Meet 40-year-old Ghanaian investor who launched $115-million fund to invest in African fashion

Roberta Annan is a force to be reckoned with in the world of African business. At just 40 years old, this Ghanaian businesswoman and serial investor has already made a significant impact on the continent, earning her a place in the African Leadership Hall of Fame.

Annan began her career as a research analyst intern at the University of Giessen and with multinational corporations such as Athgo International and MAP International shortly after receiving a master’s degree in biotechnology from Georgetown University.

Her background also includes a stint at the UN as an intern in 2008 and later as a consultant, where she raised funds and resources for UN projects around the world. She has also advised The Rose of Sharon Foundation, founded by Nigerian business magnate Folorunsho Alakija, and the European Commission’s Devco Steering Committee for the International Colloquium for the Creative Economy.

In 2011, Annan founded Roberta Annan Consulting, later rebranded as Annan Capital Partners (ACP). Her goal was to bridge the gap between investors and impact investment opportunities in Africa.

She also founded Africa Fashion Foundation to support the growing fashion industry on the continent, recognizing the need for new ideas and the fact that the creative potential of Africans had long been ignored or wasted in Europe and the United States.

Despite her expertise and understanding of the potential of African entrepreneurs, Annan initially had no track record to prove it. So, she launched both her consulting business and the fashion foundation with her own personal funds. But her hard work and dedication have paid off, and ten years later, she has launched a €100-million ($115.8 million) fund to invest in small- and medium-sized businesses in Africa’s creative and fashion sectors.

This groundbreaking move has made headlines across the continent and has cemented Annan’s reputation as a trailblazer in the world of African business. The investment, which is expected to accelerate growth in Africa’s creative sector, was provided by ACP’s Impact Fund for African Creatives, an impact investment and reverse alternative investment fund based in Luxembourg.

Through the fund, ACP has begun awarding grants of up to €50,000 ($57,900) to selected projects to support African professionals with the skills, networks, and capital needed to reach a global audience. The fund has already deployed capital of more than $3 million into a number of businesses since its launch in 2021.

Annan’s dedication to supporting small businesses and the growth of the fashion industry on the African continent is truly admirable.

Through her work with ACP and the Africa Fashion Foundation, she hopes to play a formative role in expanding the social capital of African countries and contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, while promoting inclusive growth in these economies.