In this issue of Africa Global Funds, Vibhuti Jain, Managing Director and Regional Head of Africa at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), speaks about the agency’s growing investment activity across the continent, with a focus on critical minerals, infrastructure and supply chain diversification. She discusses DFC’s expanded investment mandate, its shift towards co-developing investment platforms with private capital partners, and the opportunities and challenges facing investors in African markets (p.14-15).

In addition, Oliver Haas, Managing Director at asc impact, speaks with Africa Global Funds about the firm’s plans to scale its agriculture and forestry investments across Sub-Saharan Africa as it raises its second fund. He discusses the shift towards agriculture-led investments, growing investor interest in African natural capital, the role of carbon revenues in project economics, and how the firm is managing political, operational and land-related risks as it expands into new markets (p.16-17).

In this issue, Francisco Mojica, Managing Director, Origination at Acre Impact Capital, explores how export credit agency (ECA)-backed financing can help address Africa’s infrastructure funding gap. He examines how ECA-supported loans provide governments with access to competitively priced, long-term financing for essential infrastructure, and why the asset class presents an opportunity for institutional investors seeking commercial returns alongside measurable development impact (18-19).

Finally, Yenni Leighton, Founder of The Impetus Global, examines the gap between Africa’s economic growth and its ability to attract institutional investment. Drawing on examples from Nigeria and Namibia, she explores how infrastructure development, evolving financing structures and institutional progress can turn economic potential into investable opportunities, and why investors need to look beyond headline growth indicators to assess risk, scale and long-term returns. Read on p.24.