“AWIF”): empowering women driving sustainable change

Abstract

The AWIF Initiative’s primary purpose is to overcome the systemic barriers and investor biases in the asset management industry, by enabling and promoting women-owned and women-led funds on the African continent. AWIF aims to address the fundamental gap in women's access to financial tools. As a result, the fund contributes to the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 1 that calls for an end to poverty. Supporting emerging African female fund managers will accelerate the representation of women-led funds. This will help close the current gender gap in labor markets, promote the emergence of women fund managers and entrepreneurs, address identified barriers to attracting capital in a sustainable manner, and increase economic output, job creation, and women's economic empowerment and prosperity. African Women Investment Fund mission is to strengthen economic empowerment and financial inclusion of women fund managers in Africa and promote the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals 5 (Gender Equality) and 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) on the continent.