Catalysing private sector development to reduce poverty in Africa

As part of AVCA's special series, Achieving the SDGs through African Private Equity (PE) and Venture Capital (VC), Paulette Mbeya, Research Analyst at AVCA, speaks with Ross Strike, Investment Manager - Venture Capital at CDC Group, about how CDC tackles socio-economic challenges through private sector development and investment, and with a focus on Goal 1 – No Poverty – how the DFI supports fund managers and portfolio companies in addressing poverty on the continent. The Covid-19 pandemic left more than 30 million people across Africa in extreme poverty, and the African Development Bank predicts that this number will rise to 39 million by the end of 2021. When the pandemic hit, CDC Group adopted a three-pillared approach – preserve, strengthen and rebuild – to help partners safeguard impact and weather the crisis by responding to economic and health challenges and to provide support beyond the pandemic, from recovery to prosperity, through counter-cyclical funding and by being one of the first investors to re-enter the market. Find out more about CDC Group's approach to impact Sign up to receive AVCA's bi-monthly newsletter on trends in the African private capital ecosystem