The Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) yesterday announced that its Board has approved a commitment of up to $100 million to invest in Africa-focused technology fund managers.
The launch comes at a pivotal moment for Africa, a statement from the institution explained.
The continent’s digital economy is projected to contribute over $700 billion to GDP by 2050, driven by a fast-growing, digitally connected population and accelerating enterprise adoption of technology.
Yet despite this momentum, a persistent gap in long-term institutional capital continues to constrain the development and scaling of high-potential technology businesses across the continent.
Through this commitment, AFC would deploy catalytic capital in leading Africa-focused technology Funds and in particular African-owned fund managers.
In doing so, the AFC aims to address the underrepresentation of local capital in venture funding by catalysing greater participation from African institutional investors and deepening local ownership within the ecosystem.
Africa’s venture capital ecosystem has demonstrated real potential – the continent has produced nine unicorns, some of its leading fund managers have generated returns of up to 128 times the capital originally invested, and African start-ups raised US$3.8 billion in 2025 alone.
Yet local institutional capital remains significantly underrepresented across many fund cap tables, with the majority of venture funding continuing to flow from international sources. AFC’s commitment is designed to shift that dynamic.
President and CEO of AFC, Samaila Zubairu, said: “Across the continent, young Africans are not waiting for the digital economy to arrive; they are seizing the moment — adopting technology, creating markets and solving real economic problems faster than infrastructure has kept pace.
“That is the investment signal. AFC’s $100 million Africa-focused Technology Fund will accelerate the convergence of growing demand, rapid technology adoption, youthful demographics and the enabling infrastructure we are building.
“Digital infrastructure is now as fundamental to Africa’s transformation as roads, rail, ports and power — enabling productivity, payments, logistics, services, data and cross-border trade, while creating jobs and industrial scale.”
As part of the initial deployment, AFC has made anchor commitments to Lightrock Africa Fund II and Future Africa Fund III, positioning the Corporation across the full innovation lifecycle – from early-stage venture capital through to growth-stage scaling.
These initial commitments represent the first tranche of a broader deployment, with AFC actively evaluating a pipeline of additional Africa-focused funds spanning a range of strategies and stages, with further commitments expected in the near term.
Managing Partner & CEO, Lightrock, Pal Erik Sjatil said: “We are delighted to welcome Africa Finance Corporation as an anchor investor in Lightrock Africa II, deepening a strong partnership shaped by our collaboration on high-impact investments across Africa, including Moniepoint, Lula, and M-KOPA.
“This commitment reflects a shared conviction in the opportunity to back high-growth, technology-enabled businesses with proven business models, strong fundamentals, and clear pathways to profitability.
“With aligned capital, a long-term perspective, and a shared focus on value creation, we are well positioned to support exceptional management teams and scale category-leading businesses that deliver attractive financial returns alongside measurable environmental and social outcomes.”
Future Africa is a venture capital firm that backs founders building technology-enabled solutions to Africa’s most pressing challenges, with a portfolio that includes some of the continent’s most celebrated technology companies.
AFC’s investment in Future Africa Fund III strengthens the pipeline of innovation at the early-stage end of the market, backing founders solving important problems spanning financial inclusion, digital infrastructure, consumer technology and education.
Founding Partner, Future Africa, Iyin Aboyeji, said: “Young Africans are not waiting for the digital economy to arrive; they are already among its most active participants globally. “What they need now are the skills, productive assets and infrastructure to build and scale within it. By investing in AI-native skills, financing productive tools such as phones and laptops, and expanding energy, connectivity and compute infrastructure, we can convert Africa’s greatest asset — its people — into critical participants in the new global economy.
“AFC’s $100 million commitment is the anchor this moment demands. As our first multilateral development bank partner, AFC is sending a clear signal that digital is as fundamental to Africa’s transformation as agriculture, manufacturing and physical infrastructure.
“We trust that other development finance institutions, insurers, reinsurers and pension funds will follow AFC’s lead.”
Overall, the commitment builds on AFC’s broader strategy to deploy capital across integrated infrastructure systems, where digital platforms increasingly complement physical infrastructure to unlock value across sectors.
By combining its balance sheet strength, structuring expertise, and pan-African network, AFC aims to establish itself as the leading institutional investor in Africa’s technology ecosystem – mobilising capital at scale while delivering sustainable, long-term development impact across the continent.