OPIC provided support for the creation of privately owned and manage investment funds. These funds made direct equity and equity-related investments in new, expanding or privatizing emerging market companies. OPIC-supported funds helped emerging market economies access long-term growth capital, management skills, and financial expertise, all of which are key factors in expanding economic development for people in developing nations. OPIC supported projects in a range of industries—from energy to housing, agriculture and financial services. It focused on regions where the need was greatest and in sectors that could have the greatest developmental impact. OPIC had increasingly focused on projects that encouraged the use of renewable resources, which represented not only an urgent global need but also a significant investment opportunity. Another key priority was impact investing, which aimed to produce positive social impacts while generating financial returns sufficient to make projects sustainable. In July 2018, OPIC had launched its Connect Africa Initiative which aimed to fund more projects which would target infrastructure, technology, and value chains in Africa. With projects within Sub-Saharan Africa accounting for over one quarter of OPIC’s portfolio, the region was a key area of focus for the corporation. Through Connect Africa, OPIC had pledged to $1 billion over three years to projects supporting telecommunications and internet access, value chains that connected producers of raw materials to end users, and essential infrastructure, such as roads, railways, ports, and airports. These commitments to connectivity would support economic growth and shore up regional security. This initiative built upon the Power Africa Project launched during the Obama administration that committed to spending $1.5 billion in energy investments on the continent over a five year span. Some examples of investment projects under the Connect Africa Initiative were a $125 million loan to help the diamond industry become more sustainable in Botswana and the commitment of $100 million to expand mobile networks and technological infrastructure across the Gambia, Sierra Leone, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda. This initiative will be continued under the U.S. Development Finance Corporation. Launched in March 2018, OPIC’s 2X Women’s Initiative was a commitment to mobilize $1 billion in capital to invest in women in developing countries. To decide which projects to invest in, OPIC had utilized gender lens investing which called for applying gender analysis to financial analysis – using capital to impact the lives of women. Having exceeded their investment goal by the end of the financial year, OPIC had challenged other G7 countries to join in the 2X Challenge which organized DFIs from around the world to take part in achieving gender equality through private investment.