Our Impact Measurement Is Taking Shape

Our name is not a coincidence: since Impacc’s inception, we have taken impact measurement very seriously: our ambition is to contribute to poverty alleviation more effectively and sustainably than traditional aid projects; and we want to stare reality in the eye, see what works and learn from our mistakes. Our impact numbers are not yet as robust as we’d like, but the initial results are really promising: in the last two years, Impacc ventureshave created a total of 1,656 jobs, over 1,000 of them this year alone. My co-founder Jochen has developed the Impacc indicators: Jobs are defined as “good jobs” (i.e., people on payroll and part-time jobs that account for more than 50% of annual income) and as “temporary jobs” (when they account for less than 50% of income, which is nevertheless important in a flexible and self-determined African labor market; these can be, for example, garbage collectors delivering plastic to Gjenge Makers or drivers delivering blood for Damu Sasa). Our ventures report monthly on the numbers, and our colleagues in Africa are regularly on site to check. My colleague Anka Maier is responsible for impact measurement at Impacc and she has found a smart way to publish up-to-date figures on our website. As soon as we go live with the feature, we will let you know.