NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Monday, June 4, 2012

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) approved on 16 May in Tunis, an equity investment of USD 100 million to Agvance Africa, the first agribusiness-focused Fund of Funds on the African continent. The strategic objective of Agvance Africa is to increase private investment flows into the agribusiness sector on the continent to address growing food security concerns and unleash the largely unexploited potential of African agriculture and agribusiness sectors.

Agvance will be managed by Credit Suisse Customized Fund Investment Group (CFIG) and will target total capital commitments of USD 500 million. It is anticipated to invest in 12 to 15 best-in-class private equity funds targeting portfolio companies along the agribusiness value chain and across the continent.

In addition to being Agvance’s anchor investor, AfDB has played a key role in developing the Agvance concept, with support from the Fund for Private Sector Assistance (FAPA), and will work closely with the CFIG to design a state-of-the-art environmental and social management system in cooperation with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Founded in 1999, CFIG currently has one of the largest dedicated alternative investment teams in the world and is uniquely qualified to manage Agvance Africa given its substantial assets under management, dedicated team and demonstrated private equity investment expertise.