The Makeda Fund was jointly established by SEAF and NOI Consulting to support the development of women-owned and women-managed SMEs in Africa, with a particular focus on Nigeria. The Fund is intended to be anchored in Nigeria, but will invest a portion of its capital in other countries in the sub-Saharan Africa region.

In many developing countries, lack of access to financing serves as a major obstacle to private sector growth. This problem is however exacerbated in the case of women-owned businesses. Although women have historically been the backbone of most of Africa’s economies, the growth of many women businesses tend to be hampered by the lack of access to credit facilities.

By investing in women-owned businesses in Africa, the Makeda Fund hopes to spur wealth creation and employment generation. Moreover, as women-owned businesses tend to hire and train a significant percentage of female employees, we believe such investments can provide positive momentum for efforts to support the development of women entrepreneurs.