Djalal Khimdjee brings more than 25 years of experience in infrastructure investment, development finance and executive leadership, having worked across Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America.
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Africa50 has appointed infrastructure finance veteran Djalal Khimdjee as CEO of its Africa50 Principal Investment Fund, effective from August 1, as the pan-African infrastructure investor seeks to expand its investment platform and accelerate funding for critical projects across the continent.
The appointment comes as Africa50 intensifies efforts to mobilise long-term institutional capital to help bridge Africa's infrastructure financing gap, which continues to constrain economic growth and development.
Africa50 is a specialist investor in African infrastructure, developing, de-risking and delivering projects to unlock economic growth across the continent.
Khimdjee brings more than 25 years of experience in infrastructure investment, development finance and executive leadership, having worked across Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America.
He joins Africa50 from Proparco, the private sector financing arm of the French Development Agency (AFD) Group, where he served as deputy chief executive officer for eight years. During his tenure, he helped drive the institution's growth, overseeing strategy execution, investment delivery and portfolio management.
Under his leadership, Proparco increased its annual investments from €1.4 billion to €2.5bn, while assets under management expanded from €5b21n to €7.5bn.
Before joining Proparco, Khimdjee held senior investment and leadership roles within the AFD Group and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), building extensive experience in financing infrastructure and private sector development projects across emerging markets.
In his new role, Khimdjee will oversee Africa50's principal investment fund as it enters its next phase of growth, with a focus on delivering sustainable financial returns while supporting infrastructure development across the continent.
Reflecting on his appointment, Khimdjee said Africa's infrastructure deficit remained one of the continent's greatest challenges but also represented a significant long-term investment opportunity.
"Africa's infrastructure gap is one of the defining challenges—and one of the most compelling investment opportunities of the coming decades," he said.
He added that he looked forward to working with shareholders, investors and development partners to accelerate transformative infrastructure projects capable of generating long-term economic impact.
Africa50 Group CEO Alain Ebobissé said Khimdjee's appointment strengthened the organisation's ambition to scale its investment platform and deepen partnerships with institutional investors.
"Djalal brings an exceptional combination of investment expertise, strategic vision, and extensive experience mobilising capital for infrastructure across Africa and emerging markets," Ebobissé said.
Africa50 said the appointment forms part of its strategy to strengthen its leadership as it expands investments in infrastructure projects aimed at improving the continent's competitiveness, resilience and long-term economic growth while attracting greater private sector participation.
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