About Us

Engineered to be a unique provider of growth capital, Growth Investment Partners Zambia (“GIP Zambia”) has been custom-built to deploy partnership capital to Zambian Companies.

How we came to be

Following establishment of Growth Investment Partners Ghana (“GIP Ghana”), in Feb 2023 British International Investment Plc (“BII”) commenced the setting-up of GIP Zambia, working off the GIP Ghana blueprint and tailoring the company, operating model and product offering to the Zambian landscape. This included extensive outreach validating the products with Zambia SMEs and commissioning an independent commercial due diligence on the SME segment.

Capital Mobilisation

Two like-minded long-term institutional investors, Swedfund International AB (“Swedfund”) and National Pensions Authority (“NAPSA”), joined BII in the initial investor group.
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Launch

GIP Zambia was incorporated on 15 July 2024 and is licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). It was officially launched as a business on 15 July 2025.

Feb 2023

Incubation

BII and GIP CEO partner to frame the problem and design the institution’s blueprint

Nov 2023

Design

Create a business operating model built for Zambian landscape

Jul 2024

Creation

Incorporate GIP commence hiring directors, investment committee members and management

Jul 2025

Launch

GIP licensed by SEC in June and launched by The President on 15 July 2025

GIP Zambia is a truly unique funding mechanism

Established to

  • Provide innovative products and business support services to increase capital access & unlock growth
  • Fund predominantly in local currency for broad access
  • Use flexible features to share in risk-reward
  • Provide knowledge capital via business support services

Outcomes

  • Scaling enterprises and creating employment
  • Generating a return for our investors
  • Increases sources of capital for businesses
  • Increasing access to black-owned and led businesses
  • Increasing access to female-led & owned businesses

Structured to help our companies scale and our communities thrive

A Truly local entity

Designed for the Zambian SME and predominantly funding in local currency.

The GIP team has been providing growth capital in Zambia since 1995. Simply put: no investment partner on the market comes with more experience.

Successful business growth is when the right strategy and team meets the right blend of funding and business support.

As a permanent capital vehicle, GIP has been established to be an enduring partner in your long term growth journey.

The Board of Directors

Joseph Chikolwa

Board Chair

Mukwandi Chibesakunda

Non-executive Director

Dirk Holshausen

Non-executive Director

Musonda Chipalo

CEO & Director

Basil Nundwe

Investment Committee Chair

Regina Mulenga

Investment Committee Member

Charles Carey

Investment Committee Member

Keegan Ziady

Investment Committee Observer

The team

Diana Mkonda

Head of Investments

Mbela Mtamboh

Head of Finance and Operations

Crispin Daka

Investment Manager

Our anchor shareholder | British international investment

BII brings over 75 years of experience financing businesses across Africa

Swedfund

  • Swedfund is Sweden’s development finance institution with the mission of fighting poverty through sustainable investments. Through its work it contributes to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement. Swedfund has two tools at its hands: investments in the private sector and to finance feasibility studies in the public sector.
  • Swedfund invests to contribute to more jobs with decent working conditions and increased access to essential products and services, as well as in climate measures to support a green transition and in financial inclusion. The majority of Swedfund’s investments are in Africa south of Sahara.
  • Through technical feasibility studies and capacity-building initiatives in the public sector, Swedfund lays the foundation for more sustainable and investable infrastructure projects.

NAPSA’s Mandate

  • The National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) was established by an Act of Parliament, the National Pension Scheme (NPS) Act Number 40 of 1996.
  • NAPSA’s mandate is to provide social security to all workers in Zambia, ensuring they live dignified lives, post-retirement. It achieves this by collecting member contributions, which are prudently invested in various sectors of the economy for returns and growth of the fund. This ensures the scheme’s sustained ability to pay meaningful benefits to its members. The scheme also plays a critical role of contributing to national economic development through its investments.
  • The Authority’s investment activities are guided by the Investment Regulations in Statutory Instrument No.19 (SI-19 of 2017) and other supporting policy documents.
  • The Authority’s Investment Strategic Plan is aligned to the Country’s Vision 2030, influenced by the critical role that NAPSA plays in the economy and in society at large, of improving the livelihood of the people.

The UK’s Development Finance Institution and impact investor with over 75 years of experience supporting private sector growth and innovation.

Provides long-term and flexible capital with investments in over 1,500 businesses in emerging economies and total net assets of c. £8.5 billion.

