Africa Impact Investing Group


Driving capital for prosperity, inclusion and measurable impact across Africa

CONTACT US

Who we are?

The Africa Impact Investing Group is an active and vibrant community of actors working on the ground with policy makers, investors, entrepreneurs, and civil society to drive capital to where it can have the most impact, while delivering financing returns. This approach is part of an approach known as impact investing. It brings together African National Partners for GSG Impact and task forces to build a stronger ecosystem for Impact Investing across the continent.

Our History

In May 2022 at the GSG Impact Leadership Meeting, in Turin, Italy, the Africa National Partners decided to collaborate more formally to accelerate impact investing across the continent and drive capital to where it could have the most impact and a financial return and the Africa Impact Investing Group was born.

The Group

The Africa Impact Investing Group is a regional collaboration of the African NABs of the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment (GSG) in Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia along with Impact Investing Taskforces from Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius and Senegal.

Burkina Faso  Impact Investing Task Force

Cote D’Ioire Impact Investing Task Force

Egypt Impact Investing Task Force

Kenya Impact Investing Task Force

Mauritius Impact Investing Task Force

Senegal Impact Investing Task Force

National Advisory Boards for
Impact Investing (NABs)

National Advisory Boards for Impact Investing (NABs)

National Advisory Boards for Impact Investing are national platforms that convene the various stakeholder groups active in redirecting significant capital flows toward social and environmental impact. 

They are comprised of leaders in finance, business, government and public policy, social organizations, and philanthropy. 

Private-sector-led, yet in close partnership with national governments, we raise awareness, create market intelligence, influence policy, drive collaboration to fill gaps in the financing ecosystem and mobilize additional financial resources for the public good. NABs are members of the Global Steering Group for Impact Investments (GSG).

NABS across Africa are:

What are impact investments?

Impact investments are financial investments made with the intention to generate both a financial return and positive, measurable social and/or environmental impact. (Global Impact Investing Network).

Impact investing is distinct from traditional investing where impact goals are not explicitly pursued, responsible investing where investors seek to avoid investments that cause harm, sustainable investing where investors pursue benefits to stakeholders and philanthropy where no financial return is desired.

Increasing SME Financing – a major focus of impact investing in Africa

Increasing appropriate financing for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) across Africa is one of the key impact goals of the AIIG. This is because SME financing has the potential to significantly increase jobs and incomes and bring about economic transformation.

Impact Investing Funds

AIIG members are sponsoring the setup of a number of innovative impact funds across Africa.

Impact Investing Funds

AIIG members are sponsoring the setup of a number of innovative impact funds across Africa.

CiGaba Fund-of-Funds

Impact Investing Ghana (IIGh) is sponsoring the establishment of a private-sector led, local currency GHS (~US$ 75) blended finance vehicle, fund-of-funds – Ci GABA (Progress) Fund – to unlock local pension funding from Ghana to invest in experienced and emerging fund managers investing across the West African Sub-region with a gender-lens. Ci-Gaba will invest in Funds focusing on high growth SMEs with significant impact potential that drives the attainment of the SDGs.

This is a blended vehicle seeking to raise between 30 – 40% in philanthropic funding to de-risk and crowd-in local pensions fund investments.

Nigeria Wholesale Fund

In line with the National Development Plan, 2021 – 2025, a group of concerned stakeholders proposed the establishment of a Nigeria Wholesale Impact Investment Fund (WIIF) as a potential innovative solution for a robust impact investment ecosystem in the country that would contribute significantly to addressing the SMEs financing gap. The WIIF is an innovative financial vehicle that seeks to achieve a measurable positive impact on the people and the planet by providing catalytic financing for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The Fund will invest through intermediary impact funds as a “fund of funds” and will support the development of the impact ecosystem as a “market builder”, improving access to capital for SMEs.

Zambian NAB's Credit Risk Guarantee Scheme

The National Advisory Board for Impact Investment (NABII) and the Bank of Zambia (BoZ) have collaborated to establish the Credit Risk Guarantee Scheme (CRGS) in Zambia. This initiative aims to address the challenge of limited access to affordable finance for small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the country, caused by high interest rates and stringent collateral requirements. The CRGS will provide low-cost credit supported by a guarantee mechanism, enabling formal and informal SMEs operating in the agriculture value chain to access suitable loan financing. This initiative is a scalable pilot focusing on SMEs operating in agriculture value chains.

Our Projects

The Africa Impact Summit is the leading forum that is driving networking and impact investing thought leadership in Africa.

Hosted by the African Impact Investing community, it provides unique on-the ground insights from national and regional perspectives whilst drawing on the diverse global impact investing community excited about the opportunities Africa presents.

Click on the link below to visit the website.

The West Africa Deal Summit is West Africa’s premier meeting place to start and close conversations that actually move funding to where it can have the biggest impact and provide a good return.  

The inaugural West Africa Deal Summit was held May 16th and 17th in Accra  and brought together over 200 delegates from across West Africa to explore how to move catalytic capital to increase financing for Small and Medium Enterprises in West Africa.

The West Africa Deal Summit is a pre-event to the Africa Impact Summit. Click the link below to learn more.

Catalytic Capital Africa
(2CAfrica)

Catalytic Capital Africa (2CAfrica) is a 3 year campaign to deploy Catalytic Capital to grow SMEs & local financing ecosystems across Africa.

It has a target of mobilising $3billion between 2023 – 2025.

To visit the website, click on the link below.

Deal Source Africa is a comprehensive program to connect:

The program is filling gaps in the ecosystem that prevent small and medium enterprises from raising financing.

To visit the website, please click on the link below

Country Convenings

AIIG members host country convenings to bring together national stakeholders to take action on impact investing.

Interested in partnering
with us?

Partner with us to

Co-create and scale regional initiatives

Unlock capital to transform the region

Participate in events, support research & increase you knowledge

Let’s work together

Fill out the form below or email hello@africaimpactinvest.org