- • Kenya remains East Africa’s core deployment market, with investors crowding into frontier markets including Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia.
- • East Africa is one of the world's fastest-growing regions, with GDP projected at c.6% across 2026-2027 - Ethiopia, Uganda and Rwanda among the strongest performers globally.
- •Capital market reforms and FX liberalisation in East Africa are improving governance, market entry and exit execution - according to a new AVCA report launched today.
Nairobi, Kenya - 22 April 2026 – The 22nd Annual AVCA Conference & VC Summit, organised and hosted by the African Private Capital Association (AVCA), will take place in Nairobi from 27 - 30 April. The global gathering brings together more than 800 leaders from around the world. Convening CEOs, prominent investors, and senior political leaders to redefine the forces shaping local and global growth, stakeholders are positioning Kenya as a gateway to the future of African private investment.
Held under the theme, Break The Mould: Reshaping the Future of African Private Capital, the annual meeting elevates Africa’s economic and strategic positioning. The conference comes at a time when leaders, policymakers and capital allocators are being tested by geopolitical complexity, the restructuring of value chains, and the need to deepen capacity to turn technological change into investor-led growth for African economies.
“It’s an exciting time for East Africa, and the wider region more broadly. East Africa attracted US$4.1bn in investments between 2021 and 2025,” said Abi Mustapha-Maduakor, Chief Executive Officer, AVCA. “The region’s private capital market has undergone a decisive evolution in recent years, and has led to the expanding pipeline of scalable platforms and investment opportunities across mobility, clean energy, agribusiness, and more.”
The high-level meeting builds on the momentum from the World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings and the 2026 ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development Follow-Up (FfD Forum) – following up on the landmark Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in June. AVCA’s summit cements the member association's established role in mobilising concrete policy and investor action, catalysing domestic and international private business and finance, to build resilient, diversified, and progressive markets.
Discussions will examine value chain expansion, including enabling infrastructure such as grid sustainability, green energy storage, natural gas markets, and corridors linking critical minerals with processing hubs and manufacturing value chains. Investors will identify strategies to improve regulatory reforms, liquidity and risk mitigation, to support investors navigating policy trajectories and election outcomes in commercial hubs across Ethiopia and Kenya in 2026 and 2027, respectively.
For the first time, AVCA’s conference will include a dedicated Private Credit Summit as private debt gains significant traction across the continent. According to new data from AVCA’s Private Capital in East Africa report, in 2025, total private debt deal volume rose 30% YoY, giving the East Africa region a 36% share of Africa’s total private debt transactions - reinforcing private credit’s growing role in the region’s capital stack.
“Constrained domestic lending conditions are set to accelerate the role of private credit in Africa as local‐currency structuring gains become more attractive and Limited Partners rely on dependable cash‐yielding strategies in various sectors, including consumer‐facing and infrastructure‐linked projects”, said Nadia Kouassi Coulibaly, Head of Research, African Private Capital Association (AVCA).
Prominent investors driving new approaches to cooperation between domestic and international finance, including Africa Finance Corporation, Africa50, African Infrastructure Investment Managers, ARM-Harith Infrastructure Fund Managers, Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries, Bpi France, British International Investment, Central Bank of Kenya Pension Fund, Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), European Investment Bank (EIB), Infrastructure South Africa, Inspired Evolution, International Finance Corporation, Meridiam, Nairobi International Finance Centre (NIFC), National Social Security Funds (NSSF), Old Mutual Alternative Investments, Soros Economic Development Fund, and more will participate in the event, to accelerate Africa’s transformation plan.
About AVCA:
AVCA – the African Private Capital Association is the nexus of private capital in Africa, championing and enabling private capital investment in Africa.
As the pan-African industry body, AVCA plays a significant role as an effective change agent for the industry and acts as the trusted independent source of information, insight, and intelligence, inspiring investor confidence, making the case for both commercial returns and the impact of private capital in Africa. AVCA represents a community of capital allocators, investors, fund managers, advisors, entrepreneurs, and professional services committed to our shared vision of a prosperous Africa that is sustainable, inclusive, and innovative.
To register to attend the conference as a journalist, please contact:
Emmanuel Balogun
E:[email protected]
T: +44 (0) 7588 302 363 (WhatsApp)
Sekinat Ojeniyi
E: [email protected] T: +2349064674646
