African Sovereign Wealth Funds on Impact SDGs: What’s next?
Financing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is one of the main priorities for the international community. However, concerns are spreading that funding is insufficient to support the massive effort required. As every actor must take responsibility for accelerating the SDG, the role and leadership of Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWF) demands analysis and review.
Well-managed SWFs can support delivery of the SDGs and broadening the mandate of SWFs to include sustainable investing is an essential lever to close the financing gaps to reach the SDGs. The long-term investment mission of SWFs eases the approximation of long-term problems that can be solved through SDG Impact projects.
An alliance established between IE University, the UN Joint SDG Fund (a UN flagship global fund that is supercharging the United Nations Development System around the world), and the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds launched an Initiative to connect SWFs with SDG Impact Investing. The Initiative is focused first on African SWFs but plans to expand to other regions in the future. The Initiative is launching the Second SWF SDG Conference during COP28 in Dubai. It represents a milestone to announce the first cohort of SDG Investment Council members. This Second SWF SDG Conference is built on the success of the COP27 Event in Sharm El-Sheikh back in November 2022, that gathered SWFs (Egypt, Morocco, Spain), global investors (BNP Paribas) and philanthropists, along with the Minister of Planning and Economic Development in Egypt.
Welcome and Opening Remarks
- Mr. David Crofts, Executive Director, Enterprise Risk Management, Mubadala, Abu Dhabi
Moderator
- Ms. Victoria Barbary, Director of Strategy and Communications, IFSWF
Panel
- Mr. Obaid Amrane, Chief Executive Officer, Ithmar Capital, Morocco
- Mr. Ayman Soliman, Chief Executive Officer at The Sovereign Fund of Egypt
- Mr. Aminu Umar-Sadiq, Managing Director & CEO, NSIA, Nigeria
- Mr. Rafael Matos, Head of Sustainability and Impact Investing, COFIDES
Fireside chat
- Mr. Eric Usher, Head of United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI)
- Ms. Constance Chalchat, Head of CIB Company Engagement & Global Markets Chief Sustainability Officer, BNP Paribas
Concluding remarks
- Dr. Javier Capapé, Director, Sovereign Wealth Research, Center for the Governance, IE University