733 million people are still living without access to electricity, of which over 80% are in rural areas, 800 million people lack access to safe drinking water and 2.3 billion people worldwide do not have access to clean cooking solutions. To meet the SDGs, last mile populations need access to beneficial products and financing to afford them. Last Mile Distributors have a crucial role to play in delivering these products to the hardest-to-reach consumers. The Global Distributors Collective is a collective of over 200 last mile distribution companies who operate in over 60 countries, and who have reached over 40 million people in last mile households with beneficial products such as solar lights, clean cookstoves and water filters.
The importance of Last Mile Distributor’s is increasingly recognised, but capital is still not flowing into the space. In this session we would like to shine the light on women led, locally owned LMDs – the underrepresented – impact all stars of the sector.
71% of GDC members are locally owned. Our research has found that locally owned LMDs are twice as efficient in deploying capital raised than their international counterparts . Not only are locally owned women led companies more efficient with their capital, they have outsized impact. 60 Decibels recently surveyed 79,000 last mile consumers and found that 66% of customers of locally-owned companies report a ‘very much improved’ quality of life as a direct result of the products or services received, compared to 53% of customers of companies not locally-owned. In addition women-led companies demonstrate higher impact, lower rates of customer over indebtedness, lower challenge rates, and are reaching a higher proportion of women customers than their counterparts. Having said this an estimated 1% of off-grid solar industry investments in 2022 went to women-led companies and 5% to locally-owned companies
To unlock the full potential of the LMD sector, all types of funding – grant, debt and equity – are needed.
In this panel session we will:
– Highlight the benefit of investing in women led and locally owned last mile distributors
– Explore the reasons why financing is not flowing to these companies
– Discuss solutions that will unlock more funding to these companies.
It’s time to invest in - The Women Led Locally Owned Impact All-Stars Serving the Last Mile
Track
DEI, Ownership and Impact
Format
Panel (3 speakers)
Speakers
- NameSarah Beiber
- TitleHead of Energy Partnerships - Acumen
- OrganizationAcumen
- NameHabiba Ali
- TitleCEO/Founder
- OrganizationSosai
- NameNIck Fusso
- TitleCo-Founder
- OrganizationD-Prize
Description
733 million people are still living without access to electricity, of which over 80% are in rural areas, 800 million people lack access to safe drinking water and 2.3 billion people worldwide do not have access to clean cooking solutions. To meet the SDGs, last mile populations need access to beneficial products and financing to afford them. Last Mile Distributors have a crucial role to play in delivering these products to the hardest-to-reach consumers. The Global Distributors Collective is a collective of over 200 last mile distribution companies who operate in over 60 countries, and who have reached over 40 million people in last mile households with beneficial products such as solar lights, clean cookstoves and water filters.
The importance of Last Mile Distributor’s is increasingly recognised, but capital is still not flowing into the space. In this session we would like to shine the light on women led, locally owned LMDs – the underrepresented – impact all stars of the sector.
71% of GDC members are locally owned. Our research has found that locally owned LMDs are twice as efficient in deploying capital raised than their international counterparts . Not only are locally owned women led companies more efficient with their capital, they have outsized impact. 60 Decibels recently surveyed 79,000 last mile consumers and found that 66% of customers of locally-owned companies report a ‘very much improved’ quality of life as a direct result of the products or services received, compared to 53% of customers of companies not locally-owned. In addition women-led companies demonstrate higher impact, lower rates of customer over indebtedness, lower challenge rates, and are reaching a higher proportion of women customers than their counterparts. Having said this an estimated 1% of off-grid solar industry investments in 2022 went to women-led companies and 5% to locally-owned companies
To unlock the full potential of the LMD sector, all types of funding – grant, debt and equity – are needed.
In this panel session we will:
– Highlight the benefit of investing in women led and locally owned last mile distributors
– Explore the reasons why financing is not flowing to these companies
– Discuss solutions that will unlock more funding to these companies.
