LONDON, Oct. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Enko Capital, the Africa-focused alternative asset manager with US$1.3 billion in assets under management (AUM), today announced the first close of its impact focused private credit strategy (the Fund), raising US$100 million toward its target of US$150 million at final close, with a hard cap of US$200 million.

Investors in the first close include British International Investment (BII), the UK's development finance institution; IFC, a member of the World Bank Group; SICOM Global Fund Limited; one of Africa's leading asset managers; a European impact investor; alongside African pension funds and family offices.

The Fund provides US dollar-denominated private credit to mid-market companies across Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on established, cash-generating businesses in non-cyclical sectors such as agriculture, telecommunications, manufacturing, renewable energy, and financial services. By offering flexible, tailored financing to well-managed enterprises often underserved by traditional lenders, the Fund seeks to address the structural credit gap facing mid-sized African firms and to demonstrate the commercial potential of private credit on the continent.

Leslie Maasdorp, Chief Executive Officer at BII, said:

"Our commitment to the Enko Impact Credit Fund reflects BII's belief in the commercial potential of private credit in Africa and its role in closing the financing gap for mid-sized businesses. By anchoring the fund's first close, our aim is to send a strong signal ...