Africa Investment Forum 2025 Secures $15.3 Billion as Global Interest in African Markets Surges

This year’s edition drew financial backing from 32 global private-sector organisations, double the number present in 2024—a clear indicator of the Forum’s expanding global stature.

The 2025 Africa Investment Forum (AIF) Market Days concluded on Friday in Rabat, Morocco, securing $15.3 billion in investment interest across 39 bankable projects—reinforcing Africa’s growing position as a frontier for global investment opportunities.

African Development Bank Group President Sidi Ould Tah announced the results at the closing session of the three-day gathering, describing the outcome as a “new beginning, full of optimism” for the continent’s development trajectory. The event, held under the theme “Bridging the Gap: Mobilising Private Capital to Unlock Africa’s Full Potential,” highlighted the accelerating momentum behind private capital inflows to Africa.

Record Participation Reflects Global Confidence

This year’s edition drew financial backing from 32 global private-sector organisations, double the number present in 2024—a clear indicator of the Forum’s expanding global stature. Over 2,000 delegates attended, representing private equity firms, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, commercial banks, multilateral development institutions, entrepreneurs, and senior government officials.

Throughout the three days, participants engaged in detailed discussions on project structuring, mobilising capital at scale, de-risking major infrastructure ventures, and improving financing pathways for women-led businesses—an area increasingly emphasised across African economies.

Energy and Transport Dominate Investment Portfolio

President Ould Tah noted that the strong investor response was driven by the quality of projects tabled—particularly those accompanied by solid impact assessments and detailed financial models. Roughly two-thirds of the proposed transactions targeted the energy and transport sectors, reflecting Africa’s urgent need for power generation, renewable energy expansion, logistics upgrades, and cross-border transportation networks.

New Accountability Tools for Investment Tracking

In a major institutional development, the Bank announced that the AIF will begin implementing an annual project progress dashboard designed to track commitments beyond the Forum’s boardroom sessions. The dashboard will monitor how investment interest translates into actual deal closures—addressing a longstanding challenge across large development platforms and strengthening transparency for both investors and governments.

Morocco Underscores Africa’s Growing Financial Maturity

Morocco’s Economy and Finance Minister Nadia Fettah, host of this year’s event, emphasized Africa’s shift from dependency to self-determination. She said the AIF represents “an Africa that embraces its ambition… that no longer delegates its trust, and an Africa that no longer defines itself by its constraints but by its solutions.” She urged stronger mobilisation of African domestic capital, particularly pension funds and private institutional investors, to reinforce external financing.

Broad International Participation

Nearly 80 countries were represented at the Forum. Japan, one of the major sponsors, fielded nearly 100 delegates, underscoring Asia’s rising focus on African markets. Additional sponsors included the African Guarantee Fund, Algest Investment Fund, Ashurst LLP, the European Investment Bank, and the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector.

High-Level Policy Dialogues

The opening plenary featured a ministerial-level dialogue on creating more conducive investment environments across Africa—an issue widely seen as critical for unlocking private sector financing. Other sessions explored climate-smart infrastructure, technology ecosystems, agribusiness value chains, and mechanisms to de-risk long-term infrastructure financing.

AIF’s Expanding Role Since 2018

Founded in 2018, the Africa Investment Forum is a collaborative platform backed by leading continental financial institutions, including the African Development Bank Group, Africa Finance Corporation, Afreximbank, Africa50, the Development Bank of Southern Africa, the Trade and Development Bank, and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA). Its mission is to fast-track the journey from project conception to financial closure, positioning it as one of Africa’s most influential deal-making platforms.