Smiling Through Light

Afribond Ltd Forum at Portcullis House - a timely and important gathering focused on connecting African investment opportunities with global capital to drive scalable investment across infrastructure, energy, agriculture and climate on the continent.

Afribond Ltd is rapidly establishing itself as a trusted platform that brings together investors, policymakers, entrepreneurs and members of the African diaspora through curated events, podcasts and webinars, including collaborations with Barclays and Santander. What stood out most was the clear intention to move beyond conversations and towards practical capital mobilisation for Africa’s future.

The forum opened with remarks from Neil Coyle, who highlighted the importance of strengthening partnerships between the UK and African economies, particularly in unlocking investment that can create long-term economic resilience, innovation and sustainable growth.

A major highlight of the event was the keynote delivered by Surayyah Ahmad Ahmad, an exceptional leader working at the intersection of entrepreneurship, finance, and development across Africa.

One message resonated strongly throughout the forum: Africa’s growth story will be shaped not only by capital but by the entrepreneurs, innovators and ecosystem builders creating solutions on the ground every day.

African entrepreneurs are already solving complex challenges in fintech, agriculture, climate resilience, logistics, healthcare and clean energy. What is needed now is stronger access to patient capital, institutional support and strategic global partnerships that enable businesses to scale sustainably across markets.

Forums like Afribond Ltd are important because they bridge the gap between opportunity and investment whilst also amplifying African-led solutions and leadership on the global stage.

The future of investment in Africa is not just about funding projects; it is about backing people, ideas and systems capable of transforming economies for generations to come.

Highlights fans

Today I attended the PwC One Firm One Day (OFOD) AI Upskilling Initiative - a powerful example of what can happen when business expertise is shared with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector.

This hands on session brings together charities, social enterprises and community organisations from across the UK to explore how AI can be used practically and responsibly; from reducing admin time and strengthening communications, to improving services and increasing impact. No technical background required, just curiosity and openness to learn.

What stands out is why PwC is doing this.

PwC has invested heavily in AI capability across its own organisation and is now opening that knowledge up to the communities it serves, recognising that the VCSE sector should not be left behind in the AI conversation. Their aim is to help charities and social enterprises build confidence, capability and understanding around AI in a way that is ethical, accessible and useful in the real world.

As a member of the PwC Social Entrepreneurs Club, I’m grateful to have access to opportunities like this that support learning, innovation and collaboration.

For Smiling Through Light, this matters because AI has the potential to help mission-led organisations do more with limited resources; whether that’s improving outreach, streamlining operations, supporting programme delivery, or creating more time to focus on people and impact.

The future of AI shouldn’t belong only to large corporations or tech specialists. Sessions like this help ensure charities and social enterprises are part of shaping that future too.

Thank you to the PwC volunteers and organisers creating space for practical learning, honest conversations and cross-sector collaboration. ✨✨✨

I am deeply honoured and grateful to be selected as a 2026 UMI100 Honouree. ✨

Today, as UMI officially launches the Umi100 2026 celebration, I join an incredible community of women whose stories, leadership, resilience, and impact continue to inspire change across different spheres of life.

As the Founder & Director of Smiling Through Light, this recognition means so much to me because it reflects not only my journey in advancing clean energy access and empowering women in Sierra Leone, but also the importance of creating opportunities that transform communities and uplift future generations.

Balancing purpose-driven work while raising my four-year-old daughter has taught me strength, patience, and the beauty of leading with compassion. Motherhood continues to inspire me to build a brighter and more inclusive future for others.

Congratulations to all the amazing women being celebrated as part of the Umi100 2026 community. Your stories matter, your work matters, and your impact is changing lives every day. Thank you to Umi for Mothers for this incredible honour and for creating a platform that celebrates women and mothers so powerfully. 💛

At Smiling Through Light, we know that strong teams are built through strong people support.

This week, our HR Specialist, Willorna Brock Chartered FCIPD, visited our Freetown office in Sierra Leone to connect directly with the team, understand how everyone is getting on, discuss workplace challenges and identify areas where additional HR support and training can make a meaningful difference.

These in-person engagements are incredibly important. HR is not just about policies and administration; it is about people, growth, wellbeing and creating an environment where every team member feels supported and empowered to succeed.

By listening to our staff, investing in training opportunities and strengthening communication across teams, we continue to build a workplace culture rooted in collaboration, development and impact.

