Our Senior Investment Manager Brenda Pennell just came back from a three-week trip business to Mali. Together with Mariam Niangado, our new colleague in West Africa, they had a chance to reconnect and talk strategies with local entrepreneurs that Cordaid Investment Management supports with investments.
“It was a pleasure to see that all of our Malian partners have made significant progress since I first met them about three years ago. That is despite two very difficult years of political uncertainties and the COVID-19 pandemic. We could see how their organizational structure and management have improved, in part due to ESG-related requests we’ve introduced alongside our investment, ” says Brenda.
It is inspiring to see that together with investees we are committed to the same goals of sustainable economic development, job creation, and a better environment. This trip served as a reminder of how diversified, unique and impactful our Malian portfolio is: our partners focus on clean energy, waste management, sustainable agriculture, healthcare, logistics, women’s empowerment and youth employment.
“There are many excellent businesses in Mali. Businesses that only need assessable finance to grow. Yet international lenders are hesitant to invest in an uncertain and challenging environment. And local banks are mostly interested in financial returns. That’s why Cordaid Investment Management’s approach to maximising social impact is so unique in the Malian context,” adds Mariam.
Building long-term partnerships with investees is at the core of our work – they give us opportunity to catalyse positive change in the most underserved economies and ultimately build a more equal and sustainable world.
