Infrastructure solutions provider Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has announced a commitment from the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) to its $750-million Infrastructure Climate Resilient Fund (ICRF).

The agreement, signed at the AFC's The Africa We Build Summit, in Nairobi, Kenya, on April 23, marks a significant step in scaling climate adaptation finance across Africa and underscores strengthening African institutional alignment around infrastructure as a catalyst for climate resilience, regional integration and long-term economic transformation.

Managed by AFC Capital Partners (ACP), the corporation's asset management subsidiary ICRF is a pioneering infrastructure fund designed to climate-proof Africa’s infrastructure by embedding resilience measures across the entire asset lifecycle – from planning and design through to construction and operation.

In a joint media release, AFC and the DBSA explain that the fund directly addresses a critical development challenge facing the continent, which is ensuring that infrastructure systems can withstand increasingly severe and unpredictable climate impacts.

The release notes that the DBSA’s commitment to ICRF reinforces growing African institutional alignment and momentum around climate-resilient infrastructure as a distinct and investable asset class.

The parties say that the Fund has already attracted strong participation from leading global and African institutional investors, including a $253-million commitment from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) – its largest equity investment in Africa to date –alongside the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and a host of African pension funds.

They express that the DBSA’s entry further strengthens the fund’s position as a pioneering vehicle for mobilising climate finance into transformative climate-resilient infrastructure across Africa.

ICRF is structured to attract both public and private capital into infrastructure projects that integrate climate resilience from the outset.

By combining concessional and commercial capital, the Fund addresses long-standing market barriers that have historically constrained investment in climate adaptation in Africa.

Through blended finance and targeted derisking mechanisms, the fund enables the integration of resilience measures that would otherwise be difficult to finance, thereby unlocking private capital at scale.

"ICRF is our response to a defining challenge, ensuring Africa’s infrastructure is built to withstand the growing impacts of climate change. With the continent losing an estimated 2% to 5% of GDP annually to climate shocks and adaptation needs reaching up to $50-billion each year, the urgency is clear,” says AFC president and CEO Samaila Zubairu.

“We are therefore pleased to welcome the DBSA as a key partner for the fund. Its participation reflects strong African institutional alignment and marks a significant milestone in a partnership we look forward to deepening in the years ahead”.

“Africa does not have the luxury of waiting. Climate shocks are outpacing adaptation finance, and vulnerable communities continue to bear the greatest burden,” adds DBSA CEO Boitumelo Mosako.

“This partnership with the AFC sends a clear signal that development finance institutions are pooling their mandates, capital, and risk appetite to achieve what neither institution can accomplish alone."

The fund brings together leading institutions including the DBSA, AFC and GCF, combining their expertise, capital and climate mandates to accelerate investment in climate-resilient infrastructure.

The parties express that the DBSA’s participation reflects its mandate to drive infrastructure-led development, support regional integration and mobilise private sector investment across Southern Africa, while contributing to broader continental climate adaptation and development objectives.

Explicitly designed to address the systemic risks posed by climate change to Africa’s infrastructure, the Fund targets investment into renewable energy, transport and logistics, digital infrastructure and industrial development – sectors central to enabling low-carbon economic growth across Africa while strengthening the resilience of the continent’s economic systems.

The media release explains that AFC Capital Partners’ investment strategy integrates both physical and transition climate risks, including exposure to extreme weather events, emissions pathways and climate governance considerations.

The parties note that each investment is subject to rigorous climate risk screening and assessment to ensure resilience is embedded from the outset and maintained across the full infrastructure lifecycle, setting a new benchmark for climate-resilient infrastructure delivery in Africa.

They express that the GCF plays a catalytic role through the provision of first-loss capital and technical assistance for climate risk assessment and monitoring, helping to derisk investments and crowd in additional institutional capital.

Through ICRF, AFC Capital Partners is expected to mobilise up to $3.7-billion in total financing, significantly scaling investment in climate-resilient infrastructure across Africa.

The fund is building a diversified portfolio of ten to 12 infrastructure projects across the continent, contributing to more resilient, connected and sustainable African economies.