Summit Calls For Local Value Creation, Domestic Capital To Drive African Resilience

The African Private Capital Association (AVCA) has called to fund hard infrastructure, shift from extraction to local value creation, and mobilise domestic capital.

The Association stated this at its Sustainable Investing in Africa Summit in London.

Against a backdrop of macroeconomic volatility and geopolitical fragmentation, industry leaders said Africa is no longer merely a destination for development finance but a strategic arena essential to solving global supply chain and energy transition challenges.

The chief executive officer of AVCA, Abi Mustapha-Maduakor said, “while sustainability is being questioned, redefined, or deprioritised in some parts of the world, it has never been more relevant in Africa. It is far more than an investment label; it is a vital pathway to resilience and long-term value creation. The question is not whether we can afford to invest sustainably; it is whether we can afford not to.”

The opening panel examined how trade fragmentation and resource insecurity are reshaping capital allocation.

Chair, Africa at the Milken Institute, British Robinson said, “Africa is now a swing actor. It can partner with anyone. Africa is not just choosing the US, or choosing a particular country in Asia. It can choose the world, and the world can choose it. And that is different.”

Co-founder and managing partner of Alitheia Capital, ‘Tokunboh Ishmael and CEO of Development Partners International, Sofiane Lahmar reinforced the need for local capital to anchor resilient growth.

Also, the head of Equity and Funds Division at the European Investment Bank, Matthieu Ducorroy said “the resilience of Africa goes hand in hand with the resilience of Europe.”

On energy and industrial transition, senior investment officer for PE Funds at the International Finance Corporation, Saima Rehman said, “the true transformation of the continent lies in shifting from an extraction economy to a localised supply chain economy. Keeping raw materials at home to be processed is how we generate sustainable local jobs, empower domestic companies, and build a genuine, resilient tax base.”

Investment principal at 4DX Ventures, Harriet Adinkrah stressed the need for localised digital infrastructure, saying “to power our digital future, hard infrastructure like data centres must be built directly within the geographies they serve.

“Localising this infrastructure is not just a matter of data sovereignty; it is a technical necessity to reduce latency, improve access, and build a digital economy that truly performs for African consumers and businesses.”

On climate adaptation, CEO and managing director at ARM-Harith Infrastructure Investment, Rachel Moré-Oshodi, said domestic institutional investors have been brought in by offering inflation hedge and long-term maturity aligning with their liabilities.

The managing director and CEO of Lagos Free Zone, Adesuwa Ladoja, challenged global risk models, stating that “there are trillions of dollars globally waiting to be deployed, yet the traditional models used to assess risk create a formula that will consistently give you the wrong answer for Africa.”

Head of Strategic Initiatives & Stakeholder Engagement at AVCA, Rhoda Mhango said, “Africa’s opportunity is significant, but realising its full potential requires more than recognition. It requires the right partnerships, a willingness to think differently about risk, and a shared commitment to addressing the barriers holding back the growth and investment we want to see.”