Fola Fagbule
Deputy Director & Head, Financial Advisory, Africa Finance Corporation (AFC)
Fola Fagbule is a senior banker focused on infrastructure in Africa. He currently serves as Deputy Director and Head of Financial Advisory with responsibility for corporate finance advisory, mergers, acquisitions, capital raising and other technical advisory assignments at the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC).
AFC is the leading infrastructure financing bank in Africa focused on private sector led projects. A multilateral financial institution, AFC was created by African sovereign states to provide pragmatic solutions to Africa’s infrastructure deficit and challenging operating environment, by developing and financing infrastructure, natural resources and industrial assets for the enhanced productivity and economic growth of African states.
At AFC, Fola’s team focuses on large infrastructure projects, companies, and investments across sub-Saharan Africa. Fola has worked at AFC in various roles since 2009 and is currently leading a team of bankers delivering corporate finance advice to various clients including governments, sovereign wealth funds, private funds, large corporates, private developers, state-owned enterprises, and central banks. Fola has previously served as a non-executive director representing AFC on the board of a diversified energy business operating in multiple African countries. He also represents AFC on the boards of directors of portfolio companies.
Prior to AFC, Fola worked as an investment banker at a securities and corporate finance advisory firm where he focused originally on mergers, acquisitions and capital raising; then subsequently was responsible for the investment research department.
Fola obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Lagos Business School and a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the University of Lagos. Fola has attended executive development courses and also spoken at leading international universities like Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, and Oxford.
A critically acclaimed writer, Fola is co-author of a popular pre-colonial history of Nigeria titled “Formation, The Making of Nigeria from Jihad to Amalgamation”, published by Cassava Republic Press.
Featured work
Getting to the crux of financing infrastructure in Africa
Bruegel, CGD, and JICA gathered experts to tackle obstacles to financing Africa's infrastructure, aiming to close a USD15 trillion gap by 2040