United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
THE CHALLENGE
The UNDP embarked on an ambitious initiative, "timbuktoo," aiming to establish the "Largest Initiative in the world to support the Innovation Ecosystem in Africa." Despite the UNDP's global reach and 23,000+ employees across 170 countries worldwide, this massive undertaking, involving fundraising $1 billion, impacting 100 million+ livelihoods, and supporting 1,000+ startups over a decade across 8 sectors such as FinTech, AgriTech, HealthTech etc., required specialized external expertise. The challenge was to find partners who could provide deep sector-specific knowledge and practical project management to ensure the program's success. Africa Ventures Advisory, in a consortium with Greentec Capital Partners (GTC), successfully bid for this role, demonstrating our unique value proposition. GTC and AVA formed a conglomerate, proposed on the tender and won it.
Our collaboration with GTC brought a powerful synergy to the project:
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Project Management
When the initial Project Manager departed, our team, Christian and Yannik, seamlessly stepped in to lead the project management from the advisory side. This demonstrated our agility and commitment to ensuring continuity and progress.
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Strategic Research & Analysis
A critical component was the selection of a jurisdiction for the Parent Fund and Host Countries for various Sector Hubs. Our process was rigorous, based on in-depth statistical research, insights from industry insiders, and direct engagement with UNDP personnel on the ground. This comprehensive approach ensured data-driven decision-making.
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Fund Structuring Expertise
While GTC brought extensive experience in fund structuring and a vast network of fund managers and investors on the African continent, our team at Africa Ventures Advisory contributed valuable skills in problem structuring and strategic alignment, complementing GTC's financial expertise to build a robust framework.
RESULT
Our collaborative efforts were instrumental in the successful initiation of the "timbuktoo" program. This foundational work has laid the groundwork for a long-term initiative poised to significantly impact Africa's innovation ecosystem.