[BUSINESS BAMBONGILE MBANE bambongile.mbaneginl.co.za THE Graca Machel Trust has received a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to support the development of a pan-African investment vehicle to accelerate women's economic empowerment. The grant will help support the design process that allows the trust to seek partnerships with financial institutions to bring its vision to reality. Speaking on the need to address the financial disparities Machel said  "My belief is that there is a need to apply a more rigorous gender-lens investing approach in Africa. "Gender-lens investing can be a powerful lever in the use of finance as a tool for social and economic transformation, as it requires investments which are mindful of tangible benefits for women. "Gender-lens investing has multifaceted entry points to advance women in the formal and informal economies. It gives an opportunity to deploy capital meaningfully in the search of better outcomes for women and girls." Christine Heenan, vice-president of policy and advocacy with the Rockefeller Foundation, said  "Women around the world are at greater risk of economic insecurity, especially when they lack access to the right tools and financial services. "The result of that exclusion is devastating for women, their families and their communities. We are pleased to support the Graca Machel Trust's efforts to unlock capital and create a results-oriented framework that opens pathways of opportunity for female entrepreneurs in Africa." The trust has been laying the groundwork for the transformative initiative, which is a focused woman fund, by adopting a gender-focused socially conscious approach to hard economics, hoping to generate more innovation in the financial sector. Research conducted by the trust found that there were limited options for businesses seeking financing larger than micro finance loans and yet smaller than commercial bank small business loans or typical investments. The trust also researched the barriers affecting women in East Africa. "They are faced with access to finance and access to markets as this continues to be the dominant challenge for Kenyan, Tanzanian and Rwandan women entrepreneurs. "This results in women entrepreneur to self-finance because they do not have the requirements to access funding from traditional financial institutions," said the trust. The trust hopes to generate more innovation in the financial sector that can create more customised solutions to create new finance professionals to counter traditional models.]

Grant to help Grace Machel Trust to accelerate women's empowerment