Africa50 Tops US$1.4 Billion as Infrastructure Deals Accelerate

Akinwumi Adesina

Africa50 has surpassed $1.4 billion in managed assets, channeling fresh capital into critical power, digital, and trade infrastructure projects across the continent.

The investment platform, founded by African governments and the African Development Bank (AfDB), leverages this growth to tackle Africa’s vast infrastructure funding shortfall. Its portfolio companies now represent over $8 billion in value, positioning it as a key player.

Akinwumi Adesina, outgoing AfDB President and Africa50 Chairman, highlighted the platform’s rapid ascent at its General Shareholders Meeting in Maputo, Mozambique.

He noted Africa50 began with just one staff member and now employs 100 professionals, serving 37 shareholders spanning 33 countries and four institutions. “Africa50 demonstrates creativity transforming how we approach continental development,” Adesina stated, pointing to its role in closing the estimated $170 billion annual gap.

Significant institutional capital is flowing in. Africa50’s Africa Infrastructure Acceleration Fund secured $275 million from over 20 African investors, including sovereign wealth funds, pensions, and insurers. CEO Alain Ebobissé called this “the most substantial institutional investor confidence ever” in the continent’s infrastructure potential. “Africa can and must lead the efforts,” Ebobissé emphasized, “working with our non-African partners.”

Concrete deals are moving forward. In Mozambique, Africa50 signed agreements with the national utility, Electricidade de Moçambique, to develop three major transmission lines. A separate pact with the Ministry of Communications and Digital Transformation will see a new data center built in Maputo alongside upgrades to the existing facility.

Beyond Mozambique, the platform announced the first $115 million close for the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa (AGIA). It also inked a framework agreement with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat to finance trade-enabling infrastructure.

This activity builds on the AfDB’s substantial commitment to Mozambique, totaling $1.6 billion over the past decade. Key projects include support for the massive LNG plant in Cabo Delgado and the Mozambique Energy for All Project, which connected over 45,500 homes. These investments helped double the national electricity access rate from 30% to 60% since 2018.

Adesina, stepping down from his AfDB and Africa50 roles in September 2025, reflected on institutional strengthening under his tenure, including the AfDB’s capital expansion. “Closing Africa’s infrastructure gap requires building and scaling up partnerships,” he asserted. “Africa50 represents the strongest platform for unlocking global capital for African development. Together we are stronger.”

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