British International Investment (BII)
British international investment (BII), the UK development finance institution and impact investor, committed more than £1.07 billion to businesses across Africa in 2025, representing 59 per cent of its total investments during the year.
The investment, revealed in the BII's 2025 annual review, set for publication on Friday, underlines the institution's continued focus on supporting business growth, job creation and sustainable development across the continent.
Overall, the BII committed £1.8 billion to 2025, with £712 million committed to businesses in Asia and almost £40 million committed to projects in Ukraine.
The institution also announced that its climate finance commitments exceeded $1 billion in a year for the first time. Over the past four years, BII has invested $3.3 billion (£2.6 billion) in climate-related projects, covering utility-scale renewable energy development, electric mobility and other low-carbon initiatives.
Major climate investments during the year include the Allianz ACE Fund, a blended finance vehicle supported by the BII, which is expected to raise an additional $850 million in private capital with $150 million in development finance institution commitments.
Other investments include the Gulf of Suez wind farm, the Obelisk solar and battery storage project in Egypt, and ARC Ride, an electric motorcycle manufacturer and battery-swapping company in Kenya.
Egypt, Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria remain BII's largest African markets by portfolio size.
new under investment strategy Unveiled earlier this year, the BII said at least 25 percent of its future investments would target frontier markets, which are classified by the United Nations as the world's least developed countries.
The institution reported a seven-year weighted average annual portfolio return of 3.8 percent and said its investments now support approximately 1,700 companies globally.
Commenting on the investment performance, Chris Chiziutomi, Managing Director and Head of Africa, said the BII's latest commitments reflect its long-standing confidence in Africa's growth potential.
He said, “BII has been supporting African businesses for almost eight decades. Our 2025 commitment underlines our unwavering support for the continent as we continue to focus on supporting the growth of businesses and helping to create quality jobs across the continent.”
The BII also strengthened its climate investment strategy this year with the launch of British Climate Partners, a £1.1 billion initiative that aims to mobilize institutional capital into climate solutions in fast-growing and coal-dependent economies in Asia.
In the annual review, BII President Diana Layfield said the growing development financing gap and growing impacts of climate change require stronger partnerships and greater mobilization of private capital.
He said the emerging global economic landscape makes long-term investments even more important, especially for countries that are most vulnerable to climate change and conflict. economic development Will depend on increased cooperation between public and private investors.