Africa Impact Investing Group
Driving capital for prosperity, inclusion and measurable impact across Africa
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 Advisory Boards (NABs) for Impact Investing and task forces to build a stronger ecosystem for Impact Investing across the continent.
Our History
In May 2022 at the Global Steering Group for Impact Investments (GSG) Leadership Meeting, in Turin, Italy, the Africa National Advisory Boards 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:
- Designing catalytic impact vehicles - guarantee funds, impact wholesale funds and more.
- Building platforms to connect impact investors to impact ventures.
- Providing research and insights that are informing better policies.
- Increasing capacity of enterprise support organisations.
- Facilitating knowledge sharing and collaborations to scale impact.
- Driving impact management and measurement.
- and much more.
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.
- CiGaba Fund-of-Funds
- Nigeria Wholesale Fund
- Zambia Guarantee Fund
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:
- Businesses with investors
- Businesses with transaction advisory services
- Impact funds with limited partners
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.
- Zambia Impact Investment Summit
- Nigeria Convening on Impact Investing
- Ghana Impact Summit
- Impact Investing South Africa
Interested in partnering
with us?
Partner with us to
Co-create and scale regional initiatives
- Invest in ways that result in equity and inclusion especially gender equity and transforming economies in ways that benefit marginalised groups.
- Drive funding and growth in key sectors: Agriculture, Healthcare, Education, Digital technology and Infrastructure
- Build resilience across Africa in the face of climate change and contribute to a Just Transition to net zero that leaves no one behind.
- Support the launch of new country national advisory boards for impact investing and the growth of Impact Investing across Africa.
Unlock capital to transfer the region
- Support the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) a key driver of job creation.
- Partner with our innovative national and regional wholesale funds and funds-of-funds to increase financing for SMEs.
- Join the Deal Source Africa platform and invest in African SMEs.
- Join the Catalytic Capital Africa campaign and invest in ways that build local financing ecosystems.
Participate in events, support research & increase you knowledge
- Participate in conversations that lead to action to transform local ecosystems.
- Obtain insights, research and perspectives from on the ground national organisations leading Impact Investing across Africa.
- Support research to increase understanding to drive action to develop the ecosystem across the region.
Let’s work together
Fill out the form below or email hello@africaimpactinvest.org