Abuja, Nigeria – June 17, 2025: The 2025 annual meeting of the African Sovereign Investors Forum (ASIF) concluded in Abuja with the announcement of two landmark initiatives that mark a turning point in Africa’s approach to sovereign wealth management and cross-border investment collaboration. The meeting was hosted by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA). The African Sovereign Investors Forum is a multilateral platform that launched in June 2022 with 10 founding members and has since expanded to include 16 sovereign investors from across the continent.
Key Developments
1. Cooperation Agreement for ASIF Investment Platform Members of the 16-nation forum signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement to establish and operationalize the ASIF Investment Platform, a mechanism designed to pool African sovereign wealth resources for large-scale, transformative development projects across the continent.
2. Letter of Intent for Project Pipeline Development A strategic Letter of Intent was executed to formalize the development of a robust project and deal pipeline for the ASIF Investment Platform, targeting key sectors including infrastructure, agriculture, industrialization, and climate resilience.
Presidential Endorsement and Strategic Vision
Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Bola Tinubu, formally welcomed the launch of the ASIF Investment Platform, describing it as “a strategic initiative that deepens collaboration among Africa’s sovereign wealth funds.” The Vice President emphasized that “ASIF offers a pan-African mechanism to harness the collective strength of our sovereign investment institutions. It gives us the power to share knowledge, co-invest across borders, and speak with a unified voice in the global financial ecosystem.”
The Vice President stressed the urgency of collective action, stating: “We must act and act now to close the infrastructure gap, build resilience to climate change, and create jobs for our expanding youth population.”
In his remarks ASIF Chairman Obaid Amrane said “Africa’s sovereign capital is not only ready to shape its future; it’s ready to shape its current development. Together we have an opportunity to shape the African investment landscape. The future generation should share a continent that shows our shared aspirations”.
Reiterating the importance of SWFs to Africa’s development, the host CEO Aminu Umar-Sadiq of NSIA urged his colleagues: “We are not merely fund managers but nation builders.” He added that co-creating shared investment platforms is one of the best ways to position African SWFs as preferred partners for global capital.
High-Level Participation and Strategic Focus
The three-day summit, themed “Leveraging African Sovereign Wealth Funds to Mobilise Global Capital for Transformative Development in Africa,” brought together an impressive roster of continental and global leaders.
Notable participants from the continent included Nigeria’s Finance Minister Wale Edun, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Afreximbank President Benedict Oramah, Africa Finance Corporation CEO Samaila Zubairu, Solomon Quayanor Vice-President for Private Sector, Infrastructure & Industrialization at AfDB, Africa 50 CEO Alain Ebobissé, renowned Pan-Africanist Prof. P.L.O Lumumba and John Kamara of AI Center of Excellence Africa . Key participants from around the world included China Investment Corporation President Mr. Haoling Liu, Milken Institute’s Africa Chair British Robinson, Victoria Barbery from International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds (IFSWF), Dr Gasem Fallatah, Senior Advisor to his Royal Highness the Minister of Energy, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prof. Adam Dixon, Adam Smith Chair at Edinburgh University and Ms Damilola Ogunbiyi, Co-Chair of UN Energy and CEO/Special Representative of UN Secretary General for SEforAll.
