WIDU.africa platform

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A GIZ digital platform that channels diaspora remittances into matching grants and coaching for African micro and small enterprises.
What are the main aims and objectives?

WIDU.africa is a GIZ programme commissioned by Germany’s BMZ to create and sustain decent jobs and improve incomes by making it easier for micro and small enterprises in Africa to access finance through diaspora co‑investment matched by grants and strengthened by business coaching, while redirecting part of the billions of euros in annual diaspora remittances from Europe into longer‑term business investments rather than consumption, thereby empowering diaspora members to become co‑creators of economic change by involving them directly in project selection and financing, with a particular emphasis on supporting women entrepreneurs and strengthening local private sectors and resilience in partner countries.

How does the program work?

WIDU.africa works through an online platform and standardised grant‑plus‑coaching model that structures diaspora remittances as co‑investments in African micro and small enterprises (MSEs).

The original WIDU Grant process is as follows:

  1. Diaspora registration and invitation:
    An African diaspora member living in a participating European country (e.g. Germany, France, Switzerland) registers on widu.africa and invites a friend or relative (the entrepreneur) in an eligible African country (Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Togo, Tunisia).
  2. Project submission:
    The entrepreneur describes their business (existing or start‑up) and submits an investment plan covering planned use of funds (e.g. equipment, inventory, renovations).
  3. Pre‑selection and coaching:
    After eligibility screening, a WIDU coach conducts an on‑site or virtual assessment, refining the plan and assessing needs.
  4. Private investment:
    The diaspora supporter transfers their agreed contribution directly to the entrepreneur (WIDU does not handle funds), and the entrepreneur invests both their own and diaspora funds, uploading proof (invoices, photos, receipts).
  5. Matching grant:
    WIDU tops up the joint private investment with a matching grant up to EUR 2,500, typically ~50% of the private total; pairs can repeat up to three times for staged growth.
  6. Coaching and follow‑up:
    Entrepreneurs receive three free one‑on‑one coaching sessions on record‑keeping, finance, marketing, etc.; over 11,500 sessions delivered by 2024.

A Corona Business Grant (ended January 2023) targeted health, transport and food sectors. The platform is free for users; WIDU verifies investments and disburses grants without charging fees. Launched in November 2019 after piloting in Ghana and Cameroon, it expanded to five more countries.

What is the overall cost?

There is no published total project budget for WIDU.africa in GIZ or BMZ documents.

How was it implemented?

WIDU.africa was conceived by GIZ staff observing that diaspora remittances (billions annually from Europe) were mostly used for consumption rather than business investment. BMZ commissioned GIZ to design a pilot that could harness these flows for MSEs, leading to the online platform’s launch in November 2019 after initial testing in Ghana and Cameroon.

Pilot and expansion.
Ghana and Cameroon were selected for their large European diasporas and active MSE sectors. After proving the model (1,600+ projects, EUR 2.7m investments), WIDU expanded to Ethiopia, Kenya, Togo and Tunisia, partnering with local coaches and business organisations.

Key partnerships.

  • diaspora2030 and national diaspora policies (e.g. Kenya’s) promoted WIDU to diaspora communities.
  • Kenyan embassy in Bern (2019) actively marketed it as a structured remittance channel.​

Delivery model.
GIZ manages the platform, country teams and coaches; diaspora/entrepreneur pairs self‑select via the site; coaches verify and coach; grants are disbursed post‑verification. A Corona Grant (2020–2023) adapted the model for pandemic resilience.

By 2024, WIDU completed its first phase, with evaluation results informing the next.

What impact has been measured?

GIZ’s 2024 rigorous evaluation (Ghana/Cameroon) found WIDU businesses had 0.8 more employees at endline, EUR 845 higher revenues and EUR 293 higher profits vs controls; 53% of 11,000+ jobs were women’s; 50% of businesses women‑owned. By 2024, WIDU mobilised EUR 7m for MSEs.

What lessons can be learned?
  • Contextual variation: stronger impacts in Ghana than Cameroon; scale must adapt to local markets.​
  • Limited scale: 11,000 jobs vs continent‑wide needs; not systemic yet.​
  • European diaspora dependency: excludes entrepreneurs without EU connections.​
  • Verification burden: coach visits and proof uploads slow processes.​
  • Sustainability unclear: post‑GIZ/BMZ funding not specified.

CURATED BY

Tom Hancock

Research Associate
Global Entrepreneurship Network
United Kingdom