Next week, the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School will host the 4th edition of the Africa Venture Finance Programme (AVFP), a flagship initiative shaping the future of venture capital (VC) on the continent. The programme, launched in 2022, has already trained more than 120 fund managers, and this year will see 43 African VC leaders gather for a week-long, in-person course.
David van Dijk, who leads the Boost Africa Technical Assistance (TA) program, announced on LinkedIn:
“Next week, we will host the 4th edition of the Africa Venture Finance Programme (AVFP) at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. We are bringing together 43 African VC fund managers for a week-long, in-person course specifically designed for fund managers investing in early and growth-stage technology companies in Africa.”
Knowledge exchange at the highest level
The course, led by Oxford academics, is designed to strengthen Africa’s venture ecosystem by focusing on peer-to-peer knowledge exchange, best practices and capacity building. Participants will also engage directly with limited partners (LPs) during a dedicated day, bringing together institutional and private capital to discuss collaboration opportunities.
European development finance institutions (DFIs), including the European Investment Bank (EIB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), British International Investment (BII), KfW, Proparco and BPI France will be joined by global family offices such as Ceniarth, Blue Orchard and the Small Foundation.
Notably, this year’s cohort will also feature African and regional fund-of-fund investors, including MSMEDA, Startup Tunisia, the Public Investment Corporation and the Arab Fund.
Hard truths for venture capital
In parallel with the AVFP, a working session titled “Hard Truth – Smart Fixes” will convene three leading VC figures, Khaled Ben Jilani of AfricInvest, Ido Sum of TLcom and Tidjane Deme of Partech. Together with LPs, they will address the core question of what it takes to make venture capital succeed in Africa and how to provide better support for promising founders.
Van Dijk explained: “Boost Africa and AfricaGrow aim to play a catalytic role in the emerging African start-up ecosystem by investing in and supporting VC funds. This week at Oxford Saïd Business School provides a platform for African VC managers to come together, exchange knowledge and explore the latest thinking and practices in venture funding.”
Strategic backers
The Africa Venture Finance Programme is part of the wider Boost Africa initiative, which is spearheaded by the EIB and provides both financial and technical support to VC funds across the continent. The programme is run in partnership with AfricaGrow, financed by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through KfW. Technical assistance is delivered by Adam Smith International.
The initiative reflects Europe’s growing alignment with Africa’s entrepreneurial ambitions. For DFIs, strengthening venture capital capacity is seen as a lever for accelerating growth in technology sectors that could transform African economies from fintech to climate tech.
A roll call of Africa’s VC players
This year’s Oxford gathering will bring together a formidable lineup of funds: Speedinvest, Knife Capital, Norrsken22, Chui Ventures, TLcom Capital LLP, 500 Global, BREEGA, Equitable Ventures, 4DX Ventures, Sawari Ventures, Kalys Ventures, Lightrock, Kazana Fund, P1 Ventures, Hlayisani Capital, Future Africa, Launch Africa Ventures, Endeavor, First Circle Capital, Seedstars Africa Ventures, FrontEnd Ventures, VestedWorld, Partech, HealthCap Africa, Ventures Platform Fund, Catalyst Fund, Novastar Ventures, Lateral Frontiers VC and the Climate Resilience Fund.
As African startups continue to attract global attention, initiatives like AVFP are filling a critical gap developing homegrown fund managers capable of navigating the challenges of venture capital on the continent.
By convening Africa’s next generation of VC leaders in Oxford alongside global LPs and DFIs, the programme signals a commitment to building not only capital flows but also the skills and networks that will underpin Africa’s innovation-driven growth.
