Africa Trust Group

Published on

KEY FACTS ATG incorporates three funds; two pre-seed and one seed fund including an alternative financial instruments fund Invested in 15+ businesses in under two years amounting to $4m+ Africa Trust Group (ATG) is a holistic early-stage gender lens investor focused on accelerating investment into women-led start-ups in Africa. The start-ups benefit from ATGs women-led…

Shortlist – Hiring for Equity in Clean Energy

Published on

Shell Foundation partner Shortlist recently released a report examining gender representation in the East African energy sector and uncovering how SMEs can attract, retain and advance female talent in digital roles. Shortlist – also supported by our partnership with FCDO – has been a portfolio partner since 2016 and uses technology to identify top talent…

Presenting a dynamic understanding of rural household needs in Kenya

Published on

Successful and inclusive rural economic development needs to be built on long-term understanding of and engagement with rural households.   New research, Understanding Rural Pathway Transitions, developed by Shell Foundation (SF) and MasterCard Foundation’s Rural & Agricultural Finance Learning Lab (RAFLL), with support from The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) – provides a structure…

What long-term changes will Covid-19 bring for the Access to Energy sector?

Published on

The impact of Covid-19 on the Access to Energy (A2E) sector has been well documented, with multiple surveys identifying the negative impact on sales, disruptions in supply chains, increased risk in customer collections and the cumulative impact of these factors on working capital of A2E enterprises. Enterprises have had to adapt and evolve operations to…

PayGo Energy

Published on

KEY FACTS Designed, manufactured and commercialised  the world’s first ATEX certified Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) smart meter and software platform for LPG distribution and retail Over 75% of PayGo customers are female, and over 80% are first time users of clean cooking fuel Expanding global footprint, with partners in Kenya, Vietnam, the Philippines, Bangladesh and…

Can agri-insurance reduce the credit risk associated with Solar PayGo products?

Published on

Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) business models have enabled solar product companies to increase their sales and penetration in low-income markets across Africa and Asia, yet the model still faces challenges of high customer default rates, driven by school fees payment scheduling, low yields and dry seasons. The last two of those default drivers can be explained by…

East Africa Fruits

Published on

KEY FACTS Post-harvest losses in Tanzania account for at least 40% of farmers’ production Retailers do not have reliable supply of high-quality produce while farmers waste their harvests Supply chain inefficiencies result are a major cause of these losses East Africa Fruits (EAF) aggregates fresh produce from smallholder farmers, offering them assured market access for…

International Women’s Day recognised across the SF portfolio

Published on

As the world recognises International Women’s Day there are stories from across the Shell Foundation portfolio recognising the importance and impact of gender equality. Gender impact across markets and sectors Aavishkaar, a multi-product growth financial services group with a focus on India and Africa, launched its 2020 Impact Report on International Women’s Day, featuring stories…

Lessons Learnt from Implementing Women-Centered Initiatives in India

Published on

In 2018 the POWERED (Promotion of Women in Energy Related Enterprises for Development) programme was launched by FCDO India and SF to increase gender inclusion across the energy value chain, which is vital if the UN SDG7 is to be met. S4S Technologies was one of the first businesses supported through the POWERED programme, established…

Seeking proposals for new health electrification finance mechanisms

Published on

Shell Foundation is seeking applications to fund health electrification projects via targeted financing mechanisms as part of a new pilot programme. As mini-grid companies, development finance institutions, health organisations, and non-profits announce initiatives to support the electrification of COVID-19 health facilities, a key challenge remains to strike a balance between rapid deployment and the long-term…