The Cordaid Investment Management team just came back from the annual strategy week, energized and inspired for 2023. This was an intense and rewarding week with the team getaway to the North Sea, brainstorming sessions and workshops under the October sun, and in our headquarters in the Hague. We also had plenty of time to catch up with our teammates from Sierra Leone and Mali, who joined us in the Netherlands to work on an annual plan for 2023.
In the past years, we have worked on building sustainable livelihoods worldwide, focusing on investing to overcome fragility. We have formulated an impact framework that allowed us to increase investments in fragile countries to 68% and be the first international lender to many of our investees. In addition, we have refined our risk framework and lending methodology and expanded our local presence in West Africa. Inspired by our investees' meaningful work, we are motivated to create even more positive social impact in fragile environments.
What made this year's strategy week so special is the realization that our first loan was issued exactly 25 years ago, putting the start to the impact investing program at Cordaid. That's why the team week's highlight was the "25 Years of Impact with Cordaid Investments" global webinar, followed by the team celebration honouring our former colleagues. The positive impact created in fragile countries was only possible thanks to our incredible team working towards a more fair world throughout the past quarter of the century.
Stay tuned for more insights from the team strategy week and the global webinar recording. And if you don't want to miss our latest updates, don't forget to subscribe to our bi-monthly newsletter.