Collectively, the team has been instrumental in originating and executing pioneering investments in Africa and other frontier markets for several decades, some of which explicitly nature-positive, leveraging innovative partnerships.
Establishment of pioneering investment vehicles
First private equity fund in Kenya
First private equity fund in Afghanistan
Transformation of AgDevCo into a $300 million investment platform focused on production agriculture in Africa
$200 million permanent capital vehicle focused on sustainable forestry investments in Africa
Ongoing work on the establishment of a peace finance vehicle for investment in fragile states in partnership with the German Federal Foreign Office, the United Nations and leading development finance institutions
Transformative nature-positive investments
Commercial scale Macadamia farm in Malawi
Renewable energy businesses in Nepal and Nigeria
Investment in portfolio of 40 responsible agribusinesses across Africa
A portfolio of “green by design” institutional quality real estate assets across Sub-Saharan Africa which incorporated environmental measures under the LEED sustainability principles
Innovative partnerships
First co-investment of OPIC (now DFC), ADB, CDC (now BII) into a private equity fund (2006)
Pioneering blended finance structures with UK’s FCDO and USAID
Experience in out-grower models in agriculture for community impact
Ongoing partnership with leading DFIs, the German Foreign Office, and the United Nations
Structuring and funding BBBEE transactions in South Africa for SME’s up to JSE listed companies
The opportunity
There is an opportunity to generate commercial returns for investors by investing in scalable nature positive businesses that could play a major role in tackling the climate and biodiversity crisis in Africa:
directly, by sequestering carbon, by avoiding deforestation, by replacing carbon intensive business models with more sustainable ones, or by increasing biodiversity. Commercially investment opportunities in this space include carbon projects, renewable energy & off-grid energy solutions, sustainable food system innovations, sustainable building materials and non-timber forest products such as honey
indirectly, by reducing human pressures on forests and conservation areas. Opportunities here include responsible agriculture that generate alternative livelihoods to wildlife hunting, destructive grazing or land-intensive non-sustainable agricultural practices.
