EAVCA 2025 Annual Private Conference –

The EAVCA 9th annual

private capital

east africa

Conference

venue

Emara Ole-Sereni,

Nairobi, Kenya

date

3rd & 4th
September
2025

We Are Thrilled to Welcome You Back for the 9th Edition of the EAVCA Annual Private Capital Conference

HAPPENING IN

200

LPs in
attendance

4000

delegates

*consisting of GPs and Advisors

500

Entrepreneurs

What to expect

After a year of macroeconomic uncertainty, East Africa’s private capital industry has shown resilience. Investors focused on quality deals, supported existing portfolios, and adapted to shifting market dynamics — paving the way for cautious optimism. The region remains Africa’s most active startup ecosystem, attracting the majority of
capital raised since 2023. With signs of recovery, GPs are eyeing both mature markets and emerging frontiers like Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and the DRC.

Set against this backdrop, the 2025 EAVCA Annual Conference looks ahead to the trends, strategies, and shifts shaping the region’s investment future. It will explore the factors driving renewed investor confidence and what’s needed to unlock the next phase of growth.

Under the theme: East Africa Rising – Balancing Risk, Return, and Impact, the conference will delve into how stakeholders can navigate regulatory and geopolitical shifts, scale sustainably, and align profit with purpose. As East Africa’s premier private capital gathering, the event offers rich dialogue, strategic insights, and powerful networking among 400+ leaders — from fund managers and institutional investors to DFIs, policymakers, and business executives.

As the private capital industry enters a new cycle of growth, the 2025 conference aims to chart the course forward — drawing lessons from the past, refining what works, and embracing fresh thinking to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

click here to view more on the conference programme

Event and Where

PRE EVENTS

The Power Table

Roundtable Breakfast

LP Roundtable

GP Roundtable

The Power Table

Roundtable Breakfast

LP Roundtable

GP Roundtable

Speakers

view all Speakers

Who and What

Chief Guest

Keynote speaker

Tom Gitogo,
Bsc Eng, BFP, FCPA, FKIM, CPS, MBA.

Tom is an accomplished Financial Services Professional with a rich experience and diverse Background. He is the Group MD & CEO of British American Holdings PLC (Britam) and sits on several boards including CIB Bank and Housing Finance.

Highlights of the EAVCA Annual Private Capital Conferences

Agenda

what and where

Tue, 2nd September

Wed, 3rd September

Thur, 4th September

Tue, 2nd September

Time	Venue	Agenda
5:30 pm to 9:00 pm	Emara, Ole Sereni, Nairobi, Kenya	Women Investor Dinner Audience: Women investors only

Wed, 3rd September

Side Events: Roundtable Sessions

Morning

Time	Venue	Agenda
8:00 am to 12:00 pm	Capital Club	Breakfast Round Table Theme: Getting Deal Ready, Making Smarter Investment Calls In Partnership with: CDH Kenya

Time

Venue

Agenda

8:00 am to 12:00 pm

Capital Club

Breakfast Round Table

Theme: Getting Deal Ready, Making Smarter Investment Calls

In Partnership with: CDH Kenya

Afternoon

Time	Venue	Agenda
2:00 pm	Emara, Ole Sereni	Registration Begins
2:00 pm to 3:45 pm	Emara, Ole Sereni	LP-Only Roundtable Format: (invite-only) Audience: DFIs, Pension Funds, Family Offices, Sovereign Wealth Funds Agenda: Navigating New Frontiers: Local Capital, Building resilient portfolios, and the Future of Private Investment	GP-Only Roundtable Format: (invite-only) Audience: PE and VC GPs, Fund Managers Agenda: Staying Ahead: Lessons in Resilience, Innovation, and Capital Raising from Global GPs
3:45 pm to 4:00 pm		Health Break
4:00 pm to 5:30pm		LP and GP Session Format: (invite-only) Audience: GPs and LPs

Evening
Side-Event: Pre-Conference Networking Cocktail

Time	Venue	Agenda
5:30 pm to 9:00 pm	Emara, Ole Sereni	PE and VC Night Format: Informal Networking Session

