New Africa fund targets women-led agribusiness

Altree Capital, Bo Masole, GTR Women in Trade Finance,
Jenni Chamberlain, Victus Global,
Victus Global Capital, Zee de Gersigny

Victus Global Capital and Altree Capital have partnered to launch a US$50mn fund focusing on investment into women-led agribusinesses in Africa.

The fund aims to boost African agriculture through the practice of so-called ‘gender lens investing’, which focuses on funding women-owned businesses, companies with a track-record of hiring women, and those that aim to improve the lives of women through their products and services.

It is initiated by Bo Masole and Zee de Gersigny – the founders of Victus Global Capital, an investment firm focused on transforming agriculture and empowering women in Africa – and Jenni Chamberlain, CEO of African asset management specialist Altree Capital.

Together, the two companies are working on a pipeline of projects, which include a tomato processing plant in Zambia, a meat processing plant in Malawi and a coffee export project in Ethiopia. The aim is to make individual investments of between US$250,000 and US$10mn.