Dr Lelemba Phiri

Co-Founder & Partner at ATG Samata

Panellist

Dr Lelemba Phiri is an award-winning investor, development finance practitioner and entrepreneur with more than 20 years’ experience building, investing in and advising businesses across more than 10 African markets. She is Co-founder and Partner at ATG Samata, an investment platform backing high-growth businesses across Eastern and Southern Africa through innovative capital structures and gender-smart investment strategies. She previously founded Africa Trust Group, where she designed and deployed more than US$11 million into early-stage businesses while advising governments, development finance institutions and institutional investors on investment strategy, blended finance and market development.

Before becoming an investor, Lelemba held senior executive roles at Zoona, one of Africa’s leading fintech companies, where she led regional operations and market expansion across multiple African markets, bringing first-hand experience of scaling high-growth businesses.

She serves on several investment committees and boards across Africa, bringing governance, investment and operating experience to the deployment of venture, growth and catalytic capital. Lelemba is a Chartered Certified Accountant (FCCA) and holds a Master’s in Development Finance and a PhD in Business Management, specialising in entrepreneurial finance and capital allocation across African markets.