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About Us
AGF is a Pan-African financial institution that promotes economic development, increases employment and reduces poverty in Africa by providing financial institutions with guarantees and other financial products specifically intended to support Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in Africa.
History
AGF was established in 2011 by the Government of Denmark (represented by DANIDA), the Government of Spain (represented by AECID) and the African Development Bank (AFDB), with a mandate of facilitating access to finance for SMEs to enable them fully play their role of driving the growth of African economies.
In 2015, four years after its founding, AGF concluded its first external growth operations with the acquisition of the Guarantee Fund for Private Investment in Africa (GARI Fund) for an amount of 35 million USD. At the end of this operation, the French Development Agency (AFD) became AGF’s fourth shareholder.
In 2016, the Nordic Development Fund (NDF) became AGF’s fifth shareholder. Under the leadership of NDF, AGF launched a Green Guarantee Facility to unlock financing for SMEs that invest in or market low-carbon technologies.
In 2017, Fitch Ratings assigned an AA- rating to AGF making it the first Guarantee Fund in Africa to receive such a rating. With the exception of the African Development Bank’s AAA rating, no financial institution based in Africa is assigned such a high rating.
In 2018, the Danish Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU) and the German group KfW became AGF’s sixth and seventh shareholders respectively.
Vision & Mission
To be the leading non-bank financial institution which meets Africa’s financing provider’s needs, effectively serving SMEs while maintaining our uncompromised principal as we grow.
Workforce Diversity & Inclusion
AGF is a multi-cultural environment that brings together people of diverse backgrounds and talents.
We believe the term “diversity” incorporates all the characteristics that make us both alike and unique – our backgrounds, cultures, nationalities, lifestyles, identities, points of view, approaches to solving problems, ways of working, and views of personal and career success.
Our commitment to diversity is a business imperative tied directly to the nature of our organization, our work and our future success.
Equal Opportunity Employer
AGF is an equal opportunity employer that offers opportunities to all job seekers including those with disabilities and the less privileged in the society and encourages the employment and promotion of suitably qualified and experienced women, especially for senior posts.
AGF does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, color, disability, gender or religion.
Open roles with African Guarantee Fund are displayed here. To view our roles across Africa, please click the button below.
AGF acknowledges that training and development opportunities can contribute significantly to staff satisfaction and impact the retention of staff.
AGF recognizes that its success lies in staff possessing the knowledge, skills and competencies required to maximize their performance and contribution to the achievement of AGF’s strategic objectives. AGF is therefore committed to supporting the development of our staff by providing training in a cost effective and efficient manner that meets both the business needs of AGF and the professional development needs of each staff member.
AGF offers a regionally competitive salary with an excellent benefits package. AGF prides itself on its collegial, supportive and gender sensitive working environment and believes that staff diversity promotes excellence.
African Guarantee Fund’s Corporate Social Responsibility mission is to contribute to the social and economic development of the community. Through a series of interventions, we seek to support the economically, physically and socially challenged groups and to draw them into the cycle of growth, development and empowerment. Our strategy is to integrate our activities in community development, social responsibility and environmental responsibility. We strive to include these in our CSR interventions whether directly or in partnership with Corporates, Non-Governmental Organisations of repute or any other organization as the shareholders deem fit. AGF is grateful to the society for the support and encouragement towards its growth and development and believes that no organization can make sustainable development without patronage from the society. We see ourselves as beneficiaries of this diverse environment, hence our desire to give back.
Jules has over 15 years of experience in banking and financial services with leading financial institutions. Prior to his current role, he was the Group Deputy CEO of African Guarantee Fund. Jules worked for over 8 years at Barclays Capital, the investment banking division of Barclays PLC, in various roles including rates strategist, rates trader and treasury vice-president.
In his latest position, he focused on the management of the Group’s liquidity, interest rates risk and foreign exchange risk in their balance sheet and the implementation of their internal funding curves and transfer pricing.
A Cameroonian national, Jules is a graduate of ENSAE (Paris) in statistics and economics and of ESSEC Business School in Paris. He also holds a Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of Paris Dauphine in France. Jules is passionate about leveraging financial innovation to support sustainable development and financial inclusion.
Constant N’zi
Constant has over 15 years of Risk experience in Financial Services and Investment Banking with great exposure having worked in Africa and Europe. Prior to joining AGF, Constant was working for Natixis Paris as a Risk Management Consultant before which he worked in various companies including BPCE Group, Lyxor Asset Management and Société Générale in various capacities in Risk department. He also has an entrepreneurial experience, having founded and managed Sunze Technologie, a company operating in Solar Energy and Energy efficiency. Constant is a bilingual French and Ivorian National. He holds a Master of Business Administration with a major in finance from ESSEC Business School in France and a Master’s degree in Statistics and Economics from ENSEA (School of Statistics and Economics) in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire).
