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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.
Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has directed Overland Airways to refund Value Added Tax (VAT) wrongly charged to passengers on flight tickets purchased in 2025.
NCAA
The directive follows a social media complaint that highlighted the airline’s application of new tax policies to older bookings, prompting NCAA intervention.
Michael Achimugu, NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, confirmed Friday that Overland Airways agreed to process refunds after receiving clarification from the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS).
The issue emerged in late January 2026 when a passenger alleged on X (formerly Twitter) that her grandmother faced an extra N11,286 VAT charge at the airport for a 2025 ticket. On January 28, NCAA summoned the airline to justify the additional payments for pre-2026 tickets.
The regulator sought NRS guidance on retroactive VAT application. NRS ruled that updated VAT rules, effective January 1, 2026, exclude tickets issued before that date.
Achimugu updated on X: “This means passengers who paid VAT at check-in in 2026 for 2025 tickets were not supposed to be charged.”
Overland Airways accepted the clarification and pledged refunds, earning NCAA commendation for cooperation. Achimugu noted the airline initially viewed charges as valid under the new framework, but NRS interpretation prevailed.
“The issue has reached a satisfactory conclusion,” he stated, reaffirming NCAA’s commitment to passenger rights and fair policy enforcement.
Affected passengers who paid extra VAT on 2025-issued Overland tickets qualify for full refunds.
MultiChoice has said that it will not implement its customary yearly price increase on DStv and GOtv subscriptions.
This is the first time the Pay-TV company will not be adjusting its price in April, as it has in previous years, signalling a clear shift in direction under its new owner, Canal+.
The decision, confirmed by David Mignot, group chief executive,MultiChoice in an interview with TechCentral, comes as the pay television operator grapples with steep subscriber losses across its markets.
For many households accustomed to annual April tariff adjustments, the announcement will be a welcome break.
Responding to questions about whether DStv prices would rise in April as they have in previous years, Mignot gave a firm response: there will be no increase.
He explained that the company’s immediate focus is on rebuilding its subscriber base, making this an unsuitable period to adjust prices upward.
He added that while there are no current plans for a price hike, the company has not completely ruled out adjustments later in the year, especially if economic conditions demand it, such as significant currency movements.
MultiChoice has historically reviewed and raised DStv subscription fees in April, often citing inflationary pressures and rising content costs. As recently as April 2025, bouquet prices were adjusted upwards by between 2.1 per cent and 7.9 per cent.
The DStv Premium package rose from R929 to R979 per month, while DStv Access, the entry-level satellite package, recorded one of the steepest increases.
This year’s pause represents a break from that pattern and forms part of a broader reset following Canal+’s acquisition of MultiChoice in September 2025.
Mignot, who brings three decades of experience in the pay television industry, summed up his mission in simple terms: halt subscriber losses and return the business to growth.
The urgency behind the move is evident in MultiChoice’s recent performance.
The group has lost 2.8 million linear broadcasting subscribers in the two years ended 31 March 2025, with roughly half of those losses occurring in South Africa.
In the financial year to end-March 2025 alone, MultiChoice shed 1.2 million subscribers, representing an eight per cent year-on-year decline and leaving the group with 14.5 million active customers.
The previous year saw an even steeper drop of 1.6 million subscribers. By June 2025, Canal+ indicated that the pace of decline had intensified further.
The financial impact has been significant. Revenue for the year ended 31 March 2025 declined by R4 billion to R52 billion, while trading profit fell sharply by 49 per cent to R4 billion.
According to Mignot, the company’s difficulties stem less from its programming slate and more from weaknesses in its commercial execution.
He argued that in subscription businesses, a churn rate of between 12 and 15 per cent annually is inevitable as customers relocate, experience job losses, adjust household budgets, or change priorities. Without attracting a comparable number of new subscribers each year, losses accumulate.
Mignot maintained that the content offering remains strong, particularly in sport and general entertainment. He cited flagship brands such as SuperSport, M-Net and Africa Magic as evidence of sustained investment in programming. However, he stressed that content strength alone cannot offset a weakening subscriber acquisition engine.
He noted that MultiChoice’s commercial machinery had performed robustly across Africa until around 2022, describing the current challenges as relatively recent.
Drawing on Canal+’s experience in French-speaking African markets, Mignot pointed out that pricing there has remained largely unchanged for close to 14 years, supported by a volume-driven approach. He described his strategy as one focused on growing subscriber numbers while maintaining profitability.
While he did not dismiss the possibility of reviewing prices downward in future, he indicated that no such decision has been taken.
Spotify marked five years in Nigeria since its February 2021 launch with dramatic year-on-year listening growth averaging 163.5% through 2025, featuring triple-digit surges early on and sustained momentum, propelled by Afrobeats streams rocketing +5,022% alongside booming genres like Amapiano (+10,330%), Gospel/Praise (+5,499%), Hip-hop/Rap (+3,020%), and R&B (+2,602%).
Spotify
Indigenous language music listening surged +554% in Nigeria in 2024 and +87% in 2025, with global growth at +141% and +41% respectively, underscoring rising demand for local storytelling sounds.
The platform’s Nigerian artist roster expanded +158%, fueling a discovery boom where average listeners (aged 26) streamed 150 different artists recently; users created over 25 million playlists, logged 1.4 million play hours in 2025 alone, and streamed 59 billion podcast hours total.
Top Artists (2021-2025): Asake, Wizkid, Seyi Vibez, Burna Boy, Davido.
Top Songs: “Remember” (Asake), “Dealer” (Ayo Maff & Fireboy DML), “Awolowo” (Fido), “Kese (Dance)” (Wizkid), “Lonely At The Top” (Asake), “Joy is Coming” (Fido), “With You” (Davido feat. Omah Lay), “Terminator” (Asake), “MMS” (Asake feat. Wizkid), “Doha” (Seyi Vibez).
Nigeria’s debut stream was Shiga Lin’s Cantopop epitomizing borderless discovery from day one.
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