Recently, the Graça Machel Trust, through its Afrishela Fund, joined forces with 2X Global to co-host an Investor Meetup in Nairobi. This brought together impact investors, venture capitalists, and fund managers to explore the evolving landscape of gender-lens investing and forge new avenues for collaboration in the gender finance space. It also spotlighted entrepreneurs from the Trust’s Women Creating Wealth programme in Kenya, giving them a high-impact platform to pitch their ventures directly to committed funders. Five scalable, women-owned businesses–spanning agribusiness, manufacturing and the green economy–presented their solutions, sparking follow-up meetings and term-sheet discussions that turned introductions into funding opportunities. This showcase underscored Afrishela’s mission: to connect investment-ready women entrepreneurs with the networks and capital they need to drive local innovation and economic growth.
Fresh from the stage, Andia Chakava, Managing Partner at Afrishela Fund and Independent Director at 2X Global, shared her reflections on both the meetup and McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace 2025 report for India, Nigeria, and Kenya. “Kenya starts strong–women fill 41 per cent of entry-level roles–but only 27 per cent make it to the C-suite,” she noted. “That drop tells us we’re leaking talent before it can lead.” She sees unconscious bias as the first culprit: “We all carry assumptions–that women are more risk-averse or better suited to support roles. Those assumptions make empathy and collaboration look like weaknesses.” To counter this, Andia insists that bias-awareness training becomes standard practice, so every colleague learns to spot hidden stereotypes before they skew promotion decisions.
Beyond training, Ms Chakava champions structured sponsorship over informal mentorship. “A mentor advises; a sponsor opens doors,” she said. Pairing rising women with senior advocates ensures that stretch assignments, leadership forums and boardroom invitations aren’t left to chance. “Without that sponsor,” she warned, “even top performers can stall.”
She also urged organisations to back internal women’s circles. “Safe spaces let women share challenges–from imposter syndrome to perfectionism–and co-create solutions,” Andia explained. These peer networks build resilience and practical strategies, helping women thrive in traditionally male-dominated fields.
Data must guide progress, she added: “Track promotion rates, gender-pay gaps and exit-interview themes–then tie them to leadership incentives.” Transparent metrics shine a light on bottlenecks and hold decision-makers accountable for change.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Andia didn’t overlook work-life integration. “We juggle caregiving–school runs, elder care–alongside careers,” she shared. “Hybrid hours and family-friendly leave keep women in the talent pool.” Flexible policies, she believes, prevent talented leaders from stepping back when life demands shift.
Finally, Andia invited organisations to commit publicly by pursuing 2X Global certification. “Certification isn’t just a badge–it’s a roadmap of best practices in gender-lens investing and a clear signal from the board that parity matters.” Through the collaboration with 2X Global, the Trust’s Afrishela is leveraging its network and expertise to create deal-making platforms that directly benefit both women entrepreneurs and investors.
Echoing India’s vision, Jane Mbinya–Senior Investment Officer at Afrishela Fund, said: “Enhancing access to capital for women entrepreneurs through innovative investor-showcase platforms remains a priority for the Graça Machel Trust. Our founders proved that local innovators could solve local challenges when they connect with the right funders.”
With bias training, structured sponsorship, supportive peer networks, transparent metrics and flexible policies, organisations can finally seal the leadership gaps and enable women to rise to every level.
Read more about the 2X Global and Graça Machel Trust Investor Meet-up here.