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British International Investment

DFI
United Kingdom
iSustain score 97Moderate· 3–6 months

UK development finance institution investing in productive, sustainable and inclusive African businesses.

Geographic focus

Latin America & Caribbean
North Africa
Pacific Islands
Pan-African
South Asia
Southeast Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa

Sector appetite

Renewable Energy
Energy Access
Financial Institutions
Financial Inclusion
Agribusiness
Infrastructure
Digital Infrastructure
Health
Manufacturing
Climate Adaptation
Climate Mitigation

Finance instruments

Debt
Equity
Mezzanine
Guarantees
Fund Investments
Technical Assistance
Catalytic Capital

Project stages

Seed
Early Growth
Development
Growth
Construction
Expansion
Operational
Scale-up

Typical ticket size

$1m – $100m

Readiness requirements

Audited accounts, ESG action plan, credible management team

Partnership preferences

Direct investments and fund commitments

Contact

enquiries@bii.co.uk

iSustain relevance score

  • Regional focus & relevance30/30
  • Access & contactability25/25
  • Financing programmes & instruments — 2 open or rolling12/15
  • Instrument breadth15/15
  • Data freshness15/15

Weighted 0–100: Africa focus 30, access & contactability 25, live windows 15, instrument breadth 15, data freshness 15.

Access difficulty

Moderate· 3–6 months

Direct approach possible; published application route; minimum ticket $5m+.

  • Counterparty requirement — Direct counterparty0/5
  • Application process — Published application route0/3
  • Ticket floor — Minimum ticket $5m+2/3
  • Readiness burden — 1 readiness requirements identified0/2
  • Internal approval process — Investment committee process1/2

A rating of how hard this capital is to reach — not a prediction of whether an application will succeed. Built from the counterparty required, the published application route, the minimum ticket, the readiness evidence expected and the internal approval process.

Institutional provider · also a direct investor

Zimbabwe agriculture: start with the local lending partner

BII’s September 2026 announcement includes a $50m programme commitment through CABS ($30m) and NMB Zimbabwe ($20m). For this programme, businesses approach the banks for borrower eligibility rather than treating BII as the local loan application desk.

Bank-level commitments are not individual tickets. Some components were planned; confirm deployment and terms. BII also invests directly under other mandates.

CABS ZimbabweNMB Bank ZimbabweRead the deal structure
Official source

Instruments & programmes

What a client can actually approach this organisation for, and how access works.

BII Catalyst Strategies

Fund Window
Catalytic Capital
Open

Higher-risk, flexible capital for pioneering climate, fragile-state and gender-focused investments.

Access route

By invitation / relationship

Ticket size

$2m – $25m — $2m–$25m

Geographic focus

Latin America & Caribbean
Sub-Saharan Africa
South Asia
Southeast Asia
Pacific Islands
Pan-African
North Africa

Sector focus

Climate Adaptation
Climate Tech
Financial Inclusion

Project stages

Seed
Early Growth
Growth

Eligibility

Pioneering business models where commercial capital is not yet available.

How to access

Engage BII Catalyst team directly.

BII Direct Investment (Debt & Equity)

Facility
Equity
Open

Direct equity, debt and mezzanine into African businesses, with a commitment that 30% of new commitments are climate finance.

Access route

Direct application

Ticket size

$5m – $100m — $5m–$100m+

Geographic focus

Latin America & Caribbean
Sub-Saharan Africa
South Asia
Southeast Asia
Pacific Islands
Pan-African
North Africa

Sector focus

Renewable Energy
Infrastructure
Financial Services
Agribusiness
Health

Project stages

Growth
Scale-up

Eligibility

Businesses in BII's markets meeting impact and ESG standards.

How to access

Contact BII's Africa investment team through the website.

BII Direct Investment & Climate Finance

Facility
Equity
Rolling

UK development finance institution capital — direct equity, debt, intermediated funds and guarantees — for businesses and infrastructure across Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia, with a strong climate mandate.

Access route

Direct application

Ticket size

— — Typically $5m–$100m

Geographic focus

Sub-Saharan Africa
South Asia
Southeast Asia
Pan-African

Sector focus

Renewable Energy
Financial Institutions
Agribusiness
Health
Digital Infrastructure

Project stages

Growth
Scale-up
Expansion

Eligibility

Companies and funds operating in BII's eligible geographies meeting its ESG and impact standards.

How to access

Approach the relevant BII sector or country team with a business plan and financing need.

Related capital sources

Other funders with an overlapping mandate.

Browse by theme in the finance guides.

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