The latest close includes a $15 million senior facility provided by Ceniarth and a co-investor, expanding the fund’s capacity to lend to profitable, high-growth businesses across East, West, and Southern Africa.

Ceniarth committed $5 million to the senior loan in August 2026, while the unnamed co-investor supplied the remaining $10 million.

Ceniarth describes the combined facility as the fund’s expected primary debt, providing leverage that can help AHL deploy more capital and offer larger loans to its portfolio companies.

The fund is anchored by the AHL Foundation and is structured to draw capital from high-net-worth individuals, family offices, local asset managers, and foundations seeking exposure to African private credit.

It offers senior secured, mezzanine, and bridge loans ranging from $2 million to $10 million to businesses operating in sustainable food and agriculture, financial inclusion, and climate action.

AHL Venture Partners has advised the AHL Charitable Foundation since 2007, supporting investments in African businesses through debt, selected equity investments, and funds.

The firm sharpened its focus on private credit in 2020 and has since deployed more than $110 million in debt investments across the continent through the foundation and AHL-led syndications.

“Having spent years now working to mobilize capital into African impact investing, I’ve come to see the core problem differently,” said Rosanne Whalley, CEO of AHL Venture Partners.

“There are brilliant, high-growth businesses across the continent solving real problems. And there is genuine capital sitting with family offices, local asset managers and global allocators who want exposure to African private markets. But, there is a matching problem in finding a structure that works for both.”

The fund’s expansion comes as private debt gains a larger role in African private capital markets.

AVCA reported that private-debt deal volume in Africa rose 57% in 2025, reaching a record high, while fundraising across the wider private-capital market fell to $2.7 billion.

AHL’s effort to bring family offices and foundations into African credit markets could help broaden the investor base for businesses that need flexible growth financing but may not fit conventional bank lending requirements.