Oct 12, 2022
British International Investments (BII), the UK’s official
development finance agency, was the first organisation of its kind
when it was founded in 1948. It remains at the forefront of
international development finance, particularly for Africa, where
it deploys 70% of its $2-$4 billion of new capital every
year.
CEO
Nick O'Donohoe is a pioneer of impact investing, coming to BII
following stints in investment banking and the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation, and having co-founded Big Society Capital, the
world’s first social investment bank. He explains how BII fits into
the UK’s foreign policy in the context of Brexit and a shrinking
foreign aid and development budget.
He discusses priorities, illustrating how infrastructure and
technology are key to enabling Africa to exploit its enormous
entrepreneurial potential. He also touches on climate change,
outlining how BII’s commitment to achieving net zero across its
both portfolio and transactions will drive its engagement with the
continent’s clean energy transition.
The podcast takes a philosophical turn, with Nick and Desné
tackling the big questions of development, finance and investment.
What does it mean to be developed? What is the ‘right’ kind of
private sector? Must investments be large to be
transformational?
They finish with a discussion of social impact, gender and green
bonds. Nick sees huge progress in this space. Recalling the 1990s,
and even into the 2000s, he argues that there has been an explosion
in awareness of how investment can materially change development
outcomes.
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Credits
Host and executive producer: Dr Desné
Masie
Co-producer: Peter Doerrie
Research: Angus Chapman
Digital Editor: Charles
Dietz
Design: Jason Venkatasamy
Music: Corporate Uplifting Chill by
MusicLFiles