L'Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF) annonce la nomination d'un nouveau conseil d'administration

Nairobi, Kenya, 17th February 2020 – The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF) has announced the appointment of a new Board during its Board meeting held in Nairobi. The Board brings together visionary and committed leaders from across Africa with diverse expertise to lead the institution into a stronger future to deliver on its mission of ensuring a prosperous and enterprising rural Africa.

The incoming AECF Board members include:

Ms. Hixonia Nyasulu – One of the influential businesswomen on the African continent, Ms. Nyasulu joins as the new AECF Board Chair and brings global experience across multiple business sectors and serving on several Boards, including AngloAmerican, Sasol, and Unilever PLC. She is the Founder and current Executive Chairman of Ayavuna Women’s Investments (Pty) Ltd, a women-controlled investment vehicle focused on promoting the economic empowerment of women.

Mr. Teklewold Atnafu – One of the foremost economists in Africa, Dr. Atnafu brings a deep understanding of African economies, policy environments, and what it takes to mobilize new capital for emerging sectors and businesses. He currently serves as the Senior Macroeconomic Advisor to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, and until 2018 he was Governor of the Central Bank of Ethiopia.

Mr. Frank Braeken – A seasoned investor across the African continent, Mr. Braeken brings experience advising a variety of agro and food enterprises. He previously held various management functions in Unilever over nearly 20 years, and currently serves on the board of several companies including Buhler, Feronia Inc, myAgro, and Zambeef.

Mr. Enock Chikava – A foremost leader supporting Africa’s agricultural transformation, Mr. Chikava brings more than 25 years’ of experience working in private agribusiness, food processing, farmer organizations, and philanthropy. He currently serves as the Deputy Director of Agricultural Development at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he leads a team focused on developing innovative tools, solutions, and business models that can most cost-effectively deliver products, services, and practices to smallholder farmers at scale across Africa and South Asia.

They join Mr Duncan Onyango who has served on AECF’s Board since 2017. Mr. Onyango is a visionary leader who has successfully developed and directed complex corporate and enterprise growth initiatives over more than 20 years. He has served on the boards of major organisations in East Africa and the UK, including: Rift Valley Railways Ltd, First Access LLC, SolarNow LLC, Sanergy Ltd, TradeMark EA, Town and Country Housing Association (UK), among others.

The incoming Board Chair, Ms. Nyasulu of South Africa, thanked Lord Boateng and the outgoing Board members for their leadership, and she committed to taking up the AECF strategy to deliver even greater impact going forward with the foundations laid.

“AECF recognizes the transformative potential of emerging businesses across sub-Sahara Africa to innovate, create jobs, and leverage investments and markets to create resilience and sustainable incomes for Africa’s rural and marginalized communities,” said Ms. Nyasulu. “I am humbled by the opportunity to serve as the Chair of the AECF Board. Working with our partners, we will support more early and growth stage businesses that can create 25,000 new jobs, leverage US$1 billion investment from private sector, help reduce carbon emissions, and ultimately improve 25 million lives and build resilient communities across the continent.”

L'AECF est le premier fonds d'investissement qui soutient les entreprises en phase de démarrage et de croissance dans les secteurs de l'agroalimentaire et des énergies renouvelables en Afrique afin de réduire la pauvreté, de promouvoir des communautés résilientes et de créer des emplois par le biais d'investissements du secteur privé. Depuis sa création en 2008, l'AECF a transformé la vie de 17 millions de personnes, en augmentant leurs revenus et leurs salaires et en réalisant un impact cumulé sur le développement de 1,3 milliard de dollars. Pour ce faire, elle a soutenu 268 entreprises dans 26 pays d'Afrique subsaharienne, ce qui a permis de créer et de maintenir 12 000 emplois et de mobiliser 750 millions de dollars de capital de croissance auprès du secteur privé.

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Robert Magori
Email: press@aecfafrica.org