PIDG Pulse

The M.V. Mpungu is a first-of-its-kind freight vessel set to revolutionise the maritime industry in East Africa. Owned by East Africa Marine Transport (EAMT), it will operate across Lake Victoria, between Uganda and Tanzania, cutting journey times, reducing emissions and creating jobs.Supported by PIDG’s development arm, InfraCo Africa, the vessel will improve standards of transport infrastructure, save the economy millions of dollars and boost trade in the region.In this episode, we discover how M.V. Mpungu will operate, benefit businesses and open up career opportunities for both men and women in the area. We also explore the project's impact on sustainability. And we learn about some of the challenges that were faced, both in the development phase of the project, and in getting the vessel on the water.And to mark World Day for Safety and Health at Work on the 28th April, we learn about PIDG’s health safety environment and social (HSES) framework and how these guidelines have been implemented during the development of the EAMT project.Tune in for a conversation with:Claire Jarratt, Chief Investment and Risk Officer, InfraCo Africa.Rodney Seema is Regional Asset Management Lead, InfraCo Africa.Jacob Kazungu is HSES Advisor, InfraCo Africa.Your host is Marcel Klebba, Communications Manager at PIDG.Find out more about the EAMT project here. And learn more about PIDG on our website, pidg.org.

Whether it’s providing electric vehicles to women who otherwise have to walk massive distances to provide for their families, or increasing access to safe and adequate drinking water for rural communities, PIDG has a number of investments that directly impact and improve the lives of women.Across Africa and Asia, PIDG doesn’t just consider how women are impacted by its projects, it also strives to empower them.In this International Women’s Day special edition of the podcast, hear about a number of projects that are impacting women on the ground, including Mobility for Africa, the KUDURA mini grid project in Kenya, and the Cambodia water portfolio. Hear from two of the women riding Mobility for Africa’s electric tricycles, or Hambas, as they explain how their lives have been benefited by the vehicles. And learn more about what it truly means to involve women in projects and investment decisions.Tune in for a conversation with:Sally Gichia, Asset Manager, East and Southern Africa at InfraCo AfricaCristina Traini, Impact Manager at InfraCo AsiaAdefi Mtambo, Pepukai Group, Hamba riderRegina Marekesa, Money Maker Group, Hamba riderYour host is Marcel Klebba, Communications Manager at PIDG.Find out more about PIDG’s approach to gender equality on our website, pidg.org.

Combining concessional capital with blended finance is an innovative solution, bridging a major funding gap. Where a project is struggling to reach scale, concessional capital can be used to boost its commerciality and affordability.PIDG is blending concessional capital into transactions through PIDG Technical Assistance’s capital grant, viability gap funding and concessional equity and debt products. In this episode we learn what concessional capital is and how it can be used to attract private sector investment into emerging economies. We find out how PIDG assesses when to deploy concessional capital and what it seeks to achieve with these products. And we hear about Dakar’s first fully electric public bus network, which has benefited greatly from the PIDG TA concessional capital offering.Tune in for a conversation with:Luke Foley, deputy head of Technical Assistance at PIDGPuleng Pitso, investment specialist at the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF)Your host is Marcel Klebba, communications manager at PIDG.To find out more about PIDG’s approach to concessional capital on our website, pidg.org.

Welcome to the second episode of Increasing Risk Tolerance to Drive Impact – a podcast series from the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF), a Private Infrastructure Development Group company – exploring ways to develop game-changing infrastructure in underserved geographies.Most infrastructure has been designed, implemented or run by men, often without considering female participation in decision-making, development or operation of projects. A common, albeit mistaken, assumption is that women automatically benefit from infrastructure projects in the same way as men. In this episode, Mariana Graça, Investment Specialist – Sustainability & Impact at Ninety One, Fund manager of the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF), draws on EAIF's approach to boosting resilience in the fight against climate change and delivering more inclusive infrastructure for women and the physically impaired.A key takeaway from this episode is that diversity of thought can disproportionately improve the transformative impact of infrastructure investments - creating outsized benefits to marginalised members of society. The more we understand the implications, the more inclusive societies we can build.Our guest is:Mariana Graça, Investment Specialist – Sustainability & Impact, at Ninety One, Fund manager of the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF).Your host is Lindsay Williams, business broadcaster.To find out more about how EAIF delivers game-changing projects that help close Africa’s infrastructure gap with greater urgency and pace, visit our website.This podcast was edited by OG Podcasts. 

