Financing Growth Beyond Borders
Access to finance is widely recognized as an important enabler of business growth. However, for enterprises seeking to scale beyond their domestic markets, financing is only one piece of a much broader puzzle. Many businesses struggle not simply because they lack capital, but because successful regional expansion also depends on factors such as a clear growth strategy, market intelligence, regulatory readiness, strong leadership, operational capacity, strategic partnerships, and access to the right networks and information. Without these foundations, finance alone is unlikely to translate into sustainable growth.
Drawing on findings from the Playbook on Regional Expansion: Success Stories from Africa’s Green Entrepreneurs, this webinar will bring together entrepreneurs who have successfully expanded their businesses across African markets to share how they navigated both the financial and non-financial dimensions of regional growth.
Practical Guidance for Ecosystem Actors and Entrepreneurs
Through practical case studies and interactive discussion, participants will explore how enterprises combined different financing mechanisms, including commercial finance, blended finance, venture capital, export financing, and strategic partnerships, with the broader capabilities required to scale successfully across borders.
The session will provide Entrepreneurship Support Organizations (ESOs), financial actors, entrepreneurs, and ecosystem stakeholders with practical lessons on identifying the combination of financing, business capabilities, and ecosystem support needed at different stages of enterprise development.
By challenging the assumption that access to capital alone drives growth, the exchange will highlight the complementary factors that enable green enterprises to scale sustainably across African markets.
Speakers
- Susan Murugi, Nakuru Box, Kenya
- Lucrisha Polton, PMCB Trade Hub Manager, South Africa
- Nevo Hadas, Smartfill, South Africa
- Claire van Enk, Farm to Feed, Kenya
- Capucine Gonnord, IYBA SEED Green Industries expert, Enabel
- A peer exchange moderated by Leva Rouhani and Caroline Guidemann
Target audience
- Entrepreneurship Support Organisations
- Financial service providers
- Entrepreneurs
Date: October 21, 2026
Time: 11h GMT - 12h30 GMT
Online webinar on registration
Language: ENGLISH (To attend the similar exchange in French let's meet on Oct.28th, 2026)
