Support to Canada’s Private Sector Engagement for Development (Africa)

20+ Countries | On-going and concludes in 2028
Funder: Global Affairs Canada | Pan-African Program

We serve as the third-party monitor for a portfolio of five private sector development projects across Sub-Saharan Africa. Funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by AECF, Acumen Fund, Renew Capital, and MEDA, the projects focus on scaling gender-responsive and climate-smart investments into women-owned and women-led enterprises.

As technical advisors on gender equality and monitoring and evaluation (M&E), we:

✅ Conduct field-based and virtual monitoring visits across 20+ countries to assess project performance, identify gender-related risks and opportunities, and provide actionable recommendations to implementing partners.

✅ Facilitate learning and adaptive management by organizing reflection sessions, documenting lessons learned, and supporting the uptake of good practices across the portfolio and within GAC. 

✅ Review and strengthen evaluation tools, including project logic models, gender-sensitive indicators, data collection approaches, and draft evaluation reports.

✅ Advise GAC on future investments, drawing on cross-project insights to shape gender-responsive, climate-smart private sector programming and improve outcomes for women entrepreneurs and marginalized communities.

Inclusive Legislatures for Gender-Responsive Policies (ILGRP)

Countries: Ghana, Kenya, Togo | 2022–2026

Organization: Parliamentary Centre
Funder: Global Affairs Canada 

Project Focus

• Parliamentary strengthening and institutional reform

• Inclusive citizen outreach and engagement

• Gender-sensitive legislative development

• Capacity building for elected officials

Our Role as Technical Advisors

We support national parliaments to lead on gender-responsive governance through strategic reform, inclusive policymaking, and targeted capacity building. Our contribution includes:

✅ Gender Mainstreaming Strategies
We lead the development of gender strategies and action plans aligned with each Parliament’s strategic vision and national equality frameworks. These include Gender Equality KPIs and institutional accountability mechanisms.

✅ Oversight Tools for Gender-Responsive Governance
We design practical tools such as:

• Guidelines for gender-sensitive policy and legislative review

• Gender-responsive budget analysis tools integrating GBA+

• Templates for gender audits and inclusive stakeholder consultation

✅ Capacity Building for MPs and Staff
We deliver hands-on training and technical assistance to strengthen the ability of MPs, staff, and committees to draft, scrutinize, and implement laws and budgets that reflect the needs of women, girls, and marginalized communities.

Women’s Economic Empowerment

Countries: Canada, Senegal | 2018–2020

Organization: A.S Business Center
Funder: Private Organization 

Focus: This program directly tackled structural barriers to women’s economic participation by combining access to capital with strategic support services—demonstrating scalable models for gender-responsive entrepreneurship support in both developed and emerging markets.

Our Role as Progran Director and Technical Advisor

We led the design and implementation of a multi-country initiative to bridge the financing and capacity gap facing women entrepreneurs in Canada and Senegal, mobilizing over $11 million in capital and creating over 150 jobs across diverse sectors. Our contribution includes:

✅ Developed and launched "LET’S GET FUNDED" in both Canada and Senegal—an entrepreneurship and funding initiative tailored to women and youth-led businesses.

✅ Built high-level partnerships with commercial banks, development finance institutions, and private lenders, including BDC, Islamic Bank, BICIS, and others.

✅ Mobilized financing and technical support for women-owned SMEs through training, mentorship, and direct access to capital.

✅ Led stakeholder engagement across government, financial institutions, and civil society to align investments with national economic empowerment goals.