WIDU.africa is a project of Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, implemented on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). In collaboration with the African diaspora in Europe, WIDU applies an innovative approach that combines funding and coaching to strengthen new and existing small businesses in Africa, which then leads to the creation of new jobs.

About Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

As a service provider in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development and international education work, we are dedicated to shaping a future worth living around the world.

GIZ supports the German Government in achieving its objectives in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. To put it another way, GIZ is a federal enterprise that supports change – for Germany and around the globe.
 
To achieve sustainable change, we promote international education work and human capacity development. We work with our partners to devise learning processes and then realise these jointly – to ensure that partner country capacities flourish in the long term and that project results are sustainable.

As a German federal enterprise, GIZ operates around the world.
The sole Shareholder of GIZ is the Federal Republic of Germany, represented by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF).

As a public-benefit federal enterprise we uphold German and European values and are committed to meeting our clients’ and commissioning parties’ high standards on transparency and accountability. Together with our partners, we work flexibly to deliver effective and cost-efficient solutions that offer people better prospects and sustainably improve their living conditions.

GIZ is a company under private law and can be directly commissioned. From a fiscal law stance, GIZ has two business areas. Besides our public-benefit business area, in which the German Government is the main commissioning party, we also accept direct commissions from international institutions, governments around the world, foundations and private companies with international operations. This second business area makes our products and services available to paying clients and is handled by GIZ International Services.
 
Our clients, commissioning parties and cooperation partners all place their trust in us, and we work with them to generate ideas for political, social and economic change, to turn these into concrete plans and to implement them.

WIDU is always free of charge

We do not ever ask diaspora donors or African entrepreneurs, nor their relatives or friends, to pay for our services. WIDU funding and coaching is and will always be provided for free.
Do not under any circumstances agree to give a share of your WIDU grant to a broker or a middle-man. These brokers/middle-men are breaking the law and will be sued by us.