IFAD is partnering with FADEV through the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF) Mali programme to implement a new venture capital investment solution for the Malian diaspora in France called YiriMali. This investment fund will provide diaspora members a formal and profitable investment vehicle to invest in SMEs in the agri-food sector in the Malian regions of Kayes and Koulikoro.
Country: Mali
IFAD and I&P partnered to launch this project aimed at mobilizing the Malian diaspora resources into a local Malian impact investment fund supported by I&P: Zira Capital. I&P has identified, trained and supported a core group of potential Malian diaspora investors in France. With the technical support of I&P and legal advisory brought by the project, diaspora investors created a company, Ciwara Capital, to pool their capital in France to be invested in Malian SMEs and start-ups. Ciwara Capital will invest through Zira Capital, and, on the long term, envisions direct investment into SMEs.
