IIF Hosts Gender-Smart & Inclusive Capital Workshop in Lagos

• The Impact Investors Foundation hosted a Gender-Smart and Inclusive Capital Workshop in Lagos
• The workshop supported implementation of its Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) roadmap
• It was attended by investors, policymakers and private sector leaders

The Impact Investors Foundation held an exclusive Gender-Smart and Inclusive Capital Workshop in Lagos, Nigeria, with an objective of putting into action its Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) Roadmap.

Attending the workshop at the Four Points by Sheraton Lagos were investors, policy- makers, development partners, and representatives from the private sector.

The workshop focused on assisting investors and others move forward from policy commitments to practical implementations. The workshop followed the unveiling of the Nigeria Gender/GESI Roadmap at the 2025 Gender Impact Investment Summit held on July 11, 2019.

The programme's emphasis was to assist institutions with the incorporation of gender equality and social inclusion considerations in their decision making about investment. Participants received access to various tools, standards, and different types of data that can be supportive in terms of allocating inclusive capital.

Etemore Glover, Chief Executive Officer of IIF stated that the workshop will provide assistance in moving from developing policies to implementing them as practices within institutions. The next stage will include implementing strategies to address the financing gaps faced by women and other marginalised communities.

Participants also utilized the GESI Diagnostic Tool created by IIF and evaluated their organization’s capacity to implement actions relating to governance and the Inclusive Investments Screening process. Nigeria’s Inclusive Capital Baseline Survey provided data (by sex and disability) that were used as part of the discussions.

Verod Capital’s working sessions included presentations from industry professionals outlining methods to integrate GESI metrics into governance frameworks and Alitheia Capital used a gender lens investment as a case study to highlight how these types of investments would be implemented in practice.

By the conclusion of the workshop, each of the participants developed their next steps for utilizing this roadmap within their organizations; and Nigeria will continue to grow its impact investing ecosystem.