The future of development finance is bright, as a number of exciting announcements were made at the COP28 climate conference last year. From a £391 million investment in PIDG, to the announcement of a new credit enhancement facility in Kenya, 2024 will be a year of positive change.PIDG’s strategy for the coming decade is ambitious, but despite a challenging 2023 it has been successful in placing climate and gender front and centre of its investment decisions.In this episode we explore how the COP28 announcements will help PIDG scale up its solutions and deliver on its commitments throughout 2024. We learn more about the UK Government’s investment in PIDG and how it will advance its goals in sustainable infrastructure and climate resilience initiatives. And we discuss the topics of collaboration, domestic capital mobilisation, and the global megatrends that are shaping the investment landscape.Tune in for a conversation with Philippe Valahu, CEO of PIDGYour host is Marcel Klebba, communications manager at PIDG.To find out more about PIDG’s approach to climate and gender investment on our website, pidg.org.

The popularity of gender lens investing is rising rapidly. The landscape is constantly evolving, with regular new developments transforming the investment landscape. And at PIDG we’re actively shaping this evolution through innovative approaches and collaborations.Much has changed since our last episode on International Women’s Day, when we announced the PIDG Gender, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) Action. Here we expand on that discussion and find out how the GEDI has been received.In this episode we discover why gender lens investing is both a moral imperative and strategic necessity in a world striving for a more sustainable future. We learn why issues of gender and climate are so closely linked, and how organisations should be approaching both. And we discuss the impact of PIDG's collaboration with 2X Global and how this partnership has enhanced its gender lens investing strategies.Tune in for actionable advice from:Celia Carbajosa, PIDG’s senior advisor on Sustainable Development Impact (SDI)Betsy Ambler, Grant and Impact Advisor, GuarantCoThomas Foreman, senior SDI advisor, GuarantCoYour host is Marcel Klebba, communications manager at PIDG.To find out more about PIDG’s approach to gender lens investing, visit our website.

Welcome to the first episode of Increasing Risk Tolerance to Drive Impact – a podcast series from the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF), a Private Infrastructure Development Group company – exploring ways to develop transformative infrastructure in underserved geographies across Africa.Infrastructure is the lifeblood of Africa’s economies, facilitating a path to prosperity, laying the foundation of sustainable and inclusive societies. Delivering landmark projects where investors deem too risky demands unique expertise and decisive action. EAIF was developed in response to this, as one of the first blended finance debt funds meeting the needs of African infrastructure.In this episode, we discuss the collaboration between capital allocators, pooling essential resources to inject into infrastructure investment. Blended finance, mobilising public and private capital, is imperative to respond to the funding deficit with the speed, agility and a risk tolerance required to get projects off the ground, impacting millions of lives on the continent.One of the main takeaways from this episode is blended finance’s ability to spread risk, encourage wider participation from investors, allowing more rapid project development.Our guest is:Martijn Proos, Co-Head of EM Alternative Credit at Ninety One, Fund Manager of the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF).Your host is Lindsay Williams, business broadcaster.To find out more about how EAIF delivers game-changing projects that help close Africa’s infrastructure gap with greater urgency and pace, visit our website.This podcast is edited by OG Podcasts.

Without addressing the urgent challenge of the climate crisis and the economic and geopolitical issues that it brings, sustainable development and poverty reduction are not possible.To ensure we’re equipped to deal with the many challenges the coming decade will present, the PIDG 2023-30 Strategy makes sustainable development and action on climate and nature the company’s central purpose. In this episode we discuss the macro trends that are reshaping the infrastructure sector in emerging markets and developing countries. How this new focus has shifted PIDG’s priorities, and those of its sister companies. And how PIDG intends to achieve and measure its hefty goals of improving climate resilience and economic opportunities for 100 million people by 2030. One of the main takeaways from this episode is a call to action for both internal and external collaboration - that companies across the development finance world need to work together to solve these urgent challenges.Our guests are:Marco Serena, Chief Sustainable Impact Officer at PIDG Karen Tsang-Hounsell, Head of Business Development at InfraCo Asia, PIDG’s project development and equity arm in AsiaYour host is Marcel Klebba, communications manager at PIDG.To find out more about how PIDG is elevating climate action together with sustainable development, visit our website.

A year on from our last International Women’s Day conversation about gender lens investing, much has been done to advance the agenda. PIDG’s own efforts have evolved, leading to the creation of the PIDG Gender Equity Diversity and Inclusion initiative, GEDI.In this episode we learn about the three main pillars of the GEDI, and how PIDG is broadening its mandate, redefining what it means to be inclusive. We learn about the projects that demonstrate PIDG’s commitment to the GEDI, including a look at its work with Acorn Student housing in Kenya. And we learn about new gender analysis tools which are proving invaluable in this field, as well as PIDG’s involvement in the 2X Global initiative.Our guests are:Celia Carbajosa, Sustainable Development Impact Adviser at PIDGEmily Wood, Head of Social Performance and Safeguarding at PIDGTo find out more about PIDG’s approach to gender lens investing, visit our website.