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What does it mean to be an impact investor in the African context?
By Keoleboge Malela, ESG and Impact Manager, Norsad Capital
Impact investing refers to investments that are made to achieve positive financial returns combined with measurable, positive environmental and social impact. The impact investment sector is currently estimated to be worth US$1.164 trillion globally. Of that, Sub-Saharan Africa lays claim to a relatively small US$65 billion, with South Africa accounting for 84% of all impact investment assets in the region.
It should be clear, then, that there’s substantial room for impact investment growth across the continent. But if we’re to offer any kind of roadmap for how that growth might be achieved, it’s important to understand what it actually means to be an impact investor in Africa.
Understanding where the need lies
While it’s important for any investor to understand where there is a developmental need to be met or a problem to be solved, it’s especially critical for those participating in the impact sector in the African context.
Impact investors looking to build a presence in the region must do extensive work to understand the region as a whole, alongside the individual markets they seek to operate in. Ideally, that means having an active on-the-ground presence, as well as making a conscious effort to hire relevant local expertise.
With those resources in place, it’s also important for investors to identify the problems that their investing expertise is best poised to solve. At Norsad Capital, for instance, our investments are aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and focused on helping build sustainable livelihoods, financial inclusion, gender equality, and growth in climate and clean energy.
Meeting investor expectations
Increasingly, investors of all kinds expect investments to be made in accordance with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) guidelines.
Applying ESG best practices creates sustainable brands, increases productivity and enables companies to unlock further funding. It also creates expanded opportunities for impact investors as they’re ideally poised to deliver on those guidelines.
But to make the most of those opportunities, investors must work hard to ensure that they exceed ESG compliance standards. This intentional and focused approach is critical to being a successful impact investor.
Returns and measurability
Of course, impact investing is defined by more than the initial and ongoing work you put in. You also need to be able to demonstrate returns. Here, sound investment must be based on sustainability, measurability, supported by the transparent monitoring of benefits.
There are clear reasons for the need to generate returns. It’s what separates impact investors who have a growth imperative, from NGOs and charitable organisations that don’t. Impact investors believe that it’s possible to change the world while making a profit. The investors backing them believe that too, making it incredibly important to invest in companies that at least show the potential to generate returns.
Measurability in impact investing is both more important and more difficult to achieve than in traditional forms of investment. Remember, impact investors don’t just have to demonstrate that they’re delivering financial returns for investors but also that they’re having an actual impact.
Specific approaches to measuring impact will differ depending on investors’ objectives, capacities, and goals. However, according to the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) there are general measurement best practices. These include: establishing and stating social and environmental objectives to relevant stakeholders; setting performance targets related to these objectives using standardised metrics wherever possible; monitoring and managing the performance of investees against these targets; and reporting on social and environmental performance to relevant stakeholders.
In the African impact investing landscape, it’s also important to apply the widely varying contexts in which investments are made to those measurement principles and to help external stakeholders understand why that’s so critical.
Unlocking potential
Ultimately, though, the real meaning of being an African impact investor can’t be boiled down to those minutiae. Instead, it’s about unleashing the immense potential on the continent. It is, after all, home to a growing population (more than 60% of whom are under the age of 25) that is increasingly well-educated and connected. Impact investors see that potential and want to help unlock it for as many people as possible. And with the right approach, the bets they’re making could pay off big-time.
MTN Group has begun rolling out MTN One TV, a new entertainment proposition designed to make digital video content more accessible, relevant, and flexible for customers across African markets.
Introduced in line with MTN’s Ambition 2030 strategy, MTN One TV brings together local storytelling, live channels, international programming, and market-specific viewing options tailored to how customers across the continent access and pay for digital entertainment.
The proposition is designed to give customers greater choice in how they watch content, with viewing models that may vary by market and can include free-to-view content, advertising-funded experiences, pay-as-you-watch access, and subscription offerings.
Depending on local availability, customers may also be able to pay through airtime, Mobile Money, and other locally supported payment methods, helping to reduce common barriers to streaming access.
