Opportunities for Impact Investors Interested in Africa

September 30, 2024

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Summary

A companion guide “For Outsized Impact, Investors Should Look to Africa,” these lists can help investors find investment funds and opportunities in Africa and learn effective practices in the region. The lists include african fund managers where institutional investors can invest through African funds that are catalyzing outsized impact and focused on delivering commercial returns as well as global funders and regional industry groups where institutional investors can learn effective practices from organizations with experience in the region. The lists are non-exhaustive, and much of the information is from the organizations’ website. We encourage you to do additional research to identify other proximate players doing remarkable work in this space.

Human Rights Investment Database

To help investors direct their capital and to explore how investors and funders are deploying capital toward human rights, we have curated a database of funds that are actively investing in human rights outcomes. This database documents each fund’s alignment with six key areas for human rights investment: health and quality of life, affordable housing, supply chain and fair labor practices, equal access to quality education, equal access to justice, and rights to opinion, information, and privacy.

It draws on information from several leading sources: ImpactAssets 50 fund database, GIIN Impact Investing database, ImpactAlpha Impact “Liist,” Crunchbase, and the Preqin database. (Note that some sources require a subscription.)

Inside Impact Investing: Growth of Climate, Decline of Social, and More

In our inaugural video, Bridgespan partners Stephanie Kater and Michael Etzel discuss the rapid growth of climate-specific funds, the potential loss of momentum on social issues, and the future outlook of generalist funds.

For Outsized Impact, Investors Should Look to Africa

For institutional impact investors, Africa is the new frontier. Rich in economic potential, the continent also offers fertile soil for investors interested in seeing their capital put to use addressing social and environmental challenges such as climate change, economic disparities, and gender inequality. And, thanks to new approaches to impact, measurement, and management pioneered in Africa, such investors can now measure the difference they’re making in the world with a precision once reserved for financial returns.