Established in 2000, Shell Foundation is an independent charity based in London, UK. It applies business thinking to address global social and environmental challenges linked to the energy sector. The foundation creates and scales new solutions, leveraging resources from Shell where possible, to deliver significant and lasting outcomes.
UNICEF StartUp Lab is an accelerator based in Accra, Ghana, founded in 2019, that supports startups developing solutions to improve the well-being of children and vulnerable populations. It promotes co-creation by connecting civil society, academia, and the private sector to identify and enable impact-focused, open-source, market-driven products and services. The program engages startups across sectors including B2B, energy, financial services, healthcare, information technology, agriculture, clean technology, climate technology, education technology, financial technology, food technology, micro-mobility, software as a service, and health technology.
Injaro Investments Limited is a venture capital firm established in 2009 and headquartered in Port Louis, Mauritius, with additional offices in Accra, Ghana, and Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The firm specializes in seed and startup investments, focusing on small and medium-sized enterprises within the agricultural value chain in West Africa. Injaro Investments seeks to provide support through various investment forms, including debt, quasi-equity, and equity, to enhance the operations of companies involved in agriculture. This encompasses a wide range of activities from input suppliers to farmers and ultimately to consumers, aiming to strengthen the agricultural sector in designated countries across the region.
Goodwell Investments is an impact investment firm that provides early-stage to growth capital along with hands-on support to inclusive businesses in Africa and India. It targets sectors including financial services, energy, health, mobility, education, agriculture, water and sanitation, and other basic services that improve livelihoods. The firm seeks minority stakes and offers board representation and advisory services to help portfolio companies scale sustainably. Based in the Netherlands with offices in Amsterdam and Cape Town, it pursues a long-term investment horizon of approximately five to ten years and aims to generate solid financial returns alongside social impact.
Founded in 2008, Golden Palm Investments is a venture capital firm headquartered in Accra, Ghana. It focuses on early-stage and growth investments in Africa, with a primary focus on real-estate, agribusiness, and technology sectors.
MEST Express is an acceleration program targeted at early and growth stage Ghanaian tech startups. It will cover a range of business content for the startups, explicitly focusing on exploring business models and product pivots, improving risk and crisis resilience, and becoming investment-ready. Graduating startups will be poised for exponential business growth enabling them to mitigate risks, scale, and onboard new talent, contributing to the growing need for job creation among youth in Ghana.
Oasis Capital Ghana Limited, founded in February 2009, operates as a growth and venture capital fund manager in Ghana. The firm specializes in providing risk capital through equity, quasi-equity, and profit-sharing arrangements to entrepreneurial ventures across Africa. In addition to financial investment, Oasis Capital offers business development services to its investee companies, enhancing their operational models and mitigating risks. This dual approach allows Oasis Capital to support the growth of businesses while ensuring sustainable returns for its stakeholders.
E3 Capital is an investment firm that focuses on enhancing energy access in Sub-Saharan Africa. It serves as an advisor to the Energy Access Venture Fund, which is dedicated to financing entrepreneurial businesses that tackle the region's electrification challenges through innovative technologies and business models. The fund is supported by Schneider Electric, a leading energy management company, along with various public-sector investors. E3 Capital aims to promote sustainable energy solutions to address the significant energy access gap in Sub-Saharan Africa.
LeapFrog Investments, established in 2007, is a London-based private equity firm that focuses on growth-stage investments in the financial services and healthcare sectors. It primarily targets emerging markets, including Africa and Asia, with a particular emphasis on countries like Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka. The firm invests in businesses that provide essential financial and healthcare products and services, such as insurance, pensions, savings, credit, mobile payments, and medical products distribution. LeapFrog typically invests between $10 million and $50 million, aiming for both minority and majority stakes, and expects to exit its investments within four to seven years through IPOs, trade sales, or secondary sales.
Verod Capital Management, established in 2008, is a Nigeria-based private equity firm with an additional office in Ghana. The company specializes in mid-market investments, focusing on growth capital and buyout transactions. Verod targets a diverse range of sectors, including financial services, business services, education, healthcare, agri-business, consumer goods, light manufacturing, and technology. It primarily invests in West African countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, with a typical investment size ranging from $3 million to $20 million. Verod seeks majority or significant minority equity stakes in portfolio companies, aiming to hold these assets for four to seven years. The firm is known for its active, hands-on management approach, working closely with management teams to enhance governance, business practices, and profitability, ultimately positioning companies for successful exits.
