By
Citizen Reporter
Published on: November 04, 2025 07:29 (EAT)
Dr. Frank Aswani, CEO of AVPA (Far right) and partners of the Coalition for Mental Health Investment (CMHI), who include the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), the Wellcome Trust, Kokoro, and the McKinsey Health Institute. PHOTO|COURTESY
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The Africa Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA) has launched
the continent’s first Catalytic Pooled Fund to drive investment in mental
health, marking a major step toward unlocking private capital for one of
Africa’s most underfunded social priorities.
The announcement was made on Monday as AVPA opened its 2025 Annual
Conference at the Trademark Hotel in Nairobi, bringing together more than 400
delegates from over 30 countries. The three-day event is themed ‘Driving
Sustainable Investments and Innovations for Resilient Growth.’
The fund, launched in partnership with the Coalition for
Mental Health Investment (CMHI) – a group that includes the Clinton Global
Initiative (CGI), the Wellcome Trust, Kokoro, and the McKinsey Health Institute – aims to bridge the financing gap in mental health by mobilising catalytic capital
from philanthropies, impact investors, governments, foundations, and family
offices.
AVPA Chief Executive Officer Dr. Frank Aswani said the new
fund will provide flexible, patient, and risk-tolerant financing to test and
scale evidence-based programs across Africa.
“Mental health is not a peripheral issue; it is foundational
to economic productivity and social stability,” Dr Aswani said.
“Through our
partnership with the Coalition for Mental Health Investment and the launch of
this Catalytic Pooled Fund, AVPA is positioning mental health as an investable
priority, one that can deliver both social and economic dividends for Africa.”
The fund will also focus on leveraging technology and
empowering young people with 21st-century skills to grow what AVPA describes as
“the continent’s brain economy.”
During the same opening session, AVPA announced a
strengthened Memorandum of Understanding with the International Development
Innovation Alliance (IDIA), formalising a strategic partnership to mobilise new
sources of capital for innovation and expand blended finance models across
Africa.
Dr. Aswani said the collaboration with IDIA – a network of
more than 400 global innovation leaders – will build a “continuum of scaling
capital” for African innovators and enhance knowledge-sharing among funders.
“This partnership underscores our shared mission to advance
innovation as a pathway to sustainable development. By working with
IDIA’s global network, AVPA will help build stronger bridges between capital,
innovation, and impact, ensuring African-led solutions are scaled for global
change,” he said.
AVPA East Africa Board Chair Joseph Ogutu urged African
investors to take ownership of the continent’s development story.
“Africa’s development narrative has evolved from aid to
ownership. The Mental Health Catalytic Pooled Fund and our partnership with
IDIA demonstrate that African capital – financial, human, and intellectual – can and will lead the continent’s transformation,” he noted.
Among the keynote speakers was British A. Robinson,
Chair of Africa at the Milken Institute International, who spoke on the role of
philanthropy and private capital in driving inclusive growth.
Over the next three days, the Nairobi conference will
feature plenary sessions, technical workshops, and investor roundtables
exploring themes such as impact measurement, gender-lens investing,
climate-resilient finance, and the future of blended finance in Africa.
The meeting underscores AVPA’s growing influence as a
platform aligning diverse forms of capital with African-led priorities for
sustainable development.