Unlocking Enterprise Growth: Pangea Global Ventures, in Partnership with USAID, Opens Doors to Impact Investment for Sierra Leone's Entrepreneurs

Country: SIERRA LEONE

Pangea Global Ventures has launched the Catalyzing Investment in Small Business (CISB) initiative in Sierra Leone. This initiative aims to foster economic growth and development by facilitating connections between impact investors and investment-ready small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Sierra Leone's entrepreneurs, the driving force and persistent leaders of its small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the engines of national development.
Over 4 million Sierra Leoneans are self-employed, offering goods and services in every village and business sector with intimate knowledge of the nation's challenges and opportunities for economic growth (analysis: Pangea Global Ventures).

Pangea adopts a transformative approach to economic development by providing business advisory services and investment facilitation in the agribusiness, energy, and climate sectors. Recognizing the essential role SMEs play in sustainable economic growth, the company is committed to accelerating food security, climate resilience, job creation, and other measurable development outcomes through the private sector
investment.

ALIGNED WITH STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT PLANS
The CISB initiative aligns with multiple strategic development plans such as; the U.S. Embassy's Integrated Country Strategy (ICS), the Sierra Leone Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP), the Ministry of Agriculture National Agricultural Transformation Programme (NATP), and the Bank of Sierra Leone's National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (NSFI). CISB will contribute to realizing these plans by mobilizing access to finance for SMEs.

FACILITATING ENTRY INTO THE SIERRA LEONE MARKET
The CISB initiative will tap into the expertise of Pangea Global Ventures to facilitate the entry of impact investors into the Sierra Leone market by facilitating transactions with pre-screened, investor-ready SMEs. CISB allows for the reduction of the cost of business advisory services for SMEs, and the reduction of risks and market entry costs for global impact investors. It will showcase the viable investment opportunities for financial and social impact investment returns on investment that are available in frontier markets like Sierra Leone.
Emma Fofanah, CISB Project Director, emphasizes the organization's commitment to identifying enterprises that will drive growth in Sierra Leone and the region. She highlights the importance of understanding these businesses beyond their paperwork and taking a personal interest in their aspirations, leadership, and passions to provide tailored support for their development and success.

FUELING GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT THROUGH IMPACT INVESTMENT
John Scicchitano, Pangea's Co-Founder and Managing Director, underscores the role of SMEs as the engine of national development, stating that "while much attention is given to the public sector and development projects, it's the army of entrepreneurs running SMEs throughout the country who make the greatest contribution to growth. Many such businesses have proven their capacity to thrive even in challenging times, and can create prosperity, food security, and stability with the right support and investments." "Enterprises are powering this initiative, and are the heartbeat of our work," adds Ajara Marie Bomah, SL Country Representative Pangea. She highlights the value of the "dual impact of investment, producing both profit and social impact, leading Sierra Leone towards development by creating jobs, food, energy access and climate impact, and helping households diversify their income streams to rely less on rainfed agriculture."

Headquarters
Albany, NY
Contact: Ajara Marie Bomah, Sierra Leone Country Representative, ajara@pangeaafrica.com
For more information, visit the company's website, www.pangeaafrica.com.

ABOUT PANGEA GLOBAL VENTURES
Pangea Global Ventures accelerates the growth of West African enterprises through the provision of business advisory services and investment facilitation. Through its partnership with agribusinesses, Pangea promotes the transformation of agriculture in West Africa from subsistence to a productive,
profitable, and innovative sector. Pangea scouts pipelines of promising enterprises supports their investment readiness, and facilitates their engagement with global impact investors and other capital providers.

This release was published on openPR.