SBI | SouthBridge

Asset management &
investment advisory for Africa

Realising African Potential

SouthBridge Investments (SBI) is the asset management and investment arm of SouthBridge. And a pivotal part of our company’s ambition for Africa’s growth agenda.

Our multi-strategy asset management structure provides a uniquely Pan-African investment service. We directly manage a range of investment vehicles, fully dedicated to African markets and advise our partners and clients on investment issues and opportunities.

Our overarching goal is to be actively involved in the realization of African potential by channeling investments to unique opportunities.

Dr. Frannie Léautier, Senior Partner, heads SouthBridge Investments. She brings more than 25 years of financial services and portfolio management expertise to the company and actively contributes to global development debates.

Four Strategic Pillars of Action

As a responsible investor, committed to sustainability, we focus first and foremost on key areas directly related to development and inclusiveness:

SME growth
and
job creation

Financial
inclusion and
especially women
empowerment

Digital &
innovation
acceleration

Climate
resilience
and adaptation

SME
Growth

SMEs are the backbone of economic and business activities in Africa. We believe that by investing in commercially and financially sustainable projects, we truly contribute to overall growth and development, while promoting jobs and opportunities in self-reinforcing positive loops.

Financial
Inclusion

Financial inclusion is at the core of Africa’s challenges, with 59% of the population unbanked, and demographics driving a growing need for more opportunities for young people. This is particularly true for women-owned SMEs, where we are looking at a $50 billion financing gap.

Digital and innovation
acceleration

Cluster economies that we have identified offer a unique business-sphere for stimulating technological innovation, nurturing new startups, attracting investment, and generating socio-economic growth. We promote technology and digital platforms to create footprints for SMEs.

Climate resilience and
adaptation

Africa is and will be at the forefront of climate change. Our ambition is to catalyze climate finance in African markets, support countries in their energy transition and leapfrog carbon-dependent production by building green and resilient infrastructure. The urgent objective is to reconcile economic development with climate change adaptation.

SME
Growth

SMEs are the backbone of economic and business activities in Africa. We believe that by investing in commercially and financially sustainable projects, we truly contribute to overall growth and development, while promoting jobs and opportunities in self-reinforcing positive loops.

Financial
Inclusion

Financial inclusion is at the core of Africa’s challenges, with 59% of the population unbanked, and demographics driving a growing need for more opportunities for young people. This is particularly true for women-owned SMEs, where we are looking at a $50 billion financing gap.

Digital and innovation
acceleration

Cluster economies that we have identified offer a unique business-sphere for stimulating technological innovation, nurturing new startups, attracting investment, and generating socio-economic growth. We promote technology and digital platforms to create footprints for SMEs.

Climate resilience and
adaptation

Africa is and will be at the forefront of climate change. Our ambition is to catalyze climate finance in African markets, support countries in their energy transition and leapfrog carbon-dependent production by building green and resilient infrastructure. The urgent objective is to reconcile economic development with climate change adaptation.

About our digital working capital facility

PESAPOA is a digital working capital facility launched in 2021, which intends to provide a solution to leverage the market opportunity of investing in stable companies with unrealized growth prospects by deploying a gender-smart investment approach to finance MSMEs. By bridging the finance gap for such companies in a holistic and sustainable manner and offering non-financial assistance through an accelerator program providing coaching, mentoring, business training and advisory services, the facility aims to transform such companies to realize their currently untapped value.

Read our impact in numbers: here

Read our impact in numbers

6,500

Unique MSMEs Funded

80,000

Loans Disbursed

86,4%

MSMEs Providing
Staple Food

42,5%

Loans to Women- Owned MSMEs

~10,000

Jobs Created

6,766

Unique MSMEs Funded

80,000

Loans Disbursed

82.62%

MSMEs Providing
Staple Food

42.6%

Loans to Women- Owned MSMEs

~10,149

Jobs Created

A dedicated investment & investor relations team

More than 40 dedicated staff, eager to make things happen, coming from almost 20 countries across the continent.

A dedicated investment & investor relations team

More than 40 dedicated staff, eager to make things happen, coming from almost 20 countries across the continent.

A Commitment to Responsible Investing

Contributing to the achievement of sustainable development is one of our main priorities in our asset management activities. We believe that modern financing and investment must be in line with environmental and social goals (ESG). They are an absolute requirement of our times, more so in Africa where social and equitable growth is urgent.

We embed sustainable development goals (SDG) from the design phase of the investment thesis to the reporting framework of our activities.

Our strategic pillars are built around the achievements of these SDGs:

√ Fighting poverty and income inequalities

√ Allowing for food sustainability

√ Access to clean water and sanitation

√ Affordable and clean energy

√ Health for all

√ Quality education for all

√ Promoting gender equality

√ Sustainable cities and communities

√ Jobs and work conditions..

Frannie Leautier

CEO, Southbridge Investments
Senior Partner, Southbridge

As a responsible investor, committed to sustainability, we focus first and foremost on key areas directly related to development and inclusiveness:

SME’s growth and job creation
Financial inclusion and especially women empowerment
Digital & innovation acceleration
Climate resilience and adaptation

Dr. Frannie Léautier, brings more than 25 years of financial services and portfolio management expertise. She actively contributes to global debates on development.