Chris Chijiutomi has been appointed Head of Africa by British International Investment (BII), the UK’s development finance institution (DFI). Previously Head of Infrastructure Equity, Chijiutomi will now lead the DFI’s operations in Africa, working to further strengthen its presence across the continent. As part of his new function, Chijiutomi will build on the next phase of BII’s five-year strategy to increase climate and gender finance by facilitating investments to support African countries on their net zero pathway as well as leading the DFI’s efforts to drive inclusive growth, create partnerships with locally-owned businesses and increase investment in early-stage ventures. Chijiutomi joined BII in 2017 as Investment Director in the Infrastructure Equity team before going on to head the business and was promoted in 2022. He led a number of the impact investor’s landmark infrastructure investments, notably overseeing a joint venture with DP World to support the expansion and modernisation of ports and inland logistics in Africa, to accelerate the continent’s potential as global trading power. Chijiutomi also sits on the board of key BII investments including Globeleq, a key player in unlocking Africa’s renewable potential, and Gridworks, a pioneering development company he helped set up that invests in Africa’s electricity transmission and distribution networks. Prior to joining BII, Chijiutomi was a founding partner of a West Africa-focused Infra Fund based in Nigeria, where he oversaw investments in projects across the energy, water, wastewater, and transport sectors.
