⬆️Elizabeth Oguegbu(middle).
Elizabeth Oguegbu, Group Head, Financial Markets and Funding at Access Bank Plc, participated in a strategic roundtable at the Africa Financial Industry Summit (AFIS) 2026, focusing on innovative ways to channel institutional capital into Africa’s manufacturing and agro-processing sectors.
The session, titled “Engineering Manufacturing and Agro-processing PE Funds that Crowd in Institutional Capital,” examined how carefully designed private equity structures can overcome longstanding barriers and draw in long-term institutional investors. Discussions centred on creating investment vehicles that address the unique challenges of these productive sectors — including longer investment horizons, currency risks, and limited exit options — while unlocking capital to expand industrial capacity and accelerate economic growth across the continent.
AFIS 2026, held on 3–4 November in Luanda under the theme “Making Capital Count: Unlocking Growth Through African Finance,” brought together more than 1,250 financial leaders, regulators, central bank governors and development finance executives. Organised by Jeune Afrique Media Group in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and hosted by the Government of Angola, the summit highlighted the gap between Africa’s profitable financial institutions and the persistent shortage of capital flowing into the real economy.
Manufacturing and agro-processing remain critical yet underfunded pillars of Africa’s industrialisation agenda. Despite growth in private capital deal volumes on the continent, funding has disproportionately favoured fintech and technology sectors, leaving traditional industrial and value-addition activities short of patient capital. The roundtable explored practical solutions, including fund structures capable of attracting a portion of Africa’s substantial pension and insurance assets as anchor investors, the catalytic role of development finance institutions, and alternative exit pathways beyond traditional IPOs.
Oguegbu’s participation underscored Access Bank’s focus on structuring solutions that connect businesses with appropriate sources of capital and support sustainable growth. The bank has consistently emphasised the need for innovative financing approaches that match the scale and timeline of industrial projects, helping bridge the gap between available capital and viable investment opportunities in Africa’s productive sectors.
The conversations at AFIS 2026 reinforce a broader continental priority: converting domestic savings and institutional resources into investments that create jobs, strengthen value chains and drive inclusive industrial development.
By engineering private equity funds specifically tailored to manufacturing and agro-processing, stakeholders aim to crowd in the institutional capital required to scale these sectors and support Africa’s long-term economic transformation.