JICA invests USD 40 mn in Aavishkaar Capital fund to boost SMEs in Asia, Africa

Mumbai, Aug 22 (PTI) The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on Friday announced a USD 40 million investment in Aavishkaar Capital’s 'Global Supply Chain Support Fund’ to support enterprises across Asia and Africa.

By investing in the Global Supply Chain Support Fund, JICA will help Aavishkaar Capital expand into the emerging markets of Africa and Asia, after India, thereby contributing to the development of the wider Indian Ocean region and the global supply chain, Avishkaar said.

The JICA's investment decision was announced by Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the ‘Economic Partnership in Indian Ocean - Africa Forum,’ convened in conjunction with the TICAD 9 (Tokyo International Conference on African Development), in Yokohama, Japan, this week.

"By investing in the fund and entering a new chapter of collaboration with the Aavishkaar Group, we hope to elevate the well-established India-Japan partnership and further strengthen our commitment to impact investment in Africa and Asia," said Mikio Hataeda, Senior Vice President, JICA.

Managed by the Mumbai-headquartered impact investment group and set up in partnership with the German state-owned development bank KfW, the GSC Support Fund is the 8th Fund of Aavishkaar Capital that aims to invest in emerging corporates across the global south, driving them toward global success through bespoke non-dilutive capital solutions.

The fund invests in businesses that operate across global supply chains and in sectors with significant climate and social impact.

The GSC Support Fund has already made 8 investments across Asia and Africa, according to Avishkaar Group. JICA's commitment is aimed at supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) whose businesses have a significant social and environmental impact, it said.

"We welcome JICA's strategic investment in our Global Supply Chain Support Fund targeting the global south. This collaboration builds upon a decade of our relationship and reflects the long-standing tradition of Indo-Japan economic cooperation…," said Vineet Rai, Founder, Aavishkaar Group and Managing Partner, Aavishkaar Capital.

"With JICA's catalytic support, we aim to scale the Global Supply Chain Support Fund's reach across Asia and Africa, empowering SMEs with growth capital to build resilient-, climate & social Impact aligned - supply chains that can thrive in global markets," said Monu Jain, Partner, Aavishkaar Capital. PTI IAS DR DR