Impact Investing Ghana, the National Advisory Board for Impact Investing in Ghana, has announced the appointment of Yvonne Ofosu-Appiah, Chief Investment Officer of Wangara Green Ventures, to its Board of Directors.
Yvonne Ofosu-Appiah brings to the Board fifteen years of working in diverse capacities within the banking and capital markets industry, including private markets & impact investing in Ghana.
Impact Investing Ghana (IIGh – www.impactinvestinggh.org) is the Ghana National Advisory Board for Impact Investing. We are an independent private-sector-led initiative promoting sustainable development and advancing the development of the impact investment ecosystem in Ghana. IIGh is Ghana’s representative to the Global Steering Group (GSG) for Impact Investing, the successor to the Social Impact Investment Taskforce established by the G8.
The GSG’s National Advisory Boards (NABs) currently cover 35 countries and provide a global platform to drive investment and increase visibility for its members globally.
IIGh aims at tackling Ghana’s pressing social and environmental challenges by driving more capital to deliver real impact and by supporting the growth of Impact Investing across West Africa. We are a local platform representing all the stakeholder groups needed to redirect significant capital flows towards social and environmental impact.
Private-sector led, yet in close partnership with the national government, we raise awareness, create market intelligence, change policies, and mobilize additional financial resources for the public good.
Alex Asiedu, board chair of Impact Investing speaking on the new appointment said “I am personally delighted to welcome Yvonne to the board of Impact Investing Ghana. Her experience and understanding of the impact investing space is outstanding. Wangara Green Ventures is a pioneering leader in the impact investing movement in Ghana and we are very fortunate to have her join the board as we work to grow the sector exponentially.”
Commenting on the appointment, Yvonne Ofosu-Appiah said, “I am honoured to be able to serve the impact investing ecosystem in Ghana by being elected to the Board of Impact Investing Ghana. With looming uncertainties in global economies, collaborations between enterprise support organizations and the development of the ecosystem have become necessary now more than ever in creating a sustainable future. I believe in the catalytic role of IIGH in promoting SME growth in Ghana, and I look forward to working with other Board Directors to drive the mission and vision of IIGH.”
About Yvonne Ofosu-Appiah:
Yvonne has 12+ years’ experience with financing and investing in SMEs in a myriad of sectors including financial services, renewable energy, agriculture and manufacturing, having led deal teams on several equity and debt investment transactions within Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Ghana.
She is currently the CIO for Wangara Green Ventures, a climate-focused impact investing company, where she drives the investment process and leads the team in making and managing investments in green SMEs for financial, environmental, and social returns. Prior to this role, she worked for FirstBanC and Fortiz PE fund, Ideal Capital Partners, UMB and Absa Bank, all in Ghana.
Yvonne holds an MBA (Finance) from the University of Cambridge Judge Business School, UK and Bcom degree from the University of Cape Coast Business School, Ghana. She holds a Certificate in Company Direction from IoD UK, a Certificate in Investment Management from ANDE and a Certificate in Impact Measurement from Said Business School, University of Oxford, UK.
About IIGh
Impact Investing Ghana (IIGh – www.impactinvestinggh.org ) is the Ghana National Advisory Board for Impact Investing. We are an independent private-sector-led initiative promoting sustainable development and advancing the development of the impact investment ecosystem in Ghana. IIGh is Ghana’s representative to the Global Steering Group (GSG) for Impact Investing, the successor to the Social Impact Investment Taskforce established by the G8. The GSG’s National Advisory Boards (NABs) currently cover 35 countries and provide a global platform to drive investment and increase visibility for its members globally.
IIGh aims at tackling Ghana’s pressing social and environmental challenges by driving more capital to deliver real impact. We are a local platform representing all the stakeholder groups needed to redirect significant capital flows towards social and environmental impact. Private-sector led, yet in close partnership with the national government, we raise awareness, create market intelligence, change policies, and mobilize additional financial resources for the public good. IIGh brings together leaders from the worlds of finance, business, government, social organizations and philanthropy. IIGh has an ambitious plan to support the growth of impact ventures and to catalyze $1billion in impact funds for investment in impact ventures in Ghana and the West African sub-region. (To contribute to the government of Ghana’s target of mobilizing $70billion over the next three years). Key priority areas include reducing underemployment and unemployment and inequality gaps, especially for youth, women and the rural and urban poor and addressing climate and environmental issues.
We accomplish this through activities that map and track the evolution of the impact investing ecosystem, identify gaps and propose and initiate collaborative action to fill the gaps. We also undertake activities that increase the capacity of the ecosystem to deploy & absorb capital and influence the creation of an enabling environment through policy advocacy. We undertake actions to unlock both local and international capital for impact investing and to effectively measure and optimize impact results.
Impact Investing Ghana