PROJECTS
01
Facilitate Access to Affordable Finance
Designing an intervention framework to support access to affordable credit by MSMEs through the establishment of a Credit Risk Guarantee Scheme as a sub-consultant operating under the Zambia National Advisory Board for Impact Investment. Stakeholder engagement involved interactions with the Bank of Zambia, NAPSA, Bankers Association of Zambia, Association of Microfinance Institution in Zambia, Prospero(UK Government's a private Sector Support Programme for Zambia), Development Bank of Zambiaand other stakeholders relevant to the growth of the SME ecosystem.
Capacity Building for MSMEs
02
Development of a national mentorship programme for Small and Medium-Size Enterprises in conjunction with DSIK (GermanSavings Bank - Sparkassenstiftung); Women Access Entrepreneurship Centre (WEAC) and Business Development Service Providers Association of Zambia (BDSPAZ). Our work involved developing a national mentorship handbook for use by trainers of small and medium sized enterprises. Under the project, Mentor Me developed mentor training material that was used in training a cohort of 30 SME mentors(and which was jointly facilitated by Mentor Me). Our specific role included drafting sections of and reviewing the overall Mentor Handbook; designing the mentor training modules; and presenting a comparative analysisof the differences between SME mentorship, training, coaching and advising
Training of women-owned and run MSMEs in conjunction with US-based "ImpactHER", an organisation focused on facilitating business support to women entrepreneurs using both free and paid-for Google tools. The online training was conducted over a period of several weeks and included MSMEs from within and outside Zambia.
Designing a strategy for accessing smallholder farmers working through off-takers and aggregators for the electronic delivery of inputs and payments in areas with poor or no data coverage. Work included assessing the different technologies and digital channels currently available for delivery of value to smallholder farmers, aggregators and off-takers and required a comprehensive assessment of the market opportunities available through digital platforms.
Working with USAD EDGE (USAID private sector development programme) to design the delivery of Personal Initiative Training to SMEs operating within and beyond the agricultural sector. This initiative is empirically proven (and confirmed through a randomised control trial by the World Bank) to deliver improved profits of MSME participants by up to 40 percent within less than 12 months of the 36 hour training.
Design, Development and Implementation of the flagship programme the 8Cs for Personal and Professional Effectiveness which is is a leadership development intervention premised on the notion that a personal growth mindset is the foundation of effective leadership - i.e., leadership that is able to harness and bring out the highest productive potential of individuals in all areas of human pursuit. The 8Cs Programme: (i) embeds a culture of personal and corporate accountability; (ii) significantly reduces the tendency within teams to default to blaming one another when things go wrong; and (iii) harnesses a strong psychological and emotional foundation for high individual and group productivity. Mentor Me has rolled out the programme for 10 Cohorts including Zambia National Commercial Bank Plc (Zanaco), KPMG Zambia, Agleaseco, Prudential Zambia and Zambia Credit Guarantee Scheme.
Design, Development, and Implementation of a Board Induction Training Programme that covers topics such as corporate governance (legal and fiduciary duties among others), the primary roles of the board (leadership and governance, strategy development and implementation, controls and procedures, and culture values and ethics) and how the role of the Board is changing in the face of artificial intelligence, corporate social responsibility, and environmental social governance (ESG). Mentor me has carried out the induction for Yes Cash Zambia Limited trading as Express Credit.
03
Ecosystem Development
Founding and developing the country's first ever business angels network (Zambia Business Angels Network) whose primary focus is the establishment of an organised and well-structred platform for the linking up of local investors with early and growth stage SMEs. Work included developing a pipeline of early and growth stage SMEs for investment by high net-worth individuals based within and outside Zambia.