British International Investment BII has grown its portfolio at a brisk pace in recent years, increasing the value of its holdings from 4.736bn 6.43bn in 2019 to 7.319bn 9.94bn in 2023.
Much of this represents fresh investments that the UK's development finance institution DFI has made in Africa, which accounts for around 60 of its total portfolio.
South African Leslie Maasdorp, the recently appointed CEO of BII, says Africa will remain the largest regional focus for the institution as it seeks to intensify its activities in frontier markets across the continent.
"We have deepened our focus on frontier markets - countries that do not have a track record of huge multinationals making investments," he tells African Business , citing examples like Sierra Leone, Benin, Ethiopia, Liberia, and DRC.
Prior to his appointment at BII in Autumn 2024, Maasdorp served as vice-president and chief financial officer of the New Development Bank - formerly the BRICS Development Bank - in Shanghai for nine years. He had previously served in numerous private sector and South African government roles.