Thur, 4th September

MAIN CONFERENCE DAY

Morning

Time	Agenda
7:00 am to 8:30 am	Advocacy Breakfast Topic: Beyond Changes in Regulation in East Africa Format: (invite-only)
7:30 am to 8:30 am	Registration of Guest

Main Stage

Time	Agenda
8:45 am to 8:50 am	Guest Welcome EAVCA CEO
8:50 am to 9:00 am	Welcome Remarks by EAVCA Board Chair
9:00 am to 9:25 am	Chief Guest Speaker Hon. FCPA John Mbadi Ng’ong’o Cabinet Secretary, The National Treasury (Kenya)
9:25 am to 9:555 am	Fireside discussion – with Keynote Speaker Tom Gitogo, Bsc Eng, BFP, FCPA, FKIM, CPS, MBA. Group MD & CEO of British American Holdings PLC (Britam)
9:55 am to 10:40 am	*Main Plenary I:* PE in Motion: Turning Market Shifts and Geopolitical Risks into Opportunities Navigating Fundraising Headwinds: Strategies for Sustained Capital Access Liquidity and Value Creation in a Complex Market Balancing ESG Commitments with Investment Capacity Adapting to Geopolitical and Macroeconomic Risks for Long-Term Growth
10:40 am to 10:55 am	Health Break
10:55 am to 11:40 am	The Rise of Debt as a Strategic Capital Tool in East Africa • Private credit is emerging as a key source of capital, with growing interest in structured debt, mezzanine, and blended finance. • Innovations in risk mitigation and local currency structuring are reducing exposure and attracting more debt investors. • There is a rising appetite among institutional investors—such as pension funds, DFIs, and banks—for participation in debt markets. • Debt is increasingly being used to finance development priorities including infrastructure, climate resilience, and SME growth.
11:40 am to 12:15pm	Entrepreneur Showcase
12:15 pm to 1:00 pm	*Main Plenary II:* Turning potential into performance: VC’s role in East Africa’s future Financing Growth in High-Impact Sectors: does VC in Africa need to change? A Hard Look at Business Viability: what makes a business truly vc-ready? Investing with Discipline and Filtering for Success: the case for greater rigor in African VC.
1:00 pm to 2:00 pm	Lunch Break

Afternoon

Time	Stage I	Stage II
2:00 pm to 2:45 pm	The Real Economy Play: Private Capital’s Role in Infrastructure & Assets Mobilizing private capital for energy, transport, digital infrastructure, and industrial growth across East Africa. Exploring the role of REITs, PPPs, and structured finance in unlocking funding for large-scale projects. Highlighting how private capital can enhance connectivity and efficiency in logistics, energy, and digital sectors. Identifying regulatory and financial innovations needed to attract greater investment in infrastructure.	Fund Domiciliation in Focus: A Case Study Perspective Offshore vs. Onshore Strategies for Private Capital Legal and tax considerations for fund managers investing in East Africa. How regulatory shifts are influencing fund domiciliation decisions. Illustrative examples of fund structures used by top-performing GPs.
2:45 pm to 3:30 pm	Unlocking the Vault: The Next Wave of Institutional Capital • Drawing global and local institutional investors through lessons from successful markets. • The growing role of DFI and Family offices in expanding the LP base and shaping capital flows. • Leveraging networks to manage risk and improve outcomes. • Catalyzing sustainable capital for regional growth.	Local Catalysts: The Rise of Angels, CVCs & Micro VCs • How early-stage investors are bridging capital gaps for startups. • New models in micro-VC funding and corporate venture arms. • Building pipeline for Series A and beyond: what role should these players serve? • Regulatory and ecosystem support needed to scale grassroots capital.
3:30 pm to 4:00 pm	Health Break
4:00 pm to 4:45 pm	Building Bridges: Regional Integration, Regulation & Cross-Border Capital Regulatory alignment to unlock regional investment flows. Cross-border collaboration among PE, VC, and LPs. Opportunities in harmonized fund frameworks and market access.	State-Led Capital: Lessons from African Sovereign and Pension Investors • Co-investments and fund commitments. • How sovereign LPs and pension funds are reshaping capital flows in Africa. • Models for collaboration between state institutions and private fund managers.