Ireme Invest to Provide Support and Funding to Agri-businesses in Rwanda
The Rwanda Green Fund and the CGIAR Hub for Sustainable Finance (ImpactSF) have announced a significant partnership aimed at boosting investments in agriculture adaptation in Rwanda.
This collaboration will leverage cutting-edge climate risk analytics to enhance the country’s response to climate change. At the heart of this partnership is Ireme Invest, an investment facility powered by the Rwanda Green Fund and the Development Bank of Rwanda.
Ireme Invest works closely with the private sector to support green business growth and address the challenges posed by climate change. To further its mission, Ireme Invest will launch a call for applications under its Project Preparatory Facility. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) operating in the climate-smart agriculture sector will be invited to apply.
The deadline for applications is Friday, 28 June 2024, at 23:59 PM.
The collaboration between ImpactSF, the Rwanda Green Fund, and Ireme Invest will focus on developing frameworks to de-risk adaptation investments. It will also facilitate knowledge sharing, networking, and investment opportunities within the ecosystem. The first joint activity under this partnership will identify up to 30 SMEs in Rwanda working in climate-smart agriculture.
These SMEs will have the opportunity to benefit from the Ireme Invest Adaptation Accelerator Programme. This programme will be delivered by ESPartners, in collaboration with The Alliance of Biodiversity and CIAT, and with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with ImpactSF serving as a key technical partner.
Successful SMEs selected for the three-month Adaptation Accelerator Programme will receive expert mentoring, workshops, coaching, and the chance to submit a funding proposal. In phase two, the ten SMEs with the most compelling proposals will receive up to Rwf 100 million each in grant funding, along with tailored business support and the opportunity to connect with investors at the Adaptation Accelerator Programme Demo Day.
The Ireme Invest Adaptation Accelerator Programme aims to support SMEs in contributing to Rwanda’s climate action agenda, enhancing the country’s resilience, and promoting sustainable growth. Interested entrepreneurs and businesses are encouraged to visit iremeinvest.rw/apply for more information and to apply.
For any queries, applicants can contact application@greenfund.rw. Download the programme information note here.
About Rwanda Green Fund
Established in 2012, the Rwanda Green Fund is the country’s financing vehicle for attracting and coordinating climate finance. Through strategic investments, the fund fosters transformative impact and sustainable development.
For more information, visit greenfund.rw
About Ireme Invest
Ireme Invest is an investment facility that supports Rwanda’s private sector to access green finance and increase its contribution to Rwanda’s response to climate change.
About CGIAR Hub for Sustainable Finance (ImpactSF)
The CGIAR Hub for Sustainable Finance (ImpactSF) is a unit of The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) that serves as a key technical partner for sustainable finance actors, integrating science-based impact KPIs in all areas of the investment lifecycle. Building off CGIAR evidence, ImpactSF offers an array of data-driven solutions empowering financial institutions and investors to de-risk investments through the quantification of climate, environmental, and social risks and impacts. ImpactSF’s mission is to drive investments toward climate-smart and nature-positive Food, Land, and Water systems.
The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. Alliance solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.
The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future.
About Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners
Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners (ESP) is an organisation whose mission is to provide keys to sustainable success to entrepreneurs in Africa. ESP enables people, firms, institutions, and nations to articulate and implement solutions to their economic challenges. ESP’s approach is to provide Intelligent capital™—the right combination of insights and capital—to address critical societal issues. With offices in Abidjan and Kigali, ESP has been in operation since 2011, and has impacted more than 1,000 entrepreneurs across seven African countries through its entrepreneurial support programs.
For more information, visit:
- alliancebioversityciat.org/cgiar-hub-sustainable-finance-impactsf
- alliancebioversityciat.org
- www.cgiar.org
- www.espartners.co
