Africa Investment Forum

What Africa Investment Forum does

The Africa Investment Forum (AIF) is a multi-stakeholder, multi-disciplinary investment platform established in 2018 and headquartered in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. It is led by the African Development Bank Group alongside eight founding partners: Afreximbank, Africa Finance Corporation, Africa50, the Development Bank of Southern Africa, the Trade and Development Bank, the European Investment Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and (since October 2024) the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA). AIF convenes project sponsors, institutional investors, development finance institutions, commercial banks, insurers, export credit agencies, and government representatives to accelerate deal closure for transformative projects across Africa, with an emphasis on moving transactions from origination through bankability to financial close.

AIF's core offering centers on its annual Market Days flagship event, complemented by an online investor portal, a mobile application, and an emerging portfolio of sector-specific initiatives (Women as Investment Champions, Creative Industries, Sports as a Business Catalyst, Digital Technology & AI). The 2025 Market Days, held November 26-28 in Rabat, Morocco, drew more than 2,000 delegates from nearly 80 countries and secured $15.3 billion in investment interest across 39 bankable projects, on top of $29.2 billion garnered at the 2024 edition and cumulative $150 billion+ in investment interest since inception. AIF has also launched the Growth and Resilience Platform for Africa (GRAf) with Italy's Cassa Depositi e Prestiti under the Mattei Plan, targeting up to €750 million over five years.

AIF does not publicly disclose pricing. Revenue mechanics are inferred to combine event participation fees, corporate sponsorship (32 private-sector organizations backed the 2025 event), and institutional contributions from founding DFI partners; the platform is not a transaction-fee business on the capital it facilitates. Go-to-market is event-driven, anchored by an annually rotating Market Days venue, with digital self-serve channels (investor portal, mobile app) extending engagement beyond the in-person gathering.

Name

Africa Investment Forum

Legal name

Africa Investment Forum

Website

https://africainvestmentforum.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Africa Investment Forum is a multi-stakeholder investment platform, led by the African Development Bank Group and eight founding DFIs, that convenes project sponsors, institutional investors, and governments to originate, vet, and close deals for transformative projects across Africa, anchored by its annual Market Days event.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Facilitation and Capital Mobilization Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Miscellaneous Intermediation (52391)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Sector & Blended Finance Arms (IFC-type) (BPADACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Finance & Investment Conferences (MPAGAGAG), Regional Development Banks (BPADACAB), Infrastructure & Project Finance Facilities (BPADACAG), Joint Venture CVC / Consortium Funds (Multi-corporate) (FSANAHAE)

Keywords

• Investment facilitation
• Deal matchmaking
• Project finance
• Capital mobilization
• Infrastructure investment

Headquarters

HQ city

Abidjan

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Platform Facilitation Services: AIF operates as a facilitation platform connecting investors with project sponsors. The platform provides due diligence support, project vetting for bankability, and a secure framework for deal discussions. Revenue generation appears to come from event fees, sponsorship, and partnership arrangements with founding partners and participating institutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Africa Investment Forum is a multi-stakeholder deal-origination platform that convenes project sponsors, institutional investors, development finance institutions, and African governments to accelerate the financing of transformative projects across the continent. Its flagship annual Market Days event, supported by the Growth and Resilience Platform for Africa (GRAf) and a dedicated mobile app, streamlines the journey from project conception to financial closure by providing matchmaking, due-diligence support, and curated deal pipelines. Since 2018 the platform has mobilized over USD 150 billion in investment interest across infrastructure, energy, agriculture, health, and digital technology sectors.

Product overview

Africa Investment Forum operates as a multi-stakeholder investment marketplace platform centered around its flagship AIF Market Days annual event. The platform connects project sponsors seeking capital with investors and development financiers through structured boardroom sessions and facilitated deal-making. Key products include the AIF Market Days annual gathering, the GRAf co-investment platform for the Mattei Plan, and a dedicated Mobile App for event participants. Supplementary sector-specific initiatives cover Women as Investment Champions, Creative Industries, Sports as Business Catalyst, and Digital Technology & AI, all designed to channel investment into high-growth sectors across the continent.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GRAf Platform: Growth and Resilience Platform for Africa - a co-investment platform promoted by CDP and the African Development Bank Group as part of the implementation of Italy's Mattei Plan for Africa.
• Market Days

Products and services

• AIF Market Days Flagship annual deal-origination event that brings together African project sponsors, institutional investors, development finance institutions, and African governments to source, structure, and advance transformative projects toward financial closure. Designed for large-scale infrastructure, energy, agriculture, health, and digital projects requiring multi-party institutional capital.
• Growth and Resilience Platform for Africa (GRAf) An ongoing co-investment vehicle established by AIF and its founding partners to channel institutional capital toward African projects requiring rapid, resilient post-pandemic recovery financing. Provides a continuous-deal-flow complement to the annual Market Days event.
• AIF Mobile Application Mobile application supporting AIF deal sourcing, pipeline tracking, and stakeholder engagement. Provides AIF partners, sponsors, and investors with on-the-go access to deal information, project pipelines, and forum activities between and during Market Days events.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over US$150 billion in investment interest since inception
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered key partner, founding/flagship, major sponsor and platinum sponsor.

