Empowering Bolivian bio-businesses to protect the Amazon

Indigenous communities living in the Bolivian Amazon face big challenges: from climate change to deforestation, the region also suffers from recurrent forest fires, which in 2024 exceeded records from previous years. To protect the area and local communities, we have supported the “Bionegócios Initiative.” Since 2021, the initiative has been working with Indigenous entrepreneurs to strengthen their companies as ‘bio-businesses’. 

“Before, we only had one cauldron to make twenty liters of shampoo. Now, we have three cauldrons that allow us to produce sixty liters of shampoo a day,” shares Bartolina Marayai, founder of Bartgwagwasu, a business which specialises in products derived from Cusi —such as shampoos, soaps, serums, and creams—by extracting oil from the palm’s seeds.

With the support of the initiative, it is now more sustainable.

Mission 300: Connecting Africa to sustainable energy by 2030

Power benefits health, education, and small businesses. Nevertheless, access to energy is one of Africa’s most remarkable challenges. Today, about 600 million African people still live without electricity. NDF has provided significant catalytic concessional financing to this sector in Sub-Saharan Africa with our partners, and we are proud to align with and support African countries' priorities.

In February, we attended the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit, which aims to connect 300 million more Africans to sustainable energy by 2030.

“The role of the governments is crucial to implement the reforms in the National Energy Compacts with speed to create the enabling environment for the private sector to deliver with scale. I believe that Mission 300 is Mission Possible!” says Managing Director Satu Santala.

Increasing resilience to climate-related Disasters

As climate change intensifies, its impacts grow more frequent, severe and leaving millions exposed and vulnerable. Humanitarian resources are pushed to their limits, putting the progress of global sustainable development at serious risk.

Our Deputy Managing Director, Leena Klossner, joined an important dialogue at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland on increasing resilience to climate-related disasters and highlighting the 15 years of climate financing at NDF.

”The climate adaptation gap is huge. That's why, our strategy anchors adaptation and resilience in the Global South, where most financing is needed,” she shared.

Did you miss EEP Africa's Knowledge Week? No worries – you can rewatch the events!

The renewable energy-focused Trust Fund, EEP Africa, hosted and managed by us, held a series of online events in February that examine evolving themes and innovative projects in the clean energy sector in Africa. Did you miss out?

Rewatch insightful sessions that highlight sector trends and the inspiring stories of entrepreneurs driving change across Southern and Eastern Africa and get inspired!

Follow us on

Nordic leadership in addressing climate change and development challenges

We advance Nordic leadership in addressing climate change and development challenges through financing, knowledge and partnerships. Together with our strategic partners, we develop, launch and scale high-impact projects to support developing countries and the most vulnerable people affected by climate change.