Swedfund is the Swedish government's development finance institution, which invests in responsible and sustainable businesses in developing markets. The company focuses on creating sustainable growth and combating poverty by investing in funds, financial institutions, and companies in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.

Swedfund is Sweden's Development Finance Institution for sustainable investments in developing countries. Our mission is to finance and develop sustainable companies in order to create jobs and improve access to socially important products and services. A well-developed private sector with jobs offering decent working conditions leads to stable communities and reduces poverty. We invest within the sectors Energy & Climate, Financial inclusion, and Sustainable Enterprises.

As a state-owned company, Swedfund is managed by the Swedish Ministry of Finance. The operations are financed partly through capital injections for which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible and through reflows from the own portfolio. 

Swedfund was founded in 1979 and has since the start made more than 240 investments in more than 60 countries.

Swedfund’s head office is located in Stockholm, and it holds regional offices in Nairobi, Kenya and Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

View our news at MyNewdesk, www.mynewsdesk.com/swedfund and read more on: https://ir.swedfund.se/

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It was a great pleasure to host the CEO of Swedfund, Maria Håkansson  and the Board of Directors of Swedfun, at our Headquarters, here in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. This is her second visit to Abidjan in as many months as they scale up operations in West Africa. It was an opportunity to discuss how we scale up the pivotal role of the private sector to unlock the potential of the African continent and make real progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the High 5s. We committed to further deepen the already great collaboration between Swedfund and the African Development Bank, notably by leveraging our private sector operations to invest in priority areas such as energy, agriculture and financial inclusion. We agreed that focus should be placed on multimodal projects and integrated approaches that promote economic diversification including through Agro-processing zones and Special Economic Zones, but also those that increase intra-regional trade, particularly in the context of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). We agreed to further explore possible partnerships in some of the Bank’s flagship initiatives, such as the Africa Investment Forum  and African Green Investment Alliance. Thank you Maria Håkansson for your leadership and a great future of collaboration between Swedfund International  and African Development Bank Group

Sustainable companies +development + trade =true! 🌏
This week the Board of Swedfund International - which I am proud to be part of - visited Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire 🇨🇮. We have recently opened a regional office here with excellent Kithana Touré at the lead. 

After a large number of in-depth meetings with the Minister of finance Adam Coulibaly, the Minister for Transport Amadou kone, the business organization CGECI - Le Patronat Ivoirien, private equity firm Joliba Capital, our partner AMUGA - Autorité de la Mobilité Urbaine dans le Grand Abidjan, the African Development Bank Group, Alexis Vinette from Business Sweden the hugely interesting AgDevCo and many many more…. I leave the country with a positive mindset.

- Côte d’Ivoire has high, but realistic, ambitions for poverty reduction, sustainable infrastructure development and a high understanding of the crucial role of private investment and companies for a sustainable long term growth;
- SMEs are high on the agenda, as drivers for innovation, economic development and jobs (many more are needed);
- Côte d’Ivoire is a strong defender of the regional integration in west Africa;
- employer organizations such as CGECI - Le Patronat Ivoirien work together with the trade unions and the government to be “une  vraie force de proposition”;
- there is a strong will to partner up with those willing to have a solid win-win collaboration, such as Swedfund.

Much more can be said about the prospects, complexity and potential of this highly interesting country - and I am sure that many more of us, not just Swedfund International, will have many reasons to take a closer look at Côte d’Ivoire. 🇨🇮 

Regeringskansliet, Utrikesdepartementet Diana Janse Håkan Jevrell Lars Hjälmered Business Sweden Scania Group Johan Soderstrom Business Sweden EKN Exportkreditnämnden SEK Svensk Exportkredit #trade #development #Cotedivoire #Ivorycoast

Thank you to CEO Maria Håkansson for taking the Board on such an exceptional (and intense….) journey!

🙌 Empowering discussions, actionable insights, and a commitment to change – that's what our joint training event in Nairobi facilitated by experts from Value For Women Ltd. and The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation was all about. Fund managers and financial institutions came together to strengthen their #GenderLensInvesting (GLI) approach, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing on how to integrate gender analysis into new and existing investments or loans.

💼 Over two days, participants from the East Africa region gathered to deepen their understanding of GLI and incorporate strategies for preventing and responding to Sexual Exploitation Abuse and Harassment (SEAH). The participants' commitment to action is truly inspiring, leaving with personalised action plans to drive change in their organisations and beyond.

Many thanks and kudos to all involved for your active participation and valuable contributions. Let’s keep the momentum going and turn plans into impactful outcomes!

More about GLI here: https://lnkd.in/dKnPYAVD

#Swedfund #ValueForWomen #KvinnaTillKvinna #GenderLensInvesting #GLI #SDG5 #GenderEquality #GenderEmpowerment #FinancialInclusion

#BreakingNews: Swedfund invests to promote financial inclusion in West Africa 🌍
 
Swedfund International invests USD 5 million in a loan to Teyliom Finance, a subsidiary of Teyliom Group, a leading pan-African group. The investment is directed towards Bridge Bank Microfinance to strengthen financing for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and is expected to enhance the financial empowerment of women in #CôteDIvoire. 🇨🇮
 
- This is the first investment in Côte D'Ivoire since Swedfund opened its regional office in Abidjan, our second in Africa. Through this investment we aim to further contribute to MSME financing, which in turn can spur job creation and female participation in the economy, says Kitanha Toure, CPA.CA, CFA, Head of Swedfund’s Regional Office for West Africa, Abidjan. 
 
At Swedfund, we are committed to promoting financial inclusion and economic empowerment throughout the region, and this investment is a testament to that mission.

🔗 Read the full press release: https://bit.ly/42ElZkR

📸 Zeinab Traore, female textile merchant, Treichville Market, Abidjan. Photo: Swedfund/Axel Hallgren
 
#Swedfund #FinancialInclusion #EmpoweringCommunities #WestAfrica #SustainableDevelopment 

Swedfund International investment in Mirova SunFunder  led to installment of solar panels electrifying Strathmore University. Electricity surplus is sold to finance student’s scholarships. Thanks for hosting us Prof. Izael Da Silva Helge Flärd for organising and Helen Eduards Per-Arne Hjelmborn Dag Juhlin-Dannfelt for sharing insights on Swedish foreign, trade and development policy. Also learned how learning transends boarders through exchange program with Kungliga Tekniska högskolan

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