The former IFC Vice President for Africa is tasked with expanding the fund's portfolio and attracting new institutional capital. The structure is already capitalized with $275 million.

Africa50 Group announced on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, the appointment of Sérgio Pimenta to lead the Africa50 Infrastructure Acceleration Fund (Africa50 IAF).

The 12-year private equity fund has already mobilized $275 million from 22 African and international institutional investors. The fund’s objective is to channel capital toward infrastructure projects across the continent in priority sectors such as energy, transport, digital technology, and water. These areas are crucial for closing Africa's infrastructure financing gap, which the African Development Bank (AfDB) estimates at nearly $100 billion per year.

Pimenta joins Africa50 after spending over 25 years at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group in emerging markets. He most recently served as the IFC’s Vice President for Africa, where he oversaw a $17 billion portfolio and advised governments and the private sector.

Before the IFC, Pimenta worked at the French Ministry of Finance (Treasury Directorate) and Banque Nationale de Paris. A dual Portuguese and French national, he is a graduate of the École Polytechnique and the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris. He joined the World Bank Group in 1996 through its Young Professionals Program and held senior roles at the IFC in the manufacturing, agribusiness, and services sectors across the Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and North Africa regions, as well as in Washington.

Strategic Priorities for Africa50 IAF

As the head of Africa50 IAF, Sérgio Pimenta's mandate is to expand the fund's investment portfolio and attract more commercial and institutional capital. Financed projects must help reduce Africa’s infrastructure deficit while offering investors opportunities to diversify their assets.

Alain Ebobissé, CEO of Africa50, said Pimenta's appointment was based on his "profound expertise in capital mobilization, combined with his in-depth knowledge of the African and global emerging markets." These assets are considered essential to positioning Africa50 IAF as a key investment vehicle. The fund aims to create a multiplier effect by attracting additional private financing and structuring projects capable of accelerating economic growth and regional integration.

Chamberline Moko