Established in 2010, GMT is a Pan-African women-led organization, headquartered in Johannesburg, with a satellite presence in Nairobi and network footprint across 18 countries. GMT’s purpose is to promote women’s leadership and to elevate the transformation of women’s, adolescents, and children's issues at the national, regional, and continental levels. Building on the passion and work of our Founder, Mrs. Graça Machel we implement capacity- building projects that positively impact the lives of those we serve. We engage policymakers to make positive policy changes for these groups, conduct research to inform our influencing agendas and promote dialogue to work towards a common agenda. The population we serve is Pan African and includes women leaders and changemakers, in business, finance, agri- business, media, and green energy sectors; women entrepreneurs; and adolescent girls. Network Building across priority sectors: The Trust has established 4 women’s networks across 18 countries, whose mandate is centered on promoting the economic development of African women, accelerating African women’s leadership and ensuring that women’s narratives are constructively portrayed in the media. We have supported their capacity building to strengthen their leadership, governance and programming and we have partnered with them on projects which promote our mutual interest in women’s advancement. These networks are the heart beat of our influencing efforts. They help us highlight the economic and social barriers faced by women across the continent. Together we construct powerful influencing campaigns and agendas as we mobilize and dialogue with finance institutions, regulators, government ministries, and influencers. By working collectively, we harness experience, skills and agendas to leverage economic and social transformation for women. To date, we have reached 229, 664 through our network impact activities. GMT’s previous initiatives have positively impacted the lives of thousands of women and youth across Africa. We have successfully facilitated access to education, entrepreneurship training, and financial inclusion for marginalized groups. Our work has resulted in measurable improvements in economic opportunities and social outcomes for women and children. GMT's strength lies in its multidisciplinary team of experts who bring a wealth of knowledge in international development, gender justice, and youth advancement. Our track record demonstrates our capacity to design and implement effective programs, navigate complex policy environments, and drive meaningful change. Through its flagship entrepreneurship program, Women Creating Wealth (WCW), GMT is strongly contributing to women SMEs on the continent. This is a transformational program that shifts and inspires ambition, growth mindset, agency and equips African businesswomen with skills, tools, and supportive networks to pivot their businesses from income to wealth- generating enterprises. The big audacious goal of the WCW program is to reach and inspire 10,000 women to create one billion dollars and 20, 0000 jobs in 5 years. To meaningfully contribute to promoting access to finance for women entrepreneurs, GMT is incubating Afrishela, an innovative gender lens investment vehicle. Afrishela (her money in Swahili), is a pan-African gender lens investment vehicle designed by African women for African women. Our investment thesis seeks to play where few others do - at the intersection of gender and early growth stage financing (with a growing focus on the climate nexus); with deals ranging from $20,000 to $500,000 to address a segment of the market that is often overlooked, either due to its perceived risk or operating costs with funders seeking collateralized lending or bigger deal sizes. Afrishela (currently fundraising) has coined its investment strategy around gender lens investing and is targeting sectors where climate action would have the most impact. Our impact focus is on those women-owned and led businesses that contribute to sustainable impact through quality job creation for women and youth, thus uplifting women’s incomes and improving livelihoods in the communities these businesses serve.