As Africa battles the economic crisis brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, the value of impact investing has been further uncovered. Impact investments are investments made with the intention of generating positive and measurable social and environmental impact as well as a financial return. They have steadily gained traction across Africa in the renewable energy, housing, healthcare, small, medium and micro-enterprise (SMME) finance, agriculture and education sectors.
The pandemic has forced a creative rethink around social investments, especially as social businesses are often thrust into the role of first responders and have been able to demonstrate the value of their approaches.