HEKS/EPER and iGravity announce the successful launch of the Rural Livelihoods Investment Window
HEKS/EPER and Swiss-based impact investment firm iGravity have officially launched the Rural Livelihoods Investment Window, a private debt facility that provides financing and business support to enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa to promote sustainable employment and income opportunities for communities in rural areas. The focus of the initial phase is on Uganda and Senegal.
The Rural Livelihoods Investment Window has started building a portfolio of long-term private debt investments in 10 – 15 enterprises, balancing tangible social and environmental impact with financial returns. According to Peter Jordi, Head of Controlling at HEKS/EPER, “this partnership is an important first step to demonstrate the viability of an impact investment approach to rural development.”
For portfolio development, execution, and investee management, HEKS/EPER has joined forces with impact investment specialist iGravity. With local offices in Kenya and Uganda, iGravity has built a large pipeline of target enterprises combining a traditional financial due diligence with a comprehensive impact assessment. “The Rural Livelihoods Investment Window plays a crucial role in supporting local enterprises that struggle to access bank financing and are still too small for many other impact investors. Often, under this initiative, we act as one of the first institutional investors, backing these companies with long-term and flexible capital”, says Patrick Elmer, Founder and CEO of iGravity.