The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF) announces the appointment of Adidjatou Hassan to the Board of Directors

Nairobi, Kenya, October 31, 2023 – AECF is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Adidjatou Hassan to the organization’s Board of Directors, effective September 5, 2023. As a seasoned leader with a wealth of experience in the financial services sector, Adidjatou brings a fresh perspective and invaluable expertise to our Board. 

Ms. Adidjatou Hassan has a remarkable career history at senior and chief management levels spanning several phases, including finance, business strategy and development, climate action financing, project management, audit, and risk management. She is currently the Deputy Chief of Staff for the Minister of Economy and Finance, Benin, in charge of the blended financing strategy, financial structuring and ESG, climate action financing, and carbon financing strategy for Benin. Before joining the Ministry, Adidjatou worked at the African Guarantee Fund for SME (AGF), IDEMIA (ex. Oberthur Technologies), and Deloitte Paris. 

In response to this significant addition to the Board, Ms. Hixonia Nyasulu, AECF Board Chair, commented, “Ms. Hassan is a highly respected figure in the industry, and we are delighted to welcome her to our Board of Directors. Her extensive knowledge and strategic insight will be instrumental in guiding AECF’s growth and development.” 

Adidjatou expressed enthusiasm about her new role: “I am very excited to join the AECF Board of Directors. I believe the private sector, particularly small and medium enterprises, is Africa’s economic growth engine. Hence, I fully adhere to AECF’s mission to catalyse, grow, and improve the resilience of private sector enterprises to benefit Africa’s rural and marginalised communities.” 

Ms. Hassan joins an accomplished Board of Directors dedicated to steering AECF toward even greater achievements in line with our vision of building a prosperous, enterprising, and resilient Africa. The collective expertise of the Board will be invaluable in shaping the organisation’s future. 

About AECF: AECF (Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund) is a leading non-profit development organization supporting innovative agribusiness and renewable energy enterprises to reduce rural poverty, promote resilient communities, and create jobs. AECF provides patient capital to highly innovative, early-stage, and growing enterprises that are hidden gems poised for greatness but that struggle to access funding from traditional sources of finance. 

To date, we have supported over 400 businesses in 26 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, impacted more than 31 million rural and marginalized people, and created over 29,000 direct jobs. 

For media inquiries, contact: press@aecfafrica.org