In this month’s issue of Africa Global Funds we speak with Catherine Cax, Director of Investments, Open Society Foundations - Soros Economic Development Fund. Now part of Open Society’s Economic Justice Program, the Fund makes impact investments in sectors including agriculture, financial services, affordable housing, and health care (read on p.14).

We also catch up with Joanne Yoo, Managing Director, Development Partners International to discuss fundraising environment in Africa, the firm’s third fund, which exceeded its fundraising target and investment opportunities in Africa (p.15 & p.4 - news).

In this edition, Martijn Proos, Director, and Mariana Graca, Impact Development Specialist at Ninety One, which manages and advises the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF) look at the challenges of COP26, at PIDG’s climate change strategy and at EAIF’s strengths in the infrastructure project finance sector. Learn more on pp.16-17.

In this issue, we also learn how Sanlam Investments is using environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors as a critical deal filter, applying the ESG lens from the very start of the transaction through to ongoing management practices and eventual sale (p. 22).

On the fundraising front, Africa50 has launched a new Fund aimed at catalyzing further investment flows into African infrastructure. The Fund is targeting $500m in multiple closings (p.4).