• CDG Invest (Caisse de Dépôt et de Gestion)key partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 November 2025CDG Invest joined the Growth and Resilience Platform for Africa (GRAf) in November 2025. GRAf is a co-investment platform promoted by CDP and African Development Bank as part of Italy's Mattei Plan for Africa, targeting up to €750 million over five years.
• African Development Bank Groupfounding/flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018The African Development Bank Group leads the Africa Investment Forum as its primary founding partner. The Bank Group provides institutional leadership, coordinates with other founding partners, and facilitates deal closure through its extensive network and financing capabilities.
• Afreximbankfounding/flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfreximbank (African Export-Import Bank) is a founding partner of AIF, providing trade finance expertise and investment facilitation across African markets.
• Africa Finance Corporationfounding/flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrica Finance Corporation is a founding partner bringing infrastructure finance expertise and investment capabilities to the AIF platform.
• Africa50founding/flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrica50 is a founding partner and pan-African infrastructure investment platform with 34 shareholders including 31 African countries and the African Development Bank.
• Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)founding/flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDBSA is a founding partner providing development finance expertise and supporting infrastructure investment across Southern Africa.
• Trade and Development Bank (TDB)founding/flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrade and Development Bank is a founding partner led by Group President Admassu Tadesse, providing trade finance and development banking services.
• Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA)founding/flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBADEA joined as a founding partner in October 2024, bringing Arab economic development expertise to support African investment initiatives.
• European Investment Bankfounding/flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Investment Bank is a founding partner providing European investment capital and expertise to support African development projects.
• Islamic Development Bankfounding/flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIslamic Development Bank is a founding partner contributing Islamic finance expertise and Sharia-compliant investment solutions to the AIF platform.
• Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP)key partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDP is Italy's flagship development finance institution and key champion of the Mattei Plan for Africa. CDP co-promotes GRAf platform with AfDB to foster economic partnerships with African nations.
• Huaweimajor sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerHuawei is a Major Sponsor of AIF 2025, supporting the forum's technology and innovation initiatives through corporate sponsorship.
• African Guarantee Fundplatinum sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerAfrican Guarantee Fund is a Platinum Sponsor of AIF 2025, providing guarantee instruments to support African investment projects.
• Algest Investment Fundplatinum sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerAlgest Investment Fund is a Platinum Sponsor of AIF 2025.
• Ashurst LLPplatinum sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerAshurst LLP is a Platinum Sponsor of AIF 2025, providing legal expertise support for the forum.
• Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sectorplatinum sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerICD is a Platinum Sponsor of AIF 2025, supporting private sector development in Africa.
• Berne Unionkey partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrican Development Bank Group became the first multilateral development bank to join the Berne Union in November 2025. Berne Union members deployed $140 billion in insurance capacity for emerging and developing markets in 2024.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Africa50: Africa50 is an AIF founding partner and a pan-African infrastructure investment platform with 34 shareholders. It is highly comparable as a deal-origination and project-finance platform targeting African infrastructure, sharing the same investor base and project pipeline.
• Afreximbank: Afreximbank is both an AIF founding partner and a peer African trade and development finance institution. It is highly comparable as a convening and capital-mobilization platform for African private-sector and infrastructure investment.
• Africa Finance Corporation (AFC): AFC is both an AIF founding partner and a comparable pan-African infrastructure investment platform. It pursues similar institutional investor mandates and infrastructure project finance across the continent, making it a direct functional peer in mobilizing capital into African projects.
• Convergence Blended Finance: Convergence is a global blended-finance data, networking, and deal-matching platform. It is directly comparable to AIF as a marketplace and convening mechanism connecting investors with development-oriented investment opportunities in emerging markets, including Africa.

Broad incumbents

• International Finance Corporation (IFC): IFC is the World Bank Group's private-sector development finance arm and the canonical blended-finance platform for emerging markets. It is directly comparable to AIF as a multilateral platform mobilizing private capital into African and emerging-market projects, though IFC operates at vastly greater global scale.
• FMO (Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank): FMO is a European bilateral development finance institution actively investing across Africa. It is comparable to AIF's institutional investor base and its role in originating and co-financing African development projects through blended structures.
• Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN): GIIN is a global membership organization for impact investors that facilitates deal-making, research, and networking — comparable to AIF's convening function for institutional investors targeting measurable development outcomes.
• African Development Bank (AfDB): AfDB is the parent institution and convener of AIF, but also a comparable peer as a regional multilateral development bank providing infrastructure and project finance across Africa. Its portfolio and convening power set the strategic context for AIF.
• Proparco: Proparco is the French development finance institution focused on private-sector investment in emerging markets, with a strong African footprint. It is comparable as a deal-origination and co-investment partner in the same African project ecosystem AIF serves.

Regional players

• Private Equity Africa: Private Equity Africa is a regional deal-origination and information platform focused on African private equity opportunities. It is comparable to AIF as a regional marketplace surfacing African investment opportunities to global institutional investors, though narrower in scope to PE deals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AIFMarketPlace
• Facebookfacebook.com/AfricaInvestmentForum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/africa-investment-forum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Africa Investment Forum