The Ci- Gaba Fund-of-Funds, a USD$ 75 million (GHC 900 million), is a blended finance vehicle to unlock local funding for West African venture funds and small & medium enterprises (SMEs) for inclusive growth, has announced the appointment of Savannah Impact Advisory as the fund manager, at the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) global conference held in Accra this week.
Ci-Gaba, a local currency fund, is sponsored by Impact Investing Ghana with support from the Global Steering Group for Impact Investments, FMO Ventures and the Research and Innovation Systems for Africa (RISA) Fund of UK International Development.
Savannah Impact Advisory, led by Hamdiya Ismaila is a highly specialized investment advisory firm with a focus on impact investing and gender lens investing. Hamdiya and her team bring over 30 years of experience in Fund-of-Funds management, Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Structuring and investments across West Africa. She has worked as the General Manager of Venture Capital Trust Fund (VCTF), a Ghanaian fund of funds vehicle established to support emerging managers investing across West Africa and serves on the investment committee of regional Funds-of-Funds.
Amma Lartey, CEO of Impact Investing Ghana said: “There is an urgent need for effective structures to close the $331 billion SME financing gap in Africa. Ci-Gaba is unlocking local pension funding, currently over $350 billion of assets across sub-Saharan Africa.”
Hamdiya Ismaila said she was honored to be appointed as the fund manager for the Ci-Gaba Fund of Funds. She added; “this opportunity aligns perfectly with Savannah Impact Advisory’s commitment to impact investing and gender lens investing, and we look forward to making a meaningful contribution to the growth of West African venture funds and SMEs. “
Andrew Shaw of FMO Ventures said “We are delighted to support the development of the impact measurement and management matrix of the Ci-Gaba Fund-of-Funds to ultimately help better align with other impact investors. This collaboration underscores our commitment to fostering sustainable and inclusive growth in the region”.
Mark Lawler, Team Leader of the RISA Fund, a project of UK International Development, said “The RISA Fund is proud to have supported the operational set-up and stakeholder engagements for the Ci-Gaba Fund-of-Funds. This initiative exemplifies the power of collaboration in addressing financing gaps towards inclusive and sustainable innovation ecosystems in Africa.”
The Global Steering Group for Impact Investments (GSG) has been instrumental from the start in connecting initial funding from the MacArthur Foundation, World Economic Forum, Collaborative for Frontier Finance, and other key thought partners to provide input on the design of the Ci-Gaba Fund-of-Funds. CEO Cliff Prior has shared; “Fund of Funds in local currency are hugely valuable. We believe that this initiative will set a valuable precedent for impact investing in the region and beyond”.
