Oikocredit marked 30 years of empowering Kenyan communities with a special breakfast event in Nairobi with over 30 Billion investment into the continent
16th December 2024 Nairobi, Kenya – Oikocredit, a leading social impact investor has been at the forefront of fostering sustainable development and social impact in Kenya. A celebratory breakfast in Nairobi brought together partners and stakeholders from agriculture, renewable energy, and financial inclusion to commemorate this milestone. The event highlighted Oikocredit’s commitment to improving livelihoods and providing financial services to underserved communities.
In 2023, Oikocredit’s outstanding capital in Africa reached €225.7 million( Kes30Billion), reflecting its dedication to transformative initiatives across the continent. In Kenya, its investments have supported projects that address critical challenges like access to clean energy, financial inclusion, and sustainable agriculture. These projects have empowered thousands of people and contributed to the country’s sustainable development goals.
The breakfast event, held at the Kempinski Hotel, highlighted Oikocredit’s long-standing commitment to supporting social and economic change across Africa through loans and equity investments. It provided a platform for the cooperative’s partners to reflect on shared achievements, explore opportunities for further collaboration and applaud the remarkable journey of social impact investing in Africa.
Caroline Kamau-Mulwa, Regional Director for Africa at Oikocredit, thanked the guests for their collaboration over the past 30 years: “Together, we have achieved important milestones, deployed millions of euros across Africa, and positively impacted the lives of millions of borrowers including smallholder farmers, small-scale entrepreneurs and low-income households.”
Our partnerships have demonstrated the power of patient capital to catalyse meaningful and lasting change, and Oikocredit remains ready to collaborate afresh with current and new partners to continue co-creating impact across the continent.”
Dave Smit, Oikocredit’s Director of Impact investments, emphasised the importance of amplifying Africa’s success stories globally: “Africa has untapped potential, and we should share the power of its narrative more prominently. Social impact investors play a critical part in advancing sustainable development, and every euro invested has significantly greater impact in Africa than anywhere else in the world.”
About Oikocredit
Social impact investor and worldwide cooperative Oikocredit has nearly five decades of experience funding organisations active in financial inclusion, agriculture and renewable energy.
Oikocredit’s loans, equity investments and capacity building aim to enable people on low incomes in Africa, Asia and Latin America to improve their living standards sustainably. Oikocredit finances more than 520 partners, with total outstanding capital of EUR 1,029.8 million (at September 2024).