We are proud of the dedication of our Sierra Leone team and grateful for leaders like Willorna Brock Chartered FCIPD who help ensure our people remain at the heart of everything we do.

Thank You Willorna Brock Chartered FCIPD✨

Today Smiling Through Light had the privilege of attending the High-Level Roundtable: Unlocking Diaspora Investment - A New Frontier for Development Finance at the Commonwealth Secretariat organised by Ark Foundation.

The conversation reinforced something powerful: diaspora communities are not just remittance senders - they are investors, innovators and catalysts for economic transformation.

Across emerging and frontier markets, diaspora capital already plays a significant role. But we are only scratching the surface of what’s possible.

Key reflections:

Diaspora investment is evolving beyond traditional remittances into structured opportunities like diaspora bonds, private equity participation and SME financing. When designed with trust, transparency and competitive returns, diaspora bonds can unlock long-term, patient capital for national development.

Importantly, diaspora investments are not just impactful - they can also be profitable and yield strong financial returns. With the right structures, investors can achieve both financial performance and social impact, making diaspora capital a powerful dual-purpose asset class.

At the same time, diaspora philanthropy continues to fill critical gaps, especially in education, energy, healthcare and community infrastructure. The opportunity now is to better align philanthropic capital with scalable, sustainable development outcomes.

What stood out most is the need for intentional ecosystem building:

✨Governments must create enabling environments, clear regulatory frameworks, de-risked investment vehicles and credible pipelines of bankable projects.

✨Financial institutions need to design tailored instruments that reflect diaspora risk appetite and identity-driven investment motivations.

✨Businesses and entrepreneurs should actively engage diaspora networks not just for funding but for mentorship, market access and global partnerships.

And critically - technology is the unlock.

With the rise of AI, fintech and digital platforms, we can:

✨Improve trust through transparency, data, and traceability.

✨Lower transaction costs and barriers to entry

✨Match diaspora investors with vetted opportunities in real time

✨Enable fractional investing and broaden participation

The future of development finance will be more distributed, digital and diaspora-driven.

The question is no longer if diaspora investment matters, but how quickly we can build the structured systems to fully unlock it.

Wrapping up an inspiring three days at the LMD Forum and Global Distributors Collective (GDC) Member Learning & Collaboration Event in Nairobi last week.

What stood out most to me is just how much the Global Distributors Collective (GDC) community has grown, not just in numbers, but in depth, diversity and strength. The room was filled with entrepreneurs, operators and leaders who are building real solutions in some of the most complex environments.

My biggest takeaway: the sheer volume of innovation coming out of African last mile distribution businesses.

Across the sessions, site visits and conversations, it was clear that locally-led African enterprises are not waiting for perfect conditions, they are actively designing, testing and scaling solutions that meet the realities of their communities. From logistics and financing models to customer engagement and technology use, the level of creativity and resilience is remarkable ✨

And yet, a key tension remains.

Despite being deeply rooted in their communities and delivering meaningful, measurable impact, many of these businesses still face significant barriers to funding. There’s a disconnect there.

Because if impact, proximity to the customer and long-term contribution to development truly matter, then locally-led African businesses are not just part of the story, they are the story. They are driving access, creating jobs, building systems and contributing directly to the continent’s growth.

Last week reinforced for me that the future of last mile distribution is local, collaborative and African-led.

Grateful for the learning, the honesty and the shared commitment to doing the work that truly matters ✨

For the past few months, I’ve been quietly, consistently reaching out—sending messages, building connections and trying to get a foot in the door with TradeMark Africa (TMA). Nothing immediate happened. No instant breakthrough. Just effort, patience and belief.

And then—through someone in my network—an introduction came.

Today, that meeting finally happened. And it was great meeting the Director of Digital Trade Systems at TMA😊. Something is coming 😉

It reminded me of something powerful: dreams are not just about ambition; they’re about positioning. Showing up before the moment arrives. Planting seeds long before you see any sign of growth.

Sometimes it feels like nothing is moving. Like your messages are disappearing into the void. But every step you take, every connection you nurture, every time you put yourself out there—you are aligning yourself with the right moment.

And when that moment comes, it often doesn’t look like luck. It looks like preparation meeting opportunity.

