EBRD backs early-stage African technology companies

• Venture capital fund to invest in companies across Africa, including Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and Senegal
• Support for innovation-led growth and access to finance
• Investment strengthens Africa’s venture capital ecosystem alongside development finance institutions and private investors

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is investing US$ 8 million (€ 6.8 million) in Ventures Platform Pan-African Fund II, marking the Bank’s first commitment to a pan-African venture capital fund assessing opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Fund will invest in early-stage technology companies across Africa, with a particular focus on Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and Senegal, targeting businesses with strong growth potential /to support innovation, job creation and private-sector development.

The investment forms part of the EBRD’s Early-Stage Innovation Facility II, a €200 million programme through which the Bank invests in commercially oriented venture capital funds. Through this facility, the EBRD supports high-potential technology companies and fund managers that are helping to expand access to finance, deepen innovation ecosystems and accelerate private-sector growth.

Kola Aina, the Founding Partner of Ventures Platform said: "We are delighted to welcome the EBRD as an investor in Ventures Platform Pan-African Fund II. 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. Beyond the capital, the EBRD's participation signals growing institutional confidence in Africa's innovation economy and strengthens our ability to back ambitious founders building enduring companies that create value for Africa and the world."

The EBRD’s participation alongside other development finance institutions, international financial institutions and private commercial investors reflects continued support for Africa’s venture capital ecosystem and confidence in the long-term growth prospects of African technology companies.

Dirk Werner, the EBRD’s Managing Director of Equity, commented: "Innovation is increasingly shaping Africa's economic future, yet venture capital remains underdeveloped relative to the scale 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."

The EBRD started investing in across five sub-Saharan African countries in 2025 and has invested €620 million in the region in less than a year.