Absa Bank Ghana, founded in 1917 and headquartered in Accra, is a commercial bank that provides a comprehensive range of financial services. The bank serves various sectors, including retail, corporate, and business, offering products such as letters of credit, business solution loans, commercial asset finance, and overdraft solutions. Additionally, Absa Ghana supports small and medium-sized enterprises, women-owned businesses, agribusinesses, youth initiatives, and fintech ventures. Its e-banking services allow customers to access banking solutions conveniently through mobile devices, laptops, tablets, or PCs, enhancing the overall banking experience.
Established in 1948, British International Investment is a UK government-backed development finance institution and impact investor. It focuses on long-term economic growth and sustainability in emerging markets by investing in infrastructure, health, agribusiness, and other sectors.
Founded in 2017, Ingressive Capital is a Pan-African venture capital firm investing in early-stage technology companies led by exceptional founders across Africa. With a focus on Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria, the firm specializes in Pre-Seed and Seed investments, targeting B2C solutions for tech-enabled youth and B2B solutions to increase Africa's value chain ownership.
Zephyr Management is a venture capital and private equity firm focused on middle-market and growth investments, including venture, growth equity, buyouts, and turnaround opportunities. It provides capital to small and medium enterprises across sectors such as financial services, business services, manufacturing, education, logistics, agriculture and food, packaging, telecommunications, distribution, environmental and facilities services, travel and publishing, healthcare, and consumer products. The firm typically takes both majority and minority stakes in companies with revenues roughly $30 million to $300 million and EBITDA between $2 million and $50 million, investing from about $0.2 million up to $75 million per deal. It targets opportunities in emerging markets and globally, with offices in New York, Bangalore, Nairobi, London, Mexico City, and the Cayman Islands.
Serengeti Capital is a private equity and venture capital firm based in Accra, Ghana, with an additional office in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 2007, the firm specializes in investing in early-stage, seed, and growth capital opportunities, as well as industry consolidations across Africa. Serengeti Capital focuses on companies with revenues ranging from $5 million to $300 million, including family-owned businesses, and often collaborates with strategic buyers. The firm is particularly interested in sectors such as manufacturing, commercial services, forestry materials, and impact-driven businesses. Serengeti Capital aims to create positive economic impact and long-term value for its clients, with a typical investment horizon of three to five years before seeking exits.
Founded in 2007, AHL Venture Partners is a venture capital firm specializing in growth capital investments. It focuses on sectors such as energy access, financial inclusion, agriculture, and climate across Eastern and Southern Africa, with offices in Vancouver, Nairobi, Lusaka, and Accra.
Established in 2013, Impact Hub Accra is a collaborative workspace provider that fosters entrepreneurship and innovation. It offers shared office space, event facilities, and programs aimed at nurturing young entrepreneurs through training, workshops, and networking opportunities.
Inspired Evolution Investment Management is a Cape Town-based private equity and venture capital firm focused on sustainable environmental and energy technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa. It targets equity investments across multiple growth stages, often as a lead investor seeking significant minority or majority stakes and board representation. The firm concentrates on clean energy and resource efficiency, including energy generation, water treatment, waste management, green chemistry, and related sectors, with additional exposure to sustainable agriculture, ecotourism, and green real estate. The geographic focus spans Southern Africa and broader Sub-Saharan Africa, with activity in countries such as Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and neighboring states. Inspired Evolution operates through a multidisciplinary team to deliver returns aligned with social and ecological outcomes, and maintains offices in Cape Town and internationally in Grand Baie, Mauritius; Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Nairobi, Kenya; and London, United Kingdom.
Africa Media Ventures Fund (AMVF) is a Netherlands-based organization that mobilizes capital and expertise to invest in entrepreneurs and small to medium-sized media companies in Africa. With a focus on sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Kenya and Ghana, AMVF provides venture capital ranging from $20,000 to $200,000, along with business development support. Their investors, experienced media entrepreneurs with a passion for Africa, actively engage in managing portfolio companies through visits and board memberships to foster growth and success in the media sector.
