Zambia's Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Growth 4 Zambia's Vision and Progress Zambia has all the ingredients for a thriviNG

Gerry speaking at the Impact Capital Africa Conference

Zambia's Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Growth 4 Zambia's Vision and Progress Zambia has all the ingredients for a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem. While structural challenges exist, Zambia's relative progress compared to neighbouring countries and other African nations is noteworthy.

Growth 4 Zambia team at Lusaka Radio.

The Growth 4 Zambia team has been actively meeting with potential investees, aiming to ignite the spark needed for further economic growth. Since its formal inception in January 2024, Growth 4 Zambia has already invested $41,000 into various companies.

Gerry Griffin & Ahmad Hamwi at Hot FM Radio

Addressing a common question, Gerry Griffin, Founder & CEO, clarifies, "There’s no catch except to contribute to the Zambian economy by promoting entrepreneurship through our grants." The focus has a notable skew towards agriculture, given its significant export potential. However, Growth 4 Zambia also welcomes innovative ideas in technology and tourism.

Gerry Griffin at Lusaka Radio

The investment strategy is gender-inclusive, with no preferences beyond the scalability of the business.

Gerry Griffin & Mwiche Mukoma (grant recipient) Speaking at a workshop

As co-Founder Ahmad Hamwi states, "An idea is one thing, but delivery and implementation are where the hard part is." The next application window opens in September, and the team is currently reviewing over 370 applications from the previous round. Each applicant will receive feedback, whether they succeed or not. Hamwi emphasizes, "Not being successful doesn’t mean your idea wasn’t good. It could be wrong timing or that we already made an investment in that field. Just because you don’t get the investment from us doesn’t mean it’s not worthy of investment." Growth 4 Zambia is dedicated to providing support and advice to Zambian entrepreneurs. The reality is a mathematical one: 370 applications for 5 spots.

Ahmad Hamwi speaking at the Impact Capital Africa

Despite these odds, the organization remains committed to fostering a vibrant entrepreneurial landscape in Zambia, ensuring that every potential entrepreneur receives the guidance and support needed to thrive. It might be valuable to take a look at the methodology which we use to evaluate progress in those companies we have already invested in.

This will give any application manager key insights on what scores well. Stay tuned for updates and prepare your applications for the upcoming window in September. We have an exciting idea we are working on to directly help those at the idea stage. Growth 4 Zambia is here to help drive the future of Zambian entrepreneurship.