About The Graça Machel Trust
“The journey towards full economic and social prosperity will only be achieved when women have equal opportunities to lead and participate at all levels in society.”
Graça Machel
A Leading Pan-African Partner for Change
The Graça Machel Trust (GMT) is a Pan-African organisation that amplifies the voices and agency of African women and girls to drive inclusive social and economic transformation across the continent.
Our work is rooted in the legacy of our founder, Mrs. Graça Machel—a stateswoman, former liberation fighter, and global advocate. Inspired by her leadership, we mobilise collective action through vibrant networks and partnerships to dismantle structural barriers and advance gender justice.
We work across five strategic pillars:
- Accelerating Women’s Economic Advancement
- Powering Pan-African Transformation through Collective Action
- Championing Adolescent Girls as Change Agents
- Amplifying African Women’s Leadership and Global Advocacy
- Institution Building for Impact and Sustainability
Through these pillars, we support women entrepreneurs to grow resilient businesses, advocate for financial inclusion and gender-responsive policy, and equip adolescent girls to lead change in their communities. Our goal is to ensure that women and girls shape the future of Africa with dignity, confidence, and equal opportunity.
GMT operates across Africa, with headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa, and a regional office in Nairobi, Kenya.
Women Creating Wealth
Women Creating Wealth (WCW) is the Graça Machel Trust’s flagship entrepreneurship initiative, supporting the growth and resilience of established women-led businesses across Africa.
WCW helps entrepreneurs shift from income generation to long-term wealth creation. The programme combines mindset and leadership development with practical tools in business systemisation, market access, and financial readiness. Each woman receives personalised coaching, mentorship, and technical support tailored to her growth stage.
After completing the 10-month journey, entrepreneurs are invited to join the WCW business community—a longer-term platform for continued learning, peer support, and market opportunities. This recognises that sustainable growth takes time, often three to five years, and requires ongoing connection and care.
WCW also advocates for systemic change—highlighting and challenging the structural barriers that hold women back, while equipping them to lead inclusive, scalable enterprises that build value for communities and economies.
Our impact & reach
- Over $10 million in capital funds raised in the last 2 years and thousands of lives impacted since inception
- 4 600+ current enrolment
- Currently participating countries: Kenya, Malawi, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
Our Audacious Goal:
To inspire, equip and support 10 000 women to scale their businesses to create 200 000 jobs (mostly for youth) and generate 1 billion USD in revenue by 2030.
What makes the Women Creating Wealth programme unique?
Women Creating Wealth (WCW) enables women entrepreneurs by strengthening what they can control—mindset, agency, resilience, and skills—while addressing the systemic barriers that limit their growth. This dual approach is central to the Graça Machel Trust’s mission: personal transformation alongside structural change.
What sets WCW apart:
- We work with growth-ready, women-led businesses positioned for scale.
- Our 360° model combines mindset development, business skills, and access to markets, networks, and finance.
- The GAIM method—Goal setting, Accountability, Inspiration, and Mastery—keeps entrepreneurs focused and on track.
- Coaching, mentoring, and technical support are tailored to each entrepreneur’s growth path.
- We build partnerships to unlock market opportunities and promote gender-equal financing.
- A strong peer community fosters ongoing collaboration, learning, and support.
WCW is not a quick fix—it is a sustained investment in women’s enterprise, leadership, and long-term impact. Our aim is to grow resilient businesses, expand women’s influence, and drive meaningful change across Africa.
Sectors we work in
- Agriculture and agri-processing,
- Construction,
- Education
- Finance
- Green/renewable energy
- Health & Wellness
- ICT
- Manufacturing
- Retail, Tourism & Hospitality
- Trade and services
- Renewable Energy/Green Energy
Meet some of our entrepreneurs
Afrishela
Our impact investment thesis bets on women, adaptation to climate change, including the youth and integrating low-income communities as the formula to drive and maintain sustainable growth and ensure shared prosperity. People, Purpose and Profit.
Our investment approach
Afrishela has coined its investment strategy around gender lens investing and is targeting sectors where climate action would have the most impact. With deal sizes ranging from $20,000 to $500,000, we seek to address an underserved segment of the market that is often overlooked either due to its perceived risk or operating costs with funders seeking collateralised lending or bigger deal sizes.
We target the missing middle entrepreneur segment by focusing on early growth stage women-owned and led businesses with innovative, responsive financing using mostly self-liquidating structures.
Geographic Focus: East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda) and Southern Africa (Zambia, South Africa).
Priority Sectors: Agriculture and Agribusiness, Manufacturing, Retail & Wholesale Trade, Education, Health, Financial Services and Renewable Energy.
General Criteria: Revenue-generating (at least $60,000), been operating for at least 3 years, gross profit margins of 30%, year on year growth of 20%, cash flow positive (for debt like instruments).
Type of Funding Offered: Mezzanine financing (Revenue Based Financing, Mezzanine loans, variable interest loans, preference shares) & Equity financing.
The Pan African Adolescent Girls’ Movement
Our Pan African Adolescent Girls’ Movement is a dynamic initiative committed to igniting the innate agency within these young minds, encouraging them to take charge of their lives confidently, stand tall for themselves, and become passionate advocates for their own rights. This indigenous African movement led and designed by adolescent girls themselves, addresses societal barriers that impede their holistic development.
Themes covered in the 12-month programme:
- Leadership and role modelling
- Education
- Health
- Climate action and food security and
- Entrepreneurship
Current participants: 950 +
Countries currently covered: Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Office of the Founder
The Office of the Founder (OOF) supports Mrs. Machel in her leadership of the Graça Machel Trust, advances global advocacy on issues of social justice, and spearheads projects of key importance to Mrs Machel. Mrs Machel is formally affiliated with over 20 international organizations, and OOF works in conjunction with them to amplify issues of gender equality and women’s leadership, global health equity, access to education, food security, conflict resolution, climate justice and good governance.
The OOF also works closely with GMT programme staff to elevate issues raised by women and adolescent girls in Africa to shape development agendas on Pan African and international platforms. Mrs. Machel’s lived experience and global leadership on a range of issues provides GMT with influential convening power and opportunities to link the voices and visions of African women to policy and legislative change, decision making tables, and influential advocacy platforms.
Networks
Underpinned by the belief that development of Africa is hinged on the sustained participation of women in socio-economic spheres at all levels and across sectors, we have networks in African 18 countries that work with our implementing partners on the ground to ensure that our work is based on lived experiences.
These networks, including African Women in Agri-Business, Women in Finance, Women in Green Energy & Climate Action, Women in Media, strive to drive chang in Africa’s social, political, and economic spheres, contributing to the continent’s growth and development.