Invests across a broad range of sectors that drive job creation, stimulate productivity and advance sustainable development in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. Is a founding member of the 2X Challenge, which has raised over $33 billion to empower women’s economic development.

Has a long history in Zambia and played a pioneering role in supporting private equity funds – launched its first sub-Saharan fund (Ghana Venture Capital Fund) in 1992.

A growing portfolio in Africa of over $130 million invested across 37 companies in a range of sectors including financial services, agriculture, infrastructure, manufacturing and more.

Excluded Activities are:

  1. Forced Labour or child labour1;
  2. the mining or extracting of precious metals and other geological materials (but excluding services to companies engaged in such activities);
  3. the production of, or trade in:
    • (i) hazardous chemicals, pharmaceuticals, pesticides and wastes, as specified in the 2004 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants; the 2004 Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides/herbicides in International Trade; the 1992 Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal and WHO Recommended Classification of Pesticides by Hazard Class 1a (extremely hazardous); or 1b (highly hazardous);
    • (ii) ozone depleting substances, as specified in the 1999 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer;
    • (iii) endangered or protected wildlife or wildlife products, as specified in the 1975 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species or Wild Flora and Fauna;
    • (iv) any other product or activity deemed illegal under applicable local or national laws or regulations or subject to internationally agreed phase-outs or bans as defined in global conventions and agreements;
    • (v) arms (i.e. weapons, munitions or nuclear products, primarily designated for military purposes); or
    • (vi) radioactive materials (excluding medical equipment, quality control (measurement) equipment, civilian power generation and any equipment in which the radioactive source could reasonably be considered to be trivial or adequately shielded);
  4. the production of, use of, or trade in unbonded asbestos fibres;
  5. unsustainable fishing methods such as blast fishing and drift net fishing in the marine environment using nets in excess of 2.5 kilometres in length;
  6. pornography or prostitution;
  7. any of the following, to the extent that the activities represent more than 10% of the Group’s underlying portfolio volumes:
    • (i) gambling, gaming casinos and equivalent enterprises;
    • (ii) tobacco or tobacco related products (except where the Group proposes to cease such activities completely within a period agreed with the ‘A’ Investors); and
  8. Destruction2 of High Conservation Value areas3
  9. Racist and/or anti-democratic media

Additional Excluded Activities means any of the following activities:

  1. speculative and/or unregulated use of cryptocurrencies;
  2. AI where it poses “unacceptable risk” as defined in the EU AI Act 2021;
  3. social media targeting children and other vulnerable people, and dating apps;
  4. products and services primarily designed for national security and intelligence services (e.g., NSO Group) where there is a reasonable risk of human rights abuses;
  5. any business if alcoholic beverages (except beer and wine) represent a substantial portion of such business;
  6. animal and human cloning; or
  7. prisons and detention centres.

Excluded Healthcare Activities means:

  1. any facility dedicated to high end cosmetic procedures and/or surgeries; or
  2. any private multi-specialty hospital that does not satisfy at least one of the Hospital Investment Criteria (as defined below).

The Hospital Investment Criteria shall be deemed satisfied if, at the date of the investment, the private multi-specialty hospital either significantly serves or demonstrates an intention to serve: (i) patients in the target segment of government payor public schemes; or (ii) patients living on US$ 8.00 or less per day. Investments in single specialty hospitals, and primary and secondary care chains are not subject to the Hospital Investment Criteria.

Excluded Education Activities means companies that are primarily involved in private, fee-charging schools that provide education from kindergarten (or equivalent) to the final year prior to tertiary level education, or companies that Primarily provide educational services to private, fee-charging schools such that they resemble private fee-charging schools (Barred K-12 Activity).

Primarily for purposes of the paragraph above is defined as where (i) for companies, more than 10% of its consolidated balance sheet or earnings, or (ii) for financial institutions, more than 10% of its portfolio volumes, comes from a Barred K-12 Activity.

 


 

  • 1 Persons may only be employed if they are at least 14 years old, as defined in the ILO Fundamental Human Rights Conventions
    (Minimum Age Convention C138, Art. 2), unless local legislation specifies compulsory school attendance or the minimum age for
    working. In such cases the higher age shall apply.
  • 2 Destruction means the (1) elimination or severe diminution of the integrity of an area caused by a major, long-term change in land or water use or (2) modification of a habitat in such a way that the area’s ability to maintain its role is lost.
  • 3 High Conservation Value (HCV) areas are defined as natural habitats where these values are considered to be of outstanding significance or critical importance (See http://www.hcvnetwork.org).