Daisy Wanjie
Group Chief Finance Officer
Daisy Wanjie has extensive experience in banking, financial services and auditing. Her skills range from managing financial accounts, developing and allocating budget, financial reporting and forecasting. Prior to her current role, she was the Group Chief Accountant. She was in charge of accounting services, creating growth plans, making financial projections, maintaining operating budgets and monitoring financial activities. Daisy was previously working in the banking industry in charge of Finance and Administration. She has also worked as both an external and internal auditor. She holds a Masters in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from the University of Nairobi.
Nishdeep Sethi
With over 13 years of experience in the financial sector, Nishdeep’s current role focuses on structuring transactions with various partners, fundraising and project management. Additionally, she oversees the implementation of the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa – Guarantee for Growth program (AFAWA G4G) which aims to enhance the capacity of financial institutions to address the needs of women entrepreneurs. Prior to joining African Guarantee Fund, Nishdeep was the Head of Wealth Products at Standard Chartered Bank. She has received several accolades during her career, including, a global award for her contribution to product development and change management. She holds a master’s degree in International Business and Entrepreneurship from the European Business School and a bachelor’s degree in Development Economics and International Development from Towson University. Nishdeep is passionate about Africa’s economic growth and the role of women entrepreneurs in advancing the continent’s growth; she envisions a world where equal-based financial opportunities are provided to all Small and Medium Enterprises and works towards mobilizing partnerships to achieve this.
Franck is an accomplished Financial Services Professional with 19 years of extensive experience in Business Development, Strategic Planning & Execution, Innovation & New Product Development. Prior to his current role, he was the Managing Director of AGF West Africa.
A Beninese national, Franck holds a Master’s Degree in Marketing & Management from the Institut Supérieur Européen de Gestion (France), a Master’s Degree in E-business & Strategy from Grenoble Graduate School of Business (France) and a FinTech Certificate from Said Business School, University of Oxford. Franck has a passion for FinTech Entrepreneurship and Investment as well as Sustainable Development initiatives in Africa.
Allan Akoko
Group Director of Human Resources
Allan is an experienced Human Resources professional with over 19 years of experience in providing tailored HR solutions and strategic advice to businesses of all sizes. He has a proven track record of developing and implementing effective HR strategies, processes and policies that enable organizations to achieve their long-term objectives. Prior to his current role, he was the Country Cluster HR Senior Manager at Citibank N.A., Kenya where he provided support to the East Africa franchise. His expertise covers a wide range of areas including Talent Management, Human Capital Risk Management, HR Project Management, Change Management, Third Party Risk Management, Employee Relations, Learning and Development, Benefits and Compensation. A Kenyan national, Allan holds a Global Executive Master’s of Business Administration from United States International University, Nairobi/ Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, A Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management from Moi University and a Bachelor of Arts degree (Economics Majors) from University of Nairobi. He is an accredited Executive Coach and a Full Member of the Institute of Human Resource Management of Kenya.
Ali Ballo
Group Chief Internal Controller
Ali has extensive experience in auditing across several financial and non-financial sectors, gained with the Big Four audit firms. His main areas of expertise include: auditing, compliance, finance & accounting, processes optimization, and control systems. Prior to his current role, he was the Senior Internal Controller at African Guarantee Fund. Before joining AGF, Ali was an Audit Supervisor at Deloitte, based in Cote d’Ivoire, in charge of the agro-industry sector. He has previously worked at Ernst & Young as a Senior Financial Auditor, based in Cote d’Ivoire, and at Société Africaine de Plantations d’Hévéas (SAPH) an affiliate of SIFCA Group. An Ivorian national, Ali is a graduate with a Master of Science in Finance, Marketing & Management from ESCA Business School and a Business English Certificate from the University Of Brighton, England.
Juneid Kodabux
Juneid is a Barrister-at-Law and has been called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2008 and to the Bar of Mauritius in 2009. Prior to joining AGF, he was a senior associate in a top-tier law firm in Mauritius and was involved in both the corporate and litigation fields. He has been actively involved in the global business sector in Mauritius and in relation to company secretarial duties. He advised on the setting up and operations of collective investment schemes and private equity funds in Mauritius with a focus on Africa and was the legal adviser holding directorships in various global business companies and funds in Mauritius. Juneid is a Mauritian citizen. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Law from the University of Birmingham (UK) and also successfully completed the Bar Vocational Course before being called at the Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn in London, England.
Group CEO’s Advisor
Yves has been a director at more than 10 companies around the world including Commercial Banks, Development Banks, Central Banks, Airlines and Real Estate Companies. He has served as Africa Director and Regional Director East Africa both at AFD (French Development Agency), Diplomat at French Foreign Affairs Ministry, Deputy CEO at Air Afrique and General auditor at Arthur Andersen. Yves holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from ESSEC Business School and is a Chartered Certified Accountant.
Working at AGF
We recognise that our staff is the most important resource and is key to the achievement of the organisation’s objectives. The achievement of AGF strategic objectives is dependent on having the right number of staff with the right knowledge, skills and competencies deployed in the right roles.
By joining our team, you choose to work in a Pan-African environment with the best, highly qualified professionals of diverse cultures while pursuing a progressive career path with learning and development as an integral part of your career. We are committed to employing and retaining the best talent in Africa.
The official languages of AGF are English and French.