Africa50 has appointed Djalal Khimdjee as Chief Executive Officer of its Africa50 Principal Investment Fund, formerly known as Africa50 Project Finance, effective August 1, 2026.

Khimdjee brings more than 25 years of experience in infrastructure investment, executive leadership and development finance, and will lead the fund through its next phase of growth as it seeks to scale investments that deliver financial returns while supporting infrastructure development across Africa.

He joins Africa50 from Proparco, the private sector financing arm of the French Development Agency (AFD) Group, where he served as Deputy Chief Executive Officer. During his eight years at Proparco, he helped oversee the institution’s strategy, investment activities and portfolio management, contributing to the growth of annual investments from €1.4 billion to €2.5 billion and assets under management from €5 billion to €7.5 billion.

Prior to Proparco, Khimdjee held senior investment and leadership roles within the AFD Group and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), building more than two decades of experience financing infrastructure and private sector projects across Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America.

Reflecting on his appointment, Khimdjee said Africa’s infrastructure deficit represents both one of the continent’s greatest challenges and one of its largest long-term investment opportunities.

“Africa's infrastructure gap is one of the defining challenges—and one of the most compelling investment opportunities of the coming decades, particularly as the continent is projected to be home to nearly 40% of the world's population by the end of the century,” he said. “I am delighted to join Africa50 at this important stage of its growth and look forward to working with the team, shareholders, partners, and investors to accelerate the delivery of transformative infrastructure projects that generate long-term impact across the continent.”

Alain Ebobissé, Group Chief Executive Officer of Africa50, said Khimdjee’s experience in mobilizing capital for infrastructure projects would support the organization's next stage of expansion.

“Djalal brings an exceptional combination of investment expertise, strategic vision, and extensive experience mobilizing capital for infrastructure across Africa and emerging markets,” Ebobissé said. “His appointment reinforces Africa50’s ambition to scale its investment platform, deepen partnerships with institutional investors, and accelerate the delivery of transformative infrastructure that strengthens Africa’s growth, resilience, and competitiveness. We are delighted to welcome Djalal to the Africa50 leadership team.”

The appointment comes as Africa50 continues to expand its infrastructure investment platform, focusing on projects designed to address the continent’s infrastructure deficit while attracting long-term institutional capital into African markets.