CGEF Unveils Grants for Women-Led Climate Initiatives in Africa

The Climate Gender Equity Fund (CGEF) has announced its initial cohort of women-led groups scheduled to receive awards, a significant step toward creating gender equity in climate financing. CGEF, which was established less than a year ago, is a joint initiative between public and commercial institutions devoted to igniting gender-inclusive climate action.

The three organizations chosen for the inaugural round of financing are notable for their effective African initiatives:

• Clean Technology Hub (Nigeria): A women-led acceleration hub that is paving the way for the scaling of breakthrough climate technology.

• WomanHub (South Africa): An accelerator dedicated to assisting female entrepreneurs in the domains of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

• M-Kayla Ventures (Kenya): A female-focused incubator working on climate-smart agriculture solutions.

The fund's initial members, which include USAID, Amazon, Reckitt Benckiser, Visa Foundation, and The UPS Foundation, have jointly given $20 million. Notably, USAID pledged an extra $5 million investment during the COP28 climate change summit.

This significant financing will be distributed over the next few years to diverse entities such as enterprises, investment vehicles, accelerators, incubators, and grassroots organizations that advocate for women-led and women-benefiting climate solutions. More grantees are expected to be announced by CGEF in the near future.

Gillian Caldwell, USAID's Chief Climate Officer, shared her excitement, saying, "We are thrilled to announce the first cohort of women-led organizations to receive grants from the Climate Gender Equity Fund to advance gender-equitable climate action around the world." She stressed the need of investing in women as both a moral necessity and a strategic decision in solving climate problems.