East Africa

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A Bottom-up Approach Toward Alleviating Poverty

In East Africa, Acumen Fund’s investments are improving the lives of millions by providing affordable products and services in the health, sanitation, energy, housing, and agricultural sectors.

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Acumen Fund is creating access to critical services in health, water, housing and energy in East Africa.

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Although most East African economies have continued to grow over the past few years, income inequality remains high. More than 75% of East Africa’s population lives in rural areas, the majority of whom are smallholder farmers living on less than $2 a day. Urban areas are also faced with significant challenges; for example, 60% of Nairobi’s population lives in slums which lack basic services like water, sanitation and electricity.

Acumen Fund has been investing in East Africa since 2001, opening a local office in 2007. As of November 2011, we have invested $18.7 million in sustainable, scalable enterprises delivering affordable health, housing, sanitation, and agricultural inputs and services to low-income communities in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda. Investees include a sanitation company building pay-per-use toilet facilities; a seed distribution company addressing the lack of maize productivity among smallholder farmers; and enterprises developing innovative products to combat malaria.

Our team on the ground provides ongoing management support to our investees. In addition to benefiting from Acumen Fund’s global networks, Acumen Fund East Africa has built a valuable set of local advisors and supporters.

East and South Africa Investments

Advisory Council

Our People

Click here for a listing of the East Africa team.

Office

Acumen Fund
1st Floor, Cape Office Park, opposite Yaya Centre
Ring Road, Kilimani
P.O. Box 101883-00101 Jamia
Nairobi, KENYA
Phone: + 254-20-386-1559/60/61