As Africa navigates a rapidly shifting funding landscape, impact transparency has never been more critical. Global aid is declining, and traditional funding sources are under pressure. This shifting terrain compels us to answer a critical question: How can African economies pivot from aid dependency toward locally anchored, sustainable development models? This will be a defining conversation at the 2025 AVPA Conference in November.
Simultaneously, the global impact investing market is projected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2025 (GIIN), with Africa positioned as a high-growth destination for catalytic capital. Yet despite this potential, the continent receives less than 5% of global impact investment, a disparity driven not by lack of opportunity, but by weaknesses in impact reporting. Over 70% of investors operating in Africa cite inconsistent or unreliable impact data as a key challenge to scale.
Catalytic capital plays a transformative role in unlocking high-risk, high-impact opportunities, particularly in underserved sectors. But without credible, comparable, and transparent impact data, capital will remain on the sidelines. As one of the key themes for the 2025 AVPA Conference, we will explore how catalytic capital, when matched with robust impact measurement, becomes a cornerstone of resilience and inclusive growth.
Encouragingly, the tide is turning. In partnership with Impact Frontiers, AVPA hosted its Impact Reporting Masterclass, where we introduced The Impact Reporting Norms: a new framework designed to fill critical gaps in existing impact standards and guidelines. This effort will be further deepened through a four-part webinar series throughout 2025, starting on July 3rd, 2025, where fund managers, asset owners, and capital allocators will engage with the practical application of the Norms. The overwhelming response, with over 900 participants registered, reflects a growing recognition that impact reporting is no longer solely a donor or investor requirement, but a shared responsibility across the entire investment ecosystem.
New initiatives such as the Africa Impact Reporting Framework (AIRF), regulatory shifts, and digital tools like AI and blockchain are driving improvements in impact measurement, reducing costs, and enhancing transparency. Governments in Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa are now introducing tax incentives for enterprises with verified impact reports. These trends present a unique opportunity to mobilise Africa’s $1.8 trillion in dormant domestic capital, but only if we build the credibility and accountability investors demand.
As we move forward, strengthening impact reporting goes beyond compliance and sharing numbers—it is about fostering transparency and accountability in Africa’s investment landscape and creating clear data and insights to drive more investment in Africa. Robust, measurable metrics are essential to unlocking catalytic capital and ensuring that funding reaches the communities that need it most. By effectively capturing and communicating impact, organisations can build compelling narratives that drive trust and investment.
At AVPA, we believe that future-proofing Africa begins with building from within with transparency, leadership, and homegrown models of development. When we effectively measure and communicate our impact, we don’t just tell stories—we shape outcomes, build trust, and accelerate investment into the continent’s greatest asset: its people.
Join us this 3rd – 5th November 2025 in Nairobi for the 2025 AVPA Conference, where our speakers will unearth these and more pertinent themes in future-proofing Africa.
Visit www.avpaconference.africa and explore the full agenda, register, or partner with us.