The Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority has unveiled a new pan-African investment platform aimed at mobilising $50bn in blended finance for infrastructure, agriculture, and climate-resilient projects across Africa by 2030.
The announcement was made during the 2025 edition of the Africa Sovereign Investors Forum held in Abuja recently, which brought together African political leaders, sovereign wealth fund managers, and private sector stakeholders under the theme ‘Leveraging African Sovereign Wealth Funds to Mobilise Global Capital for Transformative Development in Africa’.
President Bola Tinubu, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, declared the summit open with a charge for African countries to work together and invest in long-term development goals.
“The time has come for African nations to harness our collective sovereign wealth as engines for pan-African prosperity,” Shettima said.
The Chief Executive Officer of the NSIA, Aminu Umar-Sadiq, disclosed that African sovereign wealth funds have now committed to allocating 30 per cent of their portfolios to climate-resilient projects by 2030.
“By uniting our sovereign wealth, we’re not just preserving assets but building Africa’s future,” Umar-Sadiq said, noting that the investment platform would serve as a catalyst for long-term, transformational projects across the continent.
The summit also featured a fireside conversation between the Group Managing Director of UAC Nigeria, Fola Aiyesimoju, and the Vice Chairman of TGI Group, Farouk Gumel, who stressed the need to bridge the gap between high-level climate discussions and realities at the grassroots, particularly among farmers.
“Farmers don’t ask about COP29; they ask if it’s rained enough to plant,” he said, citing recent flooding that may require a shift to dry-season farming. He added that understanding the full agricultural value chain is key to designing effective finance models.”
“We always say we don’t have data, but data itself is a commodity. You have to invest in getting that primary data to enable investors to put their money there,” Gumel added.
ASIF 2025 also welcomed new members, including Ghana’s Petroleum Fund and Zimbabwe’s Mutapa Investment Fund, bringing total membership to 17 African countries. The forum concluded with the formation of three working groups to drive outcomes in agricultural development, climate finance, and data infrastructure.
The ASIF Council is expected to reconvene later in 2025 to review milestones and agree on follow-up investment frameworks.