NHV Group, headquartered in Ostend, Belgium, specializes in Business-to-Business aviation services, primarily serving the offshore energy sector. The group comprises NHV, DanCopter A/S, Blueway Offshore Norge AS, Vertech Offshore As, and Airlift AS. NHV's core business involves transporting personnel and equipment to offshore platforms worldwide, with a strong presence in the North Sea and West Africa. Additionally, NHV offers Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS), Search and Rescue (SAR), offshore wind turbine support, and harbor pilot services. Vertech Offshore, a subsidiary, is globally recognized for its flare tip replacement services by helicopter on offshore installations. The group's services ensure safe, efficient, and reliable transportation solutions for clients in the oil and gas industry, aviation sector, governments, and hospitals.
CardinalStone Capital Advisers is a Lagos-based private equity firm founded in 2016 that targets mid-market growth opportunities in Nigeria and Ghana. The firm focuses on investments in financial services, consumer goods and services, healthcare, education, agribusiness, and industrials, seeking to support companies with scalable business models and potential for value creation.
Terragon is a leading Data and Marketing Technology company that uses data aggregation and predictive analytics to help African-focused businesses intelligently connect with their customers across channels and devices. Headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, Terragon also has operations in Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, and India.
Bharti Enterprises is a prominent business group based in India, known for establishing successful operations in sectors such as telecom, insurance, retail, and food. The company launched its telecom services by offering mobile services in Delhi, and its flagship entity, Bharti Airtel, has become one of the leading telecom providers globally, ranking among the top four wireless operators. Bharti Enterprises operates under the 'Airtel' brand in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, including India, Sri Lanka, and Nigeria, among others, and also has mobile operations in Jersey and Guernsey. In recent years, Bharti Enterprises has diversified its portfolio to explore emerging business opportunities within the Indian economy.
IHS Nigeria plc is a mobile telecommunications infrastructure provider based in Lagos, Nigeria. Established in 2001, the company operates in Nigeria, Sudan, Ghana, and the United Arab Emirates, offering a range of services including turnkey infrastructure deployment, managed services, and infrastructure sharing and leasing. IHS Nigeria specializes in telecommunications network construction, which encompasses site acquisition, design, equipment supply, and installation. The company also provides various tower sharing options, such as build-to-suit and buy-lease-back agreements. Additionally, IHS Nigeria offers infrastructure managed services, including field maintenance, project management, and network optimization. The firm also sells telecom equipment and, as of July 2013, managed a portfolio of approximately 8,500 towers.
African Business Angel Network (ABAN) is a pan African non-profit association founded to support the development of early stage investor networks across the continent and to get many more (early stage) investors excited about the opportunities in Africa.
ABAN seeks to promote a culture of Angel investing across Africa. There are networks emerging across the continent, but there is yet a conversation in place that connects them. There is a sincere need to collect/develop best practices and to make this knowledge available. To create a resource and contact point for promoting new networks and/or supporting other stakeholders looking to get involved in building the ecosystem. Also to engage private sector investors and to offer some guidance on investing into African borne innovations. In turn, ABAN seeks to further build the industry and improve the climate for startup entrepreneurs.
ABAN began as a consortium of independent investor networks including the Lagos Angels Network (LAN), Cameroon Angel Network (CAN), Ghana Angel Network (GAIN), Venture Capital for Africa (VC4Africa), Silicon Cape and supported by the European Business Angel Network (EBAN), the LIONS Africa Partnership and DEMO Africa. In the interest to connect these African networks, support new investors and new networks, to maximize their impact and to connect African investors to their global counterparts, the need was established to form a pan-African association of angel investor networks and other early stage investors: ABAN.
Yinson Holdings is a global provider of Floating, Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) services for the oil and gas industry. Established in Malaysia, it designs, constructs, leases, and operates FPSOs, offering related operation and maintenance services. The company also owns and operates renewable energy assets and offers management consultancy services.
