AFC was established in 2007 to be the catalyst for private sector-led infrastructure investment across Africa. AFC’s approach combines specialist industry expertise with a focus on financial and technical advisory, project structuring, project development, and risk capital to address Africa’s infrastructure development needs and drive sustainable economic growth.
Sixteen years on, AFC has developed a track record as the partner of choice in Africa for investing and delivering on instrumental, high-quality infrastructure assets that provide essential services in the core infrastructure sectors of power, natural resources, heavy industry, transport, and telecommunications. AFC has 42 member countries and has invested US$12.7 billion across Africa since inception.
Common Purpose is a leadership development organization that specializes in cross-boundary leadership. A not-for-profit, we run programmes in over 100 cities worldwide. Founded in 1989, we have over 125,000 alumni globally. Our leadership development programmes inspire and equip people to work across boundaries. This enables them to solve complex problems in organizations and in society.
In July 1988, Common Purpose founder Julia Middleton was working at the Industrial Society. While there, she came across details of an American community leadership programme which took a different approach to leadership development. Rather than focusing on management within teams, the US programme brought together leaders from different sectors and backgrounds, so that they would learn about their city and work better together.
Determined to take this idea and develop it for the UK, Julia resigned the very next day, and set about raising the initial funding for what became Common Purpose.
From the outset, she was insistent on maintaining Common Purpose as independent and non-aligned to any one funding organization, and this determination dictated approaches to a wide range of potential funders, right across the public and private sectors.