Djalal Khimdjee appointed CEO of the Africa50 Principal Investment Fund

What the report says

The Independent Uganda reports that Africa50 has named Djalal Khimdjee as chief executive officer of the Africa50 Principal Investment Fund, previously known as Africa50 Project Finance. The appointment is scheduled to take effect on Aug. 1, 2026. Africa50 is described as a specialist investor focused on infrastructure across the continent.

According to the report, Khimdjee will oversee the fund’s next stage of expansion, with a mandate to grow a disciplined investment platform that seeks sustainable financial returns while supporting infrastructure development and broader economic transformation in Africa. The appointment comes as Africa50 says it is increasing its role in developing and investing in projects intended to reduce the continent’s infrastructure deficit and attract long-term institutional capital.

Khimdjee joins from Proparco, the private-sector financing arm of the French Development Agency Group, where he served as deputy chief executive officer. The Independent says that during his eight years there, he worked on strategy execution, investment delivery and portfolio management, and that annual investments rose from €1.4 billion to €2.5 billion while assets under management increased from €5 billion to €7.5 billion.

The report adds that Khimdjee has more than 25 years of experience in infrastructure investment, development finance and executive leadership, including earlier roles within the AFD Group and the International Finance Corporation. Africa50 Group CEO Alain Ebobissé welcomed the appointment, citing Khimdjee’s investment background and experience mobilising capital for infrastructure in Africa and other emerging markets. The development matters because infrastructure financing remains a major constraint on growth in many African economies, while also drawing interest from development finance institutions and institutional investors.