The 2025 African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA) conference IS set for November 3rd to 5th in Nairobi, Kenya.
The African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA) has officially opened registration for its 2025 conference, set for November 3rd to 5th in Nairobi, Kenya.
This annual event is Africa’s leading platform for social investment, bringing together changemakers, policymakers, investors, philanthropists, and innovators.
Their shared goal is to unlock capital and solutions that support sustainable development across the continent.
This year’s conference theme, “Driving Sustainable Investments and Innovations for Resilient Growth,” highlights the need to scale impact-driven enterprises, harness catalytic capital, and build resilience from within Africa’s systems.
The gathering offers a space to connect ideas, partnerships, and capital to create lasting change.
Key Themes for 2025
The 2025 conference will focus on several strategic themes that reflect Africa’s current investment and development challenges:
- Future-Proofing Africa: Building Resilience from Within
This theme explores strategies to strengthen Africa’s systems and institutions so they can withstand shocks and adapt to change. - Catalytic Capital: Unlocking Private Investment for Development
Discussions will explore how patient, risk-tolerant capital can stimulate inclusive growth and sustainable development. - Private Sector Engagement in Impact: From Intention to Action
This theme aims to shift businesses beyond symbolic corporate social responsibility (CSR) towards embedding impact in their core strategies. - Cross-Cutting Themes for Impact
Equity, innovation, and systems thinking will be woven through all conversations to ensure holistic approaches.
Sectoral Focus Aligned with SDGs
The conference will also feature tracks focusing on critical sectors aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
- Agriculture
Sessions will discuss how smart investments can enhance food security, livelihoods, and economic growth throughout the agricultural value chain. - Education
The focus will be on creating inclusive and future-ready education systems that equip Africa’s youth with vital skills. - Health
Discussions will aim to improve access to resilient and equitable healthcare across the continent. - Climate Finance & Energy
The conference will explore ways to accelerate Africa’s transition to clean and reliable energy through innovative financing and partnerships.
Who Should Attend?
The event targets a broad group of stakeholders invested in Africa’s social and impact investment space, including:
- Impact investors, development finance institutions (DFIs), philanthropic organizations, and corporate leaders.
- Policymakers and government officials are shaping investment policies and environments.
- Social entrepreneurs and innovators are leading scalable impact ventures.
- Academics and thought leaders providing research, trends, and insights.
With registration now open, AVPA invites stakeholders across sectors to join this important convening and contribute to shaping Africa’s impact ecosystem.
Looking Back: Highlights from the 2024 AVPA Conference
The 2024 AVPA Conference was held from November 4th to 6th at The Trademark Hotel in Nairobi.
It provided a key forum for global and African leaders, investors, policymakers, and changemakers to discuss sustainable finance and innovative funding models tailored for Africa’s development needs.
The central theme was “Catalysing Africa’s Sustainable Growth.” The focus was on unlocking capital, especially in climate finance, blended finance, and social impact investing.
The conference attracted 387 participants from 33 countries spanning six continents.
Attendees represented over 15 sectors, including DFIs, Official Development Assistance (ODA) agencies, fund managers, foundations, family offices, and government advisory services.
Over three days, the event featured 44 sessions, ranging from masterclasses and panels to workshops, along with four side events and field visits.
These formats encouraged cross-sector collaboration and helped forge new funding partnerships.
Launch of the Africa Social Impact Exchange (ASIEx)
A major highlight of the 2024 event was the official launch of the Africa Social Impact Exchange (ASIEx) platform.
This initiative was co-designed with the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and Prosper Africa, and is managed by AVPA.
The platform’s goal was to accelerate Africa’s progress towards the SDGs by linking finance with scalable, high-impact solutions in key sectors like healthcare, education, agribusiness, and climate resilience.
Insights from Keynote Speakers
Several keynote addresses highlighted the current economic realities and pathways for Africa’s growth:
- Samuel Akyianu, Managing Director of the Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund, shared their model of combining patient capital with technical support. This approach aims to grow African small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), generating jobs and opportunities, especially for youth and women.
- Faustina Fynn-Nyame, Executive Director, Africa at CIFF, stressed the importance of unlocking domestic capital and closing the bankability gap for high-impact projects. She emphasized catalytic capital and enabling strategies as critical to Africa’s future growth.
- William Asiko, Vice President, Africa at The Rockefeller Foundation, framed Africa’s growth story as one driven by strategic and intentional action. He advocated for innovative financing to build resilient and inclusive economies.
- Dr. Frank Aswani, CEO of AVPA, highlighted the need for an ecosystem that enhances efficient capital allocation, boosts deal flow, and supports sustainability through collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Thematic Panel Discussions
Panels and workshops addressed vital topics affecting Africa’s impact investment landscape:
- A session on “African Non-Profits and Regenerative Partnerships” explored the shift from sustainability to regenerative practices. Speakers stressed the importance of strong partnerships and resource leverage for long-term impact.
- Led by Samuel Akyianu, the session on “Leveraging Catalytic Capital for SME Growth in Africa” tackled the massive funding gap facing SMEs in sub-Saharan Africa. Discussions focused on public-private partnerships, innovative finance, patient capital, and technical assistance to improve investment readiness.
- Impact Measurement and Management featured prominently. Karim Harji from Oxford Saïd Business School led a session on the growing demand for rigorous, transparent impact assessment. Challenges such as data quality, attribution, and the lack of standard methods were addressed. Harji emphasized a systems-level approach and technology as crucial enablers.
- Matt Ripley from Impact Frontiers discussed “Elevating Impact Reporting for Strategic Decision-Making.” He argued that impact reporting should move beyond mere compliance and focus on measuring, improving, and communicating social and environmental results.
The Evolving Role of Philanthropy
Philanthropy’s changing role in Africa was another key topic. A session moderated by Aline Varre featured Eva Rehse, Nasri Adam, and Muthoni Thuo.
They described a shift from traditional grantmaking to strategic collaboration, innovation, and infrastructure building.
They highlighted the importance of cross-continental partnerships and aligning with community priorities. Impact measurement was also stressed, especially in agriculture and youth employment in technology sectors.
Closing Plenary: Catalysing Africa’s Sustainable Growth
The conference concluded with a high-level plenary panel titled “The Makings of Impact:
Catalysing Africa’s Sustainable Growth.” Panelists discussed mobilizing capital for Africa’s development, acknowledging both opportunities and challenges.
They noted the rapid expansion of climate finance but highlighted the persistent financing gap for SMEs. A key concern was the flow of domestic pension, insurance, and banking assets to offshore investments.
Proposed solutions included unlocking pension fund investments through blended finance, designing de-risking mechanisms for fragile regions, and reducing excessive taxation on investments.
The session reinforced that collaboration, innovative financing, and policy reforms are essential to driving inclusive and sustainable economic growth across Africa.
About African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA)
AVPA is a pan-African network headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, with regional hubs in South Africa and Nigeria. The organization connects a diverse range of capital providers and social investors to drive impact across the continent.
At the heart of AVPA’s philosophy is the Continuum of Capital, which bridges the gap between pure charity and pure business. This approach emphasizes blended finance, catalytic investment, and systemic change to advance Africa’s sustainable development.
Through its platforms, events, and partnerships, AVPA works to create efficient ecosystems that increase deal flow, enhance capital allocation, and support knowledge sharing. It aims to foster collaborations that unlock capital for scalable, impactful solutions aligned with Africa’s development priorities.
