The Rallying Cry

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time.
But traditional leadership models are failing our planet.
More of the same will not work.

The Rallying Cry is about catalysing new leadership and investment approaches to scale private sector climate and gender solutions in Africa.

The Initiative

What Is The Rallying Cry?

The Rallying Cry launched as a non-profit initiative in 2020 with funding from FMO and Building Prospects, supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Our early research publications and participation in events like COP26 and COP27 helped amplify the wisdom of Kenyan and Zambian women business leaders to inspire global change and drive real climate action.

From our beginnings as a non-profit focused on female-led agribusinesses, we have expanded our focus over the years. We have evolved to support gender-responsive climate innovators across the whole bioeconomy and African continent, bringing local solutions to global challenges.

To ensure our survival within a challenging funding landscape, in 2023 we adapted our business model. We now deliver for-profit Advisory services alongside our continuing grant-funded non-profit Initiative.

Activator Program

  • In 2025, our flagship non-profit offering is our six-month Activator Program, running from March to Sep, delivered with the support of the 2X Challenge

    Designed to offer technical assistance to high-potential enterprises driving gender-responsive climate solutions in agribusiness and renewable energy, the program is for businesses operating in East and Southern Africa seeking to raise capital between $250,000 to $3 million. 

    The Activator Program addresses the critical gap between post-accelerator support and securing fit-for-purpose capital by helping enterprises understand their capital needs, connect with aligned providers, and build the structures required to attract and absorb capital.

    Participants receive free technical assistance to improve as well as measure and report on gender and climate impact, formalise their reporting and financial structures, and prepare for investment. The program also includes tailored post-program support and access to aligned capital providers up to March 2026.

    The application window closed in January 2025. Enterprises were assessed for eligibility against our criteria, with successful candidates attending our first program activities in Nairobi in March 2025.

    For more information, see our Activator Program FAQs 

The Challenge

There is an urgent need and widespread demand for more inclusive action to address climate change. This should be led by those experiencing and adapting to it first.

Rural entrepreneurs across Africa, especially women, are disproportionately impacted by climate change and are already driving solutions in their businesses. 

However, they are underrepresented in decision-making and economic participation and are significantly less likely to access the investment needed to scale their enterprises.

Our Solution

Through collaborative partnerships, we work across ecosystems to accelerate global climate action by scaling local, gender-responsive solutions. The Rallying Cry Initiative seeks to:

  • Ensure gender-responsive African innovators on the frontlines of climate change are represented in international dialogues and decision-making

  • Shift the narrative away from people in the Global South as victims of climate change to agents of solution-driven change, locally and globally

  • Catalyse investment to grow and scale climate-and gender-smart enterprises across land-based value chains in Africa

  • Support the development of financial instruments tailored to the needs of climate-and gender-smart African entrepreneurs in the bioeconomy

Our Approach

Through collaborative partnerships, we work across ecosystems to accelerate global climate action by scaling local solutions.

Some defining principles of who we work with and why:

Gender-responsive: businesses and initiatives addressing inequality by intentionally creating better opportunities and outcomes for all  – women, men, girls, boys and gender-diverse people

Climate-smart: businesses and initiatives delivering innovative climate adaptation and mitigation solutions

Bioeconomy: land-based sectors at the intersection of economy and ecology that leverage natural resources such as crops, forests, fish, animals to produce food, materials, and energy.

We believe the bioeconomy offers fertile ground to locally address global challenges including climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, resource depletion and food security, as well, of course, as gender equality.

The Rallying Cry Flywheel

Scaling local solutions to tackle global challenges

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Growing & Scaling Local Expertise

Frontline climate/ gender-smart enterprises grow and scale, inspire others, and deliver more and better mitigation and adaptation solutions

Elevating Frontline Innovators

African innovators gain recognition and influence with success stories and data from lived experiences

Advancing Inclusive Climate Leadership

Global climate leadership involves more diverse voices which catalyse policy and funding commitments

Unlocking Capital for Climate-Gender Solutions

More international climate and development finance is channelled towards climate-and gender-smart enterprises

  • Growing & Scaling Local Expertise

    Frontline climate/ gender-smart enterprises grow and scale, inspire others, and deliver more and better mitigation and adaptation solutions

  • Elevating Frontline Innovators

    African innovators gain recognition and influence with success stories and data from lived experiences

  • Advancing Inclusive Climate Leadership

    Global climate leadership involves more diverse voices which catalyse policy and funding commitments

  • Unlocking Capital for Climate-Gender Solutions

    More international climate and development finance is channelled towards climate-and gender-smart enterprises

“Our shared future depends on every agribusiness finding ways of providing high-value, nutritious and safe fruits and vegetables for generations to come. How we treat the soil will impact all of us, so we better start now. There is no time to waste. I am playing my part. It is time global leaders played theirs.”

– Mulenga Lusafya-Mwitwa

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