Africa50 appoints former IFC regional director Cheick-Oumar Sylla as CEO

Africa50, the specialist African infrastructure investor, has appointed former International Finance Corporation (IFC) regional director Cheick-Oumar Sylla as Chief Executive Officer of its Project Development Fund.

Sylla will lead the organisation’s efforts to convert African infrastructure needs into bankable investment opportunities.

The appointment, announced on Tuesday, September 1, positions Sylla at the centre of Africa50’s 2030 roadmap as the organisation seeks to strengthen its project development platform and build a pipeline of investment-ready infrastructure projects capable of attracting African institutional capital and global investors.

What they are saying

Africa50 Group CEO Alain Ebobissé said the appointment reflects how central project development has become to the organisation’s broader ambition to scale infrastructure investment across Africa.

• “Project Development is central to Africa50’s next phase of growth and to our ambition to significantly scale infrastructure investment across the continent. By working alongside governments to translate their infrastructure priorities into bankable, investment-ready projects, we can build a stronger pipeline of opportunities capable of attracting African institutional capital and global investors,” Ebobissé said.
• “Cheick-Oumar brings the depth of project development, investment and public-private sector experience needed to help us scale this capability. His leadership will be instrumental as we accelerate project development from concept to bankability and ultimately bring more investable infrastructure opportunities to market,” he added.

Sylla described project development as the core mechanism through which Africa50 creates investable infrastructure, framing his appointment as an opportunity to accelerate that process as the organisation enters its next phase of growth.

• “Project Development is the engine of Africa50’s model. It is how we turn infrastructure needs into bankable opportunities. As the organisation enters its next phase of growth, I am honoured to step into this role. I look forward to maintaining momentum and building innovative and sustainable infrastructure projects that support the continent’s growth,” he said.

Sylla’s track record

Sylla brings more than 30 years of leadership experience spanning infrastructure investment, project development, development finance and private-sector growth across Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

• At the IFC, he served as Regional Director for North Africa and the Horn of Africa, where he led the corporation’s investment and advisory operations across the region.
• He previously served as Principal Investment Officer for Africa Infrastructure and Natural Resources and as Regional Manager for the Horn of Africa, where he played a role in expanding IFC’s investment pipeline and presence in some of the continent’s most complex markets.

Before joining the IFC, Sylla held senior executive positions at ContourGlobal, where he led the company’s Africa growth strategy. He also held senior positions at the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) and several African companies across infrastructure, corporate finance and business development.

Get up to speed

Africa50’s latest appointment comes as the infrastructure investor expands its project development capacity and mobilises fresh institutional capital for infrastructure projects across Africa.

• In August 2026, Africa50 secured $50 million from international development finance institutions to support early-stage investment in climate-resilient infrastructure projects across Africa.
• Days later, Africa50 announced a $20 million commitment from British International Investment to its Infrastructure Acceleration Fund, taking total commitments to approximately $330 million.

The organisation also announced partnerships covering electricity transmission, LNG and healthcare infrastructure in Tanzania, expanding its project development activities across key infrastructure sectors.

What you should know

Africa50’s push to expand its project development capacity comes as the continent faces a broader challenge in infrastructure financing: channelling more global capital into African infrastructure and productive sectors.

In May 2026, Nairametrics reported that less than 2.7% of the roughly $4 trillion managed by global institutional investors is allocated to Africa’s infrastructure and productive sectors, according to the African Development Bank (AfDB).

The bank said Africa also faces an annual development financing shortfall of more than $1.3 trillion, underscoring the gap between the capital available globally and the funding reaching the continent.