Beyond enhancing customer experiences, MTN One TV creates new opportunities for African creators, broadcasters, advertisers, and ecosystem partners by helping connect content to wider audiences through MTN’s scale across connectivity, payments, and digital services.
By bringing together a broad mix of content experiences under a single proposition, MTN aims to support greater content discovery, broader audience reach, and sustainable growth across Africa’s digital entertainment ecosystem.
Anchored in MTN’s strategic platforms of Connectivity, Fintech, and Digital Infrastructure, MTN One TV forms part of the Group’s broader ambition to build digital experiences that create value for customers while enabling participation and growth across Africa’s digital economy.
“Entertainment is increasingly becoming an important gateway to digital participation,” said Selorm Adadevoh, MTN group chief commercial, strategy and transformation officer.
“Through MTN One TV, we are leveraging the scale of our connectivity, fintech, and digital capabilities to make relevant content more accessible while creating new opportunities for Africa’s creative and digital economies. This is aligned with our ambition to deliver digital solutions for Africa’s progress.”
MTN One TV is being introduced progressively across MTN markets through a phased rollout approach that reflects local market needs, existing services, and partnership opportunities.
Over time, MTN will bring together a combination of video capabilities, content partnerships, and customer experiences under the MTN One TV brand to create a more consistent and scalable entertainment proposition across its footprint.
Through MTN One TV, MTN continues to extend its role beyond connectivity by combining entertainment, payments, and digital services to deliver experiences tailored to the needs of African consumers.
The rollout supports MTN’s Ambition 2030 vision of leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress while expanding access to digital entertainment across the continent.
International Air Transport Association (IATA) has identified Nigeria as one of the most expensive countries in the world for airline operations, citing high taxes, charges and operational costs that continue to weigh heavily on local carriers.
IATA’s Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East, Kamil Al-Awadhi, disclosed this during the association’s Annual General Meeting held in Rio de Janeiro.
Al-Awadhi said that although Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, had been pursuing reforms aimed at improving the aviation sector, airlines operating in the country still faced enormous cost pressures.
According to him, the high-cost operating environment has continued to affect the profitability and competitiveness of Nigerian airlines, making it difficult for the industry to realise its full potential.
He noted that excessive taxes, regulatory charges and other operating expenses remained major obstacles to airline growth across the region, with Nigeria ranking among the most challenging markets from a cost perspective.
Al-Awadhi urged member states of the Economic Community of West African States to adopt a proposed 25 per cent reduction in aviation taxes and charges to ease the burden on airlines and passengers.
According to him, lowering taxes and charges would reduce airfares, stimulate passenger traffic and strengthen the competitiveness of carriers operating within West Africa.
He stressed that a more supportive policy environment was critical to unlocking the economic benefits of aviation, including increased trade, tourism and regional integration.
Industry stakeholders have consistently advocated lower taxes and regulatory fees, arguing that the current cost structure makes air travel less affordable and limits the growth of the sector.
IATA’s latest remarks add to calls for governments in West Africa to implement policies that will promote a more sustainable and competitive aviation industry across the region.
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NASENI Trains 50 Women in Kano on Renewable Energy Technologies Under She-Powers Initiative
The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), under the leadership of its Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, has trained 50 women in Kano State on inverter and battery technologies through its She-Powers Energy Initiative.
The three-day programme, held at the Technology Incubation Centre, Farm Centre, Kano which ended yesterday, was designed to equip participants with practical renewable energy skills, promote women-led enterprises, and enhance sustainable livelihoods.
The initiative forms part of NASENI’s broader commitment to empowering women, creating economic opportunities, and expanding participation in Nigeria’s growing clean energy sector. It also aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by supporting job creation, entrepreneurship, and inclusive economic development.
Through targeted interventions such as the She-Powers Energy Initiative, NASENI continues to demonstrate its commitment to leveraging technology and innovation to improve lives and drive sustainable development across the country.
Photos: Participants at the She-Powers Energy Initiative training organised by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) held at the the Technology Incubation Centre, Farm Centre, Kano yesterday.
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