Founded in 1921, Newmont is a global leader in gold production, operating mines in nine countries across the Americas, Africa, Australia, and Papua New Guinea. The company employs approximately 28,000 people and is renowned for its industry-leading safety standards and commitment to sustainability.
AAF SME Fund, managed by Databank Agrifund Manager Limited, is a private equity fund specializing in food production and processing SMEs. DAFML, a pan-African private equity group, focuses on agriculture and food production value chains with an emphasis on food security. The firm aims to create transformational opportunities in the Agribusiness sector to enhance food production in Africa while delivering above-market returns for its financial sponsors. Operating in Mauritius, Ghana, and South Africa, DAFML's investment team works closely with the African Agriculture Fund (AAF) through its relationship with Phatisa, expanding its presence to Kenya and Zambia. Affiliated with the Databank Group, a reputable investment banking and brokerage firm with over two decades of experience in Africa, AAF SME Fund is dedicated to driving growth equity investments across the continent.
Founded in 2002 by Patrice Hoppenot, Investisseurs & Partenaires is a pioneering impact investment group dedicated to African Small and Medium Enterprises. Headquartered in Paris with offices across Africa, the firm invests in companies creating local value and long-term employment, focusing on sectors like health, transport, microfinance, and other ventures. Since inception, I&P has invested in over 90 companies across 16 countries, managing four pan-African funds totaling €135 million.
Acumen is a nonprofit organization established in 2001 and based in New York City, with additional offices in Mumbai, Nairobi, Karachi, and Accra. The organization is dedicated to poverty eradication by raising charitable funds to invest in early-stage companies that provide essential services such as clean energy, healthcare, education, agricultural inputs, formal housing, and safe drinking water to low-income communities. Acumen has made significant investments totaling $128 million in 128 companies across 14 countries, impacting the lives of over 308 million individuals. The organization collaborates with notable partners, including the Rockefeller Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Google.org, to address critical challenges faced by underserved populations.
Renew Capital is an investment firm focused on Africa, bridging critical gaps for growing African businesses by connecting them with global impact investors.
The Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries (BIO) is an economic development agency located in Brussels, Belgium, founded in 2001. Its primary goal is to foster a robust private sector in developing and emerging countries, facilitating access to sustainable growth and development. BIO directly invests in private sector projects, contributing significantly to the socio-economic development of the host countries. The agency's mandate emphasizes specific geographical targets, diverse financing tools, and a strong focus on the impact of its investments on development, aligning with international development goals. The management of BIO's assets is overseen by its executive management team, ensuring that its initiatives effectively support sustainable economic progress in the regions it serves.
Proparco is a Paris-based organization established in 1977 that specializes in providing private sector funding for sustainable development initiatives. It focuses on financing and supporting companies and financial institutions across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Proparco targets key development sectors, including infrastructure—especially renewable energy—agriculture, financial institutions, health, and education. The organization aims to enhance the role of private entities in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the international community in 2015. By financing projects that create jobs, provide essential goods and services, and combat climate change, Proparco contributes to sustainable economic growth and development. Its financing solutions include loans, guarantees, equity, and quasi-equity options tailored to the needs of the private sector.
Helios Investment Partners, established in 2004, is a London-based private equity firm focused on Africa. It invests in a broad range of sectors, including telecommunications, media, financial services, power, and consumer goods, among others. The firm engages in various investment types such as buyouts, growth equity, and structured investments in listed entities. Helios typically invests between $15 million to $200 million per transaction, with a preference for board seats in its portfolio companies. It primarily targets Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya.
Warner Music Group is a leading global music company active in recording, publishing, and artist services, operating through international affiliates and licensees. It is one of the three major record companies. The company owns and operates labels such as Atlantic Records, Warner Records, and Elektra Records, generating the majority of revenue from recorded music, while its publishing arm, Warner Chappell, represents more than 180,000 songwriters and composers and controls a catalog of over one million songs. Warner Music works with a broad roster of artists including Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Cardi B, and Dua Lipa. The company serves a global market with licensing and distribution across multiple regions and maintains a significant presence in the music publishing ecosystem.
