EBRD Makes First Pan-African Venture Capital Bet with $8 Million Investment
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has committed $8 million (€6.8 million) to Ventures Platform Pan-African Fund II, marking its first investment in a pan-African venture capital fund targeting opportunities across sub-Saharan Africa.
The fund will invest in early-stage technology companies across the continent, with a particular focus on Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and Senegal. It will target businesses with strong growth potential that can drive innovation, create jobs and support private-sector development, according to a statement on Wednesday.
The commitment is being made through the EBRD’s Early-Stage Innovation Facility II, a €200 million programme that invests in commercially oriented venture capital funds.
Through the facility, the EBRD supports high-potential technology companies and fund managers working to widen access to finance, strengthen innovation ecosystems and accelerate private-sector growth.
Kola Aina, founding partner of Ventures Platform, said the investment demonstrated increasing institutional confidence in Africa’s technology and innovation economy.
“We are delighted to welcome the EBRD as an investor in Ventures Platform Pan-African Fund II,” he said. “Its commitment reflects a shared conviction that Africa’s next generation of globally relevant technology companies will be built by founders solving meaningful problems and creating new markets.”
He added that the EBRD’s involvement went beyond providing capital and would strengthen the fund’s ability to support ambitious founders building enduring businesses that create value in Africa and internationally.
The EBRD is investing alongside development finance institutions, international financial institutions and private commercial investors. Their participation reflects continued support for Africa’s venture capital ecosystem and confidence in the long-term prospects of the continent’s technology companies.
Dirk Werner, the EBRD’s managing director of equity, said innovation was playing an increasingly important role in Africa’s economic future, despite venture capital remaining underdeveloped relative to the level of entrepreneurial activity across the continent.
“By investing in Ventures Platform Pan-African Fund II, we are helping to strengthen the market infrastructure that enables innovative businesses to access growth capital and scale their impact,” Werner said.
The commitment also signals the EBRD’s expanding presence in Africa. The Bank began investing across five sub-Saharan African countries in 2025 and has deployed €620 million in the region in less than a year.
