Biodiversity Finance Accelerator Southern Africa (BioFA)

Bankable business models and customised instruments mobilising biodiversity finance to achieve national and international biodiversity objectives, outlined in national policies and strategies, the new global biodiversity framework post-2020, and the SDGs, are lacking in Malawi and Zambia. The project mobilises biodiversity investments and scales biodiversity-friendly entrepreneurship and thus contributes to a sustainable use, conservation and restoration of ecosystems. Based on a comprehensive approach it develops a pipeline of bankable market-based solutions (finance demand side) and designs innovative, tailored biodiversity finance instruments (supply side). It prepares biodiversity-friendly micro, small and medium enterprises to access growth finance to amplify positive biodiversity impacts. It strengthens the capacities of financial and public institutions to deliver biodiversity finance and implements design thinking formats to co-create financial instruments leveraging biodiversity business models.

Project data

Countries: Malawi, Zambia
IKI funding: 693,000.00 €
Duration: 09/2021 till 12/2024
Status: open
Implementing organisation: adelphi research gemeinnützige GmbH
Implementing Partner: Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR)

Women’s Entrepreneurship Access Centre (WEAC)
Online: https://biofa.info

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State of implementation/results

National Dialogue Forum: In April 2024, BioFA co-hosted the SEED National Dialogue Forum in Lilongwe, Malawi. More than 100 entrepreneurs, policymakers, financial institutions, business development service providers and other key actors supporting entrepreneurship from Malawi, Zambia and Botswana attended. A pre-event workshop for enterprises focusing on pitching practice and enterprise advocacy support was held and entrepreneurs showcased their products. Next to panels on green finance, an interactive lab session was held where the topic of inclusion was highlighted from different angles – financial, gender and political inclusion.
Replicator: The Replicator pairs aspiring entrepreneurs with established enterprises that have successfully implemented biodiversity-positive business models in another location. During the Replicator process, participants are equipped with hands-on tools and business blueprints proven to be profitable, deliver environmental, social and economic benefits and are easily adapted to different contexts. The Replicator workshops were held in November 2023. In 2024, the BioFA Replicator awarded 20 aspiring entrepreneurs with 500€ to establish or scale their biodiversity-positive business idea. The applicants were asked to demonstrate the financial viability of their idea as well as the planned biodiversity impact. The awardees also received targeted support in the form of a 3-day business clinic, in which they selected the topics based on their needs. The business clinics were held in April in Zambia and in June in Malawi with 10 participants each.
Events: BioFA was represented at this year’s Hamburg Sustainability Conference from 7-8 October. In collaboration with SEED, the session ‘SMEs, Gamechangers in a Just Transition to Circular and Low-Carbon Economies’ focussed on promoting the replication, acceleration and scaling of success stories of frontrunner eco-inclusive SMEs in sustainable consumption and production, climate adaptation and mitigation, nature conservation, resource efficiency, green jobs as well as securing employment among women and youth, through their innovations, delivering the SDGs and paving the way to a just transition to circularity and sustainability. Two entrepreneurs from the BioFA Accelerator programme attended the event and speak on a panel.
Comms: The BioFA Team showcased the results of the BioFA Replicator and highlighted a few of the awarded business ideas in both countries. The article explaining their journey can be found here: adelphi.de/… The BioFA Impact Report update was published in April 2024: The assessment analyses self-reported data from micro and small enterprises that have successfully completed the BioFA Business Acceleration programme. It analyses enterprises’ impact in view of five main components: Local biodiversity; employment opportunities and gender equality; economic viability of biodiversity-positive business models and access to finance; the impact of BioFA support on the participating enterprises and remaining finance challenges and opportunities. The report can be accessed here: adelphi.de/…

Latest Update:
12/2024