Samuel Akyianu

Managing Director, Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund at MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates)

Speaker

Sam Akyianu brings over 25 years experience in designing, implementing, and leading the delivery of financial advisory solutions across Africa and Asia covering a variety of sectors such as agribusiness for export; SMEs; private education, health insurance and services, and Private Equity ("PE") funds. Samuel has also led PE and Venture Capital ("VC") Regulatory environment reviews, including assessments of Ecosystems for Start-ups, Entrepreneurs, and SMEs.

Samuel has worked with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) since 2006 and has held various roles including Global Lead, Regional Lead, and Sector lead. In his most recent role as Global Lead, Samuel managed the investment advisory for IFC’s global portfolio of SME Ventures funds. Working with an investment team Samuel is experienced in conducting limited partner due diligence of PE Funds, analysis, design, and implementation of technical assistance and grant programs for portfolio performance and compliance.

Prior to IFC, Samuel was a Director of Investment for TechnoServe where he managed a $10 million investment fund to sustain TechnoServe's operations and financing guarantees for SMEs. In this role, he also managed a team to deliver Business Development Services and Investment readiness/Business Plans for Agribusiness SMEs.