What the plan is
FSD Africa intends to mobilise £10 billion by decade's end to bolster capital markets and fund infrastructure and development across the continent. Evans Osano, the agency's Chief Financial Markets Officer, said as much as 85% of that sum is intended to be in local currencies, underscoring a push to deepen domestic markets.
How they are doing it
The organisation partners with governments, regulators and financial institutions in 30 countries to channel funding toward growth, climate goals and the clean-energy transition. To tackle barriers to financing - from fragile macro backdrops and institutions to exchange-rate swings and too few bankable projects - it has created a "catalytic transaction team" that partners with issuers and intermediaries to craft vehicles and instruments aimed at mobilising capital at scale.
Progress, pipelines and where the money goes
Osano said £1.52 billion has been unlocked toward the decade-end goal as of June. Priority areas include farming and agritech, renewable power, housing, small and medium-sized enterprises, infrastructure and water, nature, and insurance and risk. In Nigeria, the agency offered technical assistance on a 10-year capital-market master plan rolled out this month, which sets a goal of boosting yearly diaspora investing in capital markets to $10 billion - over twice current levels. It is additionally helping two issuers bring gender bonds to market - directing proceeds to initiatives that promote equality and women's economic empowerment - and assisting two sub-nationals with debt issuance, after earlier supporting Lagos State's green bond.
Beyond Nigeria, Osano said the agency is developing several listed SME funds across a handful of markets. To reach its overall goal, FSD Africa is courting pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and commercial lenders that offer credit guarantees, alongside private equity and venture-capital firms.
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Why it matters for your portfolio
For investors watching Africa, the headline is scale and structure: a £10 billion plan with a heavy local-currency tilt, and a pipeline that includes gender bonds, listed SME funds and sub-national debt. The effort is aimed at channels tied to growth, climate and clean energy, while bringing in large pools of capital such as pension and sovereign funds alongside private equity and venture capital.
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