Niofar in discussion with a project sponsor

Why We Exist

Africa has the projects. We help make them investable.

Across African markets, serious industrial opportunities often stall not because the underlying business is weak, but because the project is not yet prepared for institutional diligence. Niofar works upstream with sponsors to identify what is missing, coordinate the right specialist input and prepare the opportunity for a credible financing process.

Why Being on the Ground Matters

A pitch deck never tells the whole story.

Site visits turn a presentation into a practical diagnosis. They allow us to understand the operational reality of a project before deciding what must be strengthened and which financing partners genuinely fit.

—Who actually owns and drives the project — and whether the team can execute.
—What already exists on site: assets, equipment and operating activity.
—Whether demand, customers and commercial agreements are real and evidenced.
—The status of land, permits, licences and execution constraints.
—Supply-chain, input and operating dependencies.
—Whether the financing requirement and use of funds match project reality.

On the Ground

We go where projects are being built.

Our work begins with direct engagement: site visits, working sessions with sponsors, and meetings with institutions and local partners. It is how we understand what actually sits behind a financing request.

Niofar Capital meeting with institutional partners

Our Annual Niofar Cycle

From origination to capital, in a clear sequence.

JAN–APR

New Project Applications

Applications are received and initially screened for strategic fit, sponsor credibility and financing need.

MAY

Roadshow

We select 2–3 priority countries and meet project owners directly on the ground.

JUN–JUL

Mandate Finalization

Scope, engagement terms and mandates are finalized with selected project owners.

AUG 1

Investor Readiness

Documentation, data rooms, financing logic and specialist gaps are addressed before investor engagement.

OCT

Capital Raising Begins

Capital raising opens around AFSIC and other targeted institutional investor meetings.

OCT–DEC

Targeted Investor Outreach

Introductions, meetings, information requests and diligence coordination continue through year-end.

Financing Partner Strategy

The right capital starts with mandate fit.

Institutions do not all invest the same way. Minimum ticket size, sector, geography, instrument, project stage, risk profile, tenor, currency and ESG or impact requirements vary significantly from one capital provider to another.

Current pipeline29qualified opportunities

Share of the current qualified pipeline by mandate count.

52%Infrastructure & logistics

Mandates typically US$100M+.

41%Manufacturing & processing

Mandates typically US$50M–US$100M.

7%Trade finance

Transactions typically US$2M–US$10M per 90-day cycle.

Depending on the mandate, relevant sources may include DFIs, commercial banks, debt funds, private equity, strategic investors, family offices, export credit agencies and guarantee providers.

Once a project is ready, we build a targeted shortlist, make introductions, coordinate investor meetings and information requests, support diligence and stay close to sponsor–financier discussions as commercial terms develop. We do not publish a list of financing partners: the value lies in matching the project to the financier’s actual mandate.

AFSIC 2026 Deal Shortlist

12 selected opportunities for our AFSIC conversations.

This shortlist reflects the current working portfolio selected for AFSIC 2026. Readiness and mandate status vary by project; inclusion here does not mean every opportunity is already finance-ready or under a final Niofar mandate.

Our Team

The Team Behind Niofar Capital

Danielle Elisabeth Ciribassi

Founder & Managing Director

Dakar, Senegal

Danielle Ciribassi is the Founder and Principal of Niofar Capital and Founder of Niofar Consulting. She has more than 15 years of experience across African economic development, international trade, cross-border business development, project preparation and access to finance. Her work in Africa began in 2009 in rural Senegal, working with a microfinance institution supporting women entrepreneurs and agricultural producers. That early exposure to the relationship between access to capital and economic opportunity has remained a consistent thread throughout her career. In Washington, D.C., Danielle managed multimillion-dollar international economic-development programs before founding the U.S.-Africa Chamber of Commerce. There, she built commercial and investment linkages between African businesses and U.S. partners. Her subsequent work in international logistics and business development added direct experience in cross-border trade, supply chains and private-sector expansion. After returning to Senegal, she founded Niofar Consulting in 2018 to provide companies with practical, on-the-ground support in African markets. Through that work, she repeatedly encountered promising African businesses and industrial projects constrained not by a lack of opportunity, but by gaps in preparation, structure and access to appropriate capital. Niofar Capital grew from that experience. Today, Danielle leads the firm’s deal origination, project assessment and preparation, financing strategy, and engagement with institutional and private capital partners. Her work combines local operating experience with an understanding of international financing requirements—helping bridge the distance between promising African projects and the capital needed to build them.

Koffi Anani Agbedanou

Finance & Operations

Dakar, Senegal

Koffi supports Niofar’s financial and operational work across project preparation and execution. His responsibilities span financial analysis and management, data analysis, business intelligence, administration and operational coordination. Drawing on Niofar’s broader experience supporting companies and projects across African markets, he helps organize the financial and operational information required to assess opportunities, coordinate mandates and keep project workstreams moving. At Niofar Capital, he works closely with the Managing Director and project partners to support financial review, internal coordination and the day-to-day execution behind investment-readiness and capital-raising mandates.

Project Partners