Growth 4 Zambia has Lift Off!

Last week saw the launch of G4Z, with the announcement of the first two companies we will be providing support to. Our founder, Mr. Gerry Griffin, was lucky enough to be in Zambia to meet and exchange views with these companies, to promote G4Z, and to reflect on our strategy for the coming year.

The first company, Green Giraffe, is emerging as a leader in the sustainable snack industry. Under the innovative vision of its founder and CEO, Mwiche Mukoma, the business is revolutionising the way Zambian farmers interact with global markets through the integration of cutting-edge technology.

Operating out of Mwinilunga, Chiwenu Honey, founded by Mildred Mayondi, is the second company we are supporting. As well as providing a reliable market for beekeepers, Chiwenu Honey offers regular training in modern beekeeping techniques.

This not only improves the quality and quantity of the honey produced but also enhances the beekeepers' earning potential.

G4Z's launch event on January 18th  in Lusaka

Both Green Giraffe and Chiwenu Honey were present at the launch on Thursday 18th January. We were also delighted to be joined by the Irish ambassador to Zambia, Bronagh Carr, who gave some inspirational words to the entrepreneurs.

The two recipients of G4Z funding with the Irish Ambassador to Zambia, Bronagh Carr

Attendees from both public and private institutions, banks, NGOs, and aspiring applicants for the upcoming cohort were in attendance.

During that week we gave a talk at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre to around 100 entrepreneurs.

The discussion focused on emotional resilience, the importance of prioritising customer needs over business ideas, and methods of zeroing in on business opportunities.

We also appeared on One Love Radio Zambia, to discuss the issues faced by native Zambian businesses and the role G4Z can play in alleviating them.

Appearing on One Love Radio Zambia

With G4Z looking for other companies to join Green Giraffe and Chiwenu Honey, we thought it is best to outline what we are looking for, what we are hoping to grow ‘on-the-ground’, and how we intend to make G4Z more impactful in 2024.

What G4Z is Looking For:

For businesses looking to apply for our funding programme, the application process couldn’t be simpler – just follow the link here.

However, before doing so, and in the interests of full transparency, be sure to consider the following:

• Are your raw materials and/or support elements sourced in Zambia?

• Do you have the capability to ultimately export your product?

• Is your product or service leveraging a strategic asset (e.g., agriculture or tourism) of Zambia? (Note: I associate tourism with the export market because we are looking to bring people from the outside world to see Zambia.)

• Does your supply chain involve other Zambian partners?

• Do you have some customer engagement already in place?

If your business answers ‘yes’ to all (or most) of the above, then it might be one that G4Z could support. To illustrate this more clearly, let’s take the example of Chiwenu Honey. The business’ raw materials are sourced from 150 farmers in forests in Mwinilunga, there is the capability to export, and it leverages a strategic Zambian asset (agriculture).

Chiwenu Honey involves various local players (notably farmers) in its supply chain, has created jobs, and invests in various social initiatives to indirectly contribute to the overall wellbeing of the people of Mwinilunga. There is an already established customer base, which G4Z hopes to grow by increasing production at Chiwenu Honey by 40%.

The above example doesn’t mean you necessarily need as established a business as Chiwenu Honey to receive G4Z funding. In fact, as discussed below, we are looking to offer greater flexibility when it comes to funding to support businesses at different stages of development. However, it does illustrate the key points that we are looking for when it comes to awarding funding.

G4Z founders Gerry Griffin and Ahmad Hamwi

‘Growing the Tribe’:

G4Z wants to be a catalyst for positive change in Zambia. Consequently, we don’t want companies to pay the funded money back or give us a percentage of their equity.

Instead of having a ‘pay back’ option, the funded money comes in an unrestricted form. We will work in dialogue with the prospects to see where the money needs to be spent and give them the freedom to spend it in support of their businesses. In this way, we hope to give our funded businesses freedom, and make the whole funding process a lot simpler.

Pay it Forward

Rather than paying our funding back, we want the businesses G4Z funds to ‘pay it forward’ by joining (as Mwiche and Mildred have already done) the new G4Z Tribe.

Green Giraffe and Chiwenu Honey - already part of the G4Z Tribe

This means they will begin to support each other, and the entrepreneurs who will be coming onto the programme further down the line. The Tribe will enable the sharing of strategic business insights and allow the businesses we support to learn from one another.

In growing this tribe, we hope to counteract the suggestion that business is ‘a zero sum game’ i.e., that if one business does well, it is at another business’ expense. Instead, given the interconnected nature of business, it is in everyone’s best interest to grow this pie as big as possible.

Increasing Impact and Future Announcements:

Following Gerry’s visit to Zambia, we have started to think if there are any ways to restructure the money to increase its ‘on-the-ground’ impact.

Originally, we had ring-fenced $10,000 dollars for five Zambian businesses. While not changing the total amount of funding available, we are now considering taking one or two of those $10,000 packages and breaking them down into $5,000 or $1,000 lots.  

The rationale for this comes following dialogues with many Zambian businesses whose near term requirements are far less than $10,000. It turns out that the purchasing of a key bit of kit, or some extra space, could cost half the $10,000 allocation. Yet it would be instrumental in helping those businesses get to the next stage of their journey.

Ultimately, G4Z is looking to create impact and partner with companies at different stages of development. Given the established nature of Green Giraffe and Chiwenu Honey, $10,000 was the right amount of funding. For future companies, a lower amount might achieve an equivalent impact, because they are positioned at an earlier stage of the growth arc.

Rather than a deviation from our original promise, this is part of a continuous search to optimise and maximise the impact G4Z, and to help us cater for the reality on the ground right now. Elsewhere, we are looking for Match Funding opportunities, so that recipients of G4Z funding can draw down additional support from the likes of Challenge Funds and Catalyst Programmes.

We wish the teams at Green Giraffe and Chiwenu Honey, and everyone we met, the best for 2024. Also, best of luck to any business looking to apply for funding this time around – to do so please click HERE. We hope to be announcing some more winners later this year in June!