Believe in your vision, even when the results are invisible.Trust the process, even when it feels slow. And never underestimate the power of people—because the right connection, at the right time, can change everything.

Keep going. Your moment is closer than you think🥰

Thank You Willorna Luke✨

Day 3 of the Global Distributors Collective (GDC) Member Learning & Collaboration Event brought everything full circle — from conversations in the room to real-world application on the ground.

Today’s site visits were a powerful reminder that last mile distribution is not just a concept — it’s a living, breathing system shaped by operations, logistics and customer realities every single day.

I had the opportunity to visit Jumia Kenya — often described as Africa’s version of Amazon — and gain insight into what it takes to run a large-scale e-commerce platform in our context.

What stood out most:
• The complexity and coordination behind their logistics and transport systems
• How deeply customer behavior and trust shape operations
• The systems and processes required to deliver consistently at scale
• Their approach to ESG and responsible business practices

It was particularly interesting to reflect on how these lessons translate to last mile distribution companies. While the scale may differ, the fundamentals are shared — efficiency, reliability, customer-centricity, and strong operational systems.

For organisations like Smiling Through Light, these insights are invaluable. They challenge us to think bigger about how we design our models, strengthen our operations and serve our communities more effectively.

A strong close to an impactful few days of learning, connection and reflection.

Day 2 of the Global Distributors Collective (GDC) Member Learning & Collaboration Event in Nairobi was all about going deeper — from big ideas to practical tools we can apply in our organisations.

The focus today was clear: how do we strengthen our business models and operate more effectively as last mile distributors?

We explored the role of AI in accelerating impact at the last mile — moving beyond the hype to real use cases in supply chains, customer engagement and day-to-day decision-making. It was especially interesting to see how tools like large language models are already being used to improve efficiency and problem-solving across teams.

We also took a hard look at business performance. Through hands-on sessions and peer learning, we unpacked what it really takes to build sustainable, investable organisations — from tracking the right KPIs to improving sales productivity and operational discipline.

One of the most valuable parts of the day was diving into the financial fundamentals:
• How to balance customer affordability with business sustainability
• Strengthening unit economics
• Exploring practical approaches to consumer financing

What stood out most was the honesty and openness in the room — leaders sharing what’s working, what isn’t, and what they’re still figuring out.

Today reinforced that impact alone isn’t enough — we need strong, well-run businesses behind that impact if we want to scale and sustain it.

Grateful for the learning, the exchange and the community.

Day 1 of the 2026 LMD Forum in Nairobi is a wrap — and what a powerful start.

Today brought together last mile distributors, funders and ecosystem partners to align around a shared vision for the future of the sector. From the Global Distributors Collective (GDC)’s 2030 strategy to deep, practical conversations about scaling impact, one theme stood out clearly: the future of last mile distribution will be locally led, collaborative and innovation-driven.

What stayed with me most were the real stories of innovation from fellow LMDs. Not just ideas in theory, but lived experiences — navigating risk, adapting business models, embracing e-commerce and building resilient systems in complex environments. Those honest insights and demonstrations of what’s working (and what isn’t) were incredibly valuable.

We also dug into:
• What it takes to build strong, country-led systems and leadership
• The realities of scaling — from accessing finance to knowing when to grow
• How to better position LMDs for investment and what investors are really looking for

The conversations were candid, practical, and grounded in experience — exactly what this sector needs more of.

Grateful to be in a space where learning is shared so openly and where the focus is not just on impact, but on how we build sustainable, scalable models to deliver it.

Looking forward to Day 2 — especially the deep dives into AI, business performance, and strengthening our models.

Thank you Transforming Energy Access Global Distributors Collective (GDC) for putting together such a great learning event✨

So nice to once again connect with my sister on this journey Liliane Munezero Ndabaneze Chabuka 😊

This week Smiling Through Light will be in Kenya at the 2026 LMD Forum and the 2026 GDC Member Event.

These gatherings bring together leaders, changemakers and organisations committed to driving meaningful impact across communities. For us, it’s an important opportunity to engage in conversations around sustainable development, collaboration and innovative solutions that center people and purpose.

At Smiling Through Light, our work is rooted in creating pathways for dignity, empowerment, and long-term change. I’m looking forward to connecting with fellow leaders, exchanging ideas, and exploring partnerships that can help us deepen and scale this impact.

If you’ll be attending either event, I’d love to connect.