Increasing Risk Tolerance to Drive Impact with EAIF: #1 Blended Finance
Welcome to the first episode of Increasing Risk Tolerance to Drive Impact – a podcast series from the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF), a Private Infrastructure Development Group company – exploring ways to develop transformative infrastructure in underserved geographies across Africa.
Infrastructure is the lifeblood of Africa’s economies, facilitating a path to prosperity, laying the foundation of sustainable and inclusive societies. Delivering landmark projects where investors deem too risky demands unique expertise and decisive action. EAIF was developed in response to this, as one of the first blended finance debt funds meeting the needs of African infrastructure.
In this episode, we discuss the collaboration between capital allocators, pooling essential resources to inject into infrastructure investment. Blended finance, mobilising public and private capital, is imperative to respond to the funding deficit with the speed, agility and a risk tolerance required to get projects off the ground, impacting millions of lives on the continent.
One of the main takeaways from this episode is blended finance’s ability to spread risk, encourage wider participation from investors, allowing more rapid project development.
Our guest is:
Martijn Proos, Co-Head of EM Alternative Credit at Ninety One, Fund Manager of the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF).
Your host is Lindsay Williams, business broadcaster.
To find out more about how EAIF delivers game-changing projects that help close Africa’s infrastructure gap with greater urgency and pace, visit our website.
This podcast is edited by OG Podcasts.
Latest Episodes
#18 Bringing a Pioneering Maritime Freight Service to East Africa
The M.V. Mpungu is a first-of-its-kind freight vessel set to revolutionise the maritime industry in East Africa. Owned by East Africa Marine Transport (EAMT), it will operate across Lake Victoria, between Uganda and Tanzania, cutting journey times, reducing emissions and creating jobs. Supported by PIDG’s development arm, InfraCo Africa, the vessel will improve standards of transport infrastructure, save the economy millions of dollars and boost trade in the region.
#17 How Women Benefit From PIDG Investments
Whether it’s providing electric vehicles to women who otherwise have to walk massive distances to provide for their families, or increasing access to safe and adequate drinking water for rural communities, PIDG has a number of investments that directly impact and improve the lives of women. Across Africa and Asia, PIDG doesn’t just consider how women are impacted by its projects, it also strives to empower them.
#16 Concessional Capital Explained
Combining concessional capital with blended finance is an innovative solution, bridging a major funding gap. Where a project is struggling to reach scale, concessional capital can be used to boost its commerciality and affordability. PIDG is blending concessional capital into transactions through PIDG Technical Assistance’s capital grant, viability gap funding and concessional equity and debt products.
Increasing Risk Tolerance to Drive Impact: #2 Climate action & gender impact
Welcome to the second episode of Increasing Risk Tolerance to Drive Impact – a podcast series from the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF), a Private Infrastructure Development Group company – exploring ways to develop game-changing infrastructure in underserved geographies. Most infrastructure has been designed, implemented or run by men, often without considering female participation in decision-making, development or operation of projects. A common, albeit mistaken, assumption is that women automatically benefit from infrastructure projects in the same way as men.