Established in 1990, Norsad Finance is a development finance company that provides long-term funding for start-up/greenfield and expansion investments in Africa. It offers debt financing through various instruments, including senior debt, subordinated debt, income participation loans, convertible loans, and equity finance structures. The company also engages in co-financing with other institutions.
Lattice Capital is a venture capital firm based in San Francisco, California, founded in 2021. The firm specializes in early-stage investments primarily within the cryptocurrency and web3 sectors. Lattice Capital aims to support founders in building robust business models that can withstand competitive pressures, focusing on creating defensible market positions. By concentrating on innovative technologies and emerging trends in the digital asset landscape, Lattice Capital plays a crucial role in fostering the growth of the next generation of blockchain-based companies.
Founded in 2017, Distributed Capital Partners is a venture capital firm based in West Palm Beach, Florida. It focuses on investing in early-stage companies involved in blockchain technology and distributed software.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), established in 1956, is a member of the World Bank Group dedicated to fostering private sector development in emerging markets. It provides financial services, including loans and equity investments, ranging from $1 million to $100 million, with a focus on projects that drive economic growth and social impact. IFC invests across various sectors such as infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, education, technology, and financial services.
Norfund is a government development finance institution and economic development agency based in Oslo, Norway, established in 1997. It provides equity, risk capital, and loans to companies and projects in developing countries, focusing on markets where private capital is scarce and economic development can be accelerated. The organization aims to reduce poverty and promote sustainable growth by investing in sectors and regions with high potential, notably Sub-Saharan Africa, parts of Southeast Asia and Central America, and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises through minority investments and SME funds. It collaborates with local entrepreneurs and institutions to strengthen local capital markets and create lasting economic impact.
LoftyInc Capital is a venture capital firm based in Victoria Island, Lagos, focused on Africa's growth enterprises. Over the past decade it has invested over $25 million in more than 150 companies, including several unicorns, and attracted over $1.5 billion in follow-on funding to its portfolio. It has built an ecosystem of tech hubs, angel networks, and talent platforms to support portfolio companies. The firm has achieved multiple exits and delivered strong returns across its Afropreneurs funds.
Founded in 1994, AfricInvest is a Tunisia-based private equity firm with dedicated teams focused on North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. It manages USD1 billion across multiple funds, supported by local and international investors. The firm has invested in over 135 companies across 25 African countries, spanning high-growth sectors such as financial services, agribusiness, consumer/retail, education, and healthcare.
MassChallenge is a global startup accelerator supporting early-stage entrepreneurs across various industries. Founded in 2009, it provides mentorship, resources, and networking opportunities through its programs worldwide.
Beyond Capital is a nonprofit organization based in New York that focuses on impact investing in for-profit, early-stage companies across East Africa and India. Established in 2009, it aims to enhance the quality of life for consumers in low-income communities by investing in businesses that improve access to healthcare, sanitation, clean energy, agriculture, food security, and financial inclusion. While the organization seeks to achieve market-rate financial returns, its nonprofit structure allows it to prioritize its social mission alongside financial goals, aligning its investments with a commitment to fostering positive social change.
U.S. Global Investors is a boutique investment management firm specializing in actively managed equity and bond strategies, with expertise in gold and precious metals, natural resources, and emerging markets. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, the company manages a family of no-load mutual funds across various asset classes.
Oikocredit is a financial institution established in 1968 and based in the Netherlands. It focuses on empowering individuals and communities by providing funding to the microfinance sector, fair trade organizations, cooperatives, and small to medium enterprises. Oikocredit aims to create sustainable opportunities for people in need, enabling them to improve their own circumstances through access to financial resources.
Swedfund International AB, established in 1979, is a Swedish government-owned investment firm specializing in high-risk, emerging markets. It provides risk capital, including equity, loans, and expertise, to seed, start-up, and mature companies in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Sweden. Swedfund invests between SEK 5 million and SEK 100 million, seeking a minority stake not exceeding one-third of the total investment. It typically invests in companies that do not manufacture or sell weapons, tobacco, or alcohol, and avoids investing in Swedish businesses of Swedish companies. Swedfund takes a Board seat in its portfolio companies and seeks to exit investments within five to ten years. It does not invest alongside private individuals or co-operatives, provide donations, or engage in sponsorships.