By Obinna Uballa
Africa50, the investment platform created by African governments and the African Development Bank (AfDB), now manages over $1.4 billion in assets, marking a major milestone in its eight-year growth from a one-person operation to a 100-strong team overseeing portfolio companies worth $8 billion.
The achievement was announced at Africa50’s 2025 General Shareholders Meeting in Maputo, Mozambique, attended by President Daniel Chapo, AfDB President and Africa50 Board Chairman Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, dignitaries, and development partners.
President Chapo said Mozambique’s decision to join Africa50 in 2024 was driven by a shared ambition to become a regional leader in logistics and power. He described Africa50 as “the new Africa—self-reliant, cooperative, and committed to shared prosperity,” praising Adesina’s leadership.
Adesina highlighted Africa50’s rapid expansion and its role in closing what he called Africa’s $170 billion annual infrastructure financing gap. From just one staff member, the platform now serves 37 shareholders across 33 countries and four institutions, he noted.
He added that the Africa Infrastructure Acceleration Fund secured $275 million from over 20 African institutional investors, the largest commitment yet from sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, and insurers towards African infrastructure.
On his part, Africa50 CEO Alain Ebobissé said the platform was created to enable Africa to lead in bridging its own infrastructure gap, working with non-African partners. “We are agile, responsive, and focused on delivering results with speed and at scale,” he said.
The meeting also saw the signing of key agreements, including an MoU with Electricidade de Moçambique to develop three power transmission lines under an Independent Power Transmission framework, and an MoU with Mozambique’s Ministry of Communications to build a new data centre in Maputo and modernise the existing one.
Other highlights included the first close of $115 million for the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa (AGIA) and a framework agreement with the AfCFTA Secretariat to develop trade-enabling infrastructure that boosts intra-African commerce.
Adesina outlined Africa50’s investments in Mozambique, which include equity in the 175 MW Central Térmica de Ressano Garcia gas-fired power plant, the planned transmission lines, and the Maputo data centre project.
