Dele Babade

Founder & CEO at AfriCapital

Chair

Mr. Dele Babade is the Founder and CEO of AfriCapital LLC New York and is a veteran investment banker and corporate finance executive with more than 30 years of experience in global financial institutions and cross-border advisory.

Holding Bachelors and Advanced Law degrees from the University of London and qualifications at both the Nigerian and English Bar (Lincoln’s Inn), as well as a specialisation in Corporate Finance Laws from UCL, Mr. Babade has built a distinguished career at the intersection of law and finance.

He began his career with Midland Montagu in London (now HSBC Investment Bank) before moving on to Citibank and Nomura International, where he took on leadership roles focused on Africa.

He was Head of Citibank's Sub-Saharan Africa Corporate Finance and Investment Banking practice in Johannesburg and also headed Ecobank Capital in London as CEO and sat on the Group Executive Committee of Ecobank Transnational.

From 2017 to 2019, Mr. Babade served as Senior Advisor to The Carlyle Group’s Sub-Saharan Africa team, guiding one of the largest U.S. private equity firms on investments and partnerships across the continent.

His extensive deal sheet includes major M&A and capital-raising transactions for leading corporations like MTN, De Beers, Heineken, and Shell.

He has held multiple high-level board roles, including Chairman of the Board at Africa Risk Capacity (ARC) and Chairman of Diamond Bank Plc. In 2020, he became the founding Managing Director/CEO of Greenwich Merchant Bank, shaping its early strategic direction.

Widely regarded as one of Africa’s foremost voices in investment banking and private equity, Mr. Babade brings a wealth of experience and insight to the SuperReturn Conference