Finnfund blog
Finnfund blog consists of articles by our experts and guest stars on various themes around development finance, developing countries and sustainable investing aiming to find solutions to global challenges.
COVID-19 underlines the need for accessible healthcare
I was invited as one of the panelists to attend a webinar about healthcare investments in Africa. The main question there was how the ongoing pandemic has reshaped the healthcare investment landscape. Some things may have changed during this very exceptional year but in my opinion, most things have not. We are a long-term impact […]
Read moreDecember 1, 2020
The youth has found their voice – next, they need opportunities
“This is a message to the government,” starts Bobi Wine his song Freedom. Besides from being a popular reggae artist, Ugandan Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine, is the number one challenger to the 76-year–old Yoweri Museveni in Uganda’s upcoming presidential election in January. Long-ruling Museveni has such a great power across his country’s institutions that Mr. Kyagulanyi has a slim chance of winning but his achievements in mobilizing the Ugandan youth are […]
Read moreNovember 30, 2020
Beyond avoided emissions, DFIs seek carbon removals
For quite some time, it has been acknowledged that global CO2 emissions need to be reduced to avoid the catastrophic effects of climate change. Today, many companies, development finance institutions (DFIs) and other investors operating in developing countries are increasingly interested in tracking their CO2 emissions and taking action to reduce them. However, lack of […]
Read moreNovember 12, 2020
Ticking boxes or setting goals? Gender lens investing is a dialogue
Finnfund has since April 2019 invested over 121 million euros in companies that promote women’s empowerment in developing countries. I stopped to think what we have achieved in the past two years: We have joined two gender finance communities, implemented gender equality issues into our investment process through our gender statement and participated in defining […]
Read moreNovember 11, 2020
Oh sustainability, how I hate (and love) you!
Oh sustainability, how I hate you! But only on the days when I look at the world and feel despondent and think that we should be accomplishing so much more. We should achieve better and more visible results to improve the state of the environment. And don’t get me started on social responsibility and equality. […]
Read moreOctober 22, 2020
Can big data analytics help us to make better investment decisions?
Big data analytics can and should support investors´ environmental and social analysis. These analytics can increase both the efficiency and the quality of analysis because they allow mass data gathering to highlight key risks, while human capacity is directed into analysis of most material risks to people and the environment and the actions needed. In […]
Read moreAugust 13, 2020
Mobile career boost – what we learned from the Bidi Bidi refugee camp
Did you know that 375 million African youths will become of working-age within the next 15 years according to the United Nations? Simultaneously, the size of the working-age population in Africa will reach 1.1 billion by 2035, surpassing that of China and India. By 2050, up to one third of all young people in the […]
Read moreJuly 3, 2020
Reviewing environmental and social issues remotely – can you use all your senses in a Teams meeting?
A bit more than a week ago our colleague Hanna described the realities of carrying out a financial due diligence process while travel is restricted. She pointed out that the need for investments has not disappeared – on the contrary, financing is needed now more than ever in our target countries. While other investors may hesitate, development finance institutions have a responsibility to keep financing viable companies and help […]
Read moreJune 16, 2020
Support to smallholder tree farming relieves the pressure on natural forests in Africa
On my last two trips to Eastern Africa before the travel restrictions I felt my throat choking and a grip in my stomach when looking at the scenery below from the airplane. It was not because of the turbulence but the anxiety about the shrinking, degraded forest patches and the smoke coming from the fires […]
Read moreMay 20, 2020
A virtual due diligence? Is that even possible?
I have not done the math, but I am quite sure that my team of investment analysts do most of the traveling at Finnfund. In essence, we help investment managers in deal preparation and execution by developing financial projections, conducting market analyses, and gathering vital information on customers, industries, and operating environments. A crucial part […]
Read moreMay 18, 2020