Operating model
Convener, funder, advisor.
SAIIF sits between funders and beneficiaries with a specific job: turn operational and program funding into impact capital, deployed with specialised local expertise.
Funders and Investors
Operational and program funding, plus impact capital.
SAIIF
Convener, funder, and advisor. Routes capital to where it works.
Savannah Alternative Investment Fund
Direct investing and a fund-of-funds structure, built for the African market.
Structure to be confirmed.
Beneficiaries
Select West African enterprises, with gender-lens selection.
Funders and Investors
Operational and program funding, plus impact capital.
SAIIF
Convener, funder, and advisor. Routes capital to where it works.
Savannah Alternative Investment Fund
Direct investing and a fund-of-funds structure, built for the African market.
Structure to be confirmed.
Beneficiaries
Select West African enterprises, with gender-lens selection.
Bridge finance
Where the flow needs to move faster than fund timelines allow, SAIIF provides bridge finance into the SAIF and out to beneficiaries, so a good deal does not stall on the calendar.
The Savannah advantage
Why this model works for West Africa.
Specialised, local expertise
We are not parachuting in. The institute is built on a deep understanding of West African finance, regulation, and the realities of running a business in this region.
Centralised, end-to-end financing
Origination, structuring, advisory, and deployment under one roof. Efficient for partners, accountable for results.
Strong linkage to impact
Capital is routed through a gender lens and tied to measurable outcomes, not to vanity metrics.
Inside the institute
Three streams of work, one institute.
Advise and Fund, Research and Learn, Connect and Lead. The three focus areas are not silos. They feed each other.
Capital and advisory work go together. We do not invest where the ground has not been prepared.
Our research is grounded in what we are doing in the portfolio, not in abstractions.
Convening and advocacy carry the institute beyond its own portfolio into the wider ecosystem.