Voices from the USAID Finance and Investment Network: MiDA Advisors
MiDA Advisors, a U.S.-based investment advisory firm, works with USAID INVEST to increase U.S. institutional investments in African infrastructure and markets. MiDA Advisors CEO Aymeric Saha discusses the firm’s mission, explains why private sector engagement matters for development outcomes, and offers advice for other firms seeking to work with USAID.
By Emily Langhorne, INVEST Communications Specialist
“We connect U.S. financial markets with African financial markets and U.S. institutional investors with opportunities in Africa,” explains Aymeric Saha, CEO of MiDA Advisors.
MiDA’s work began in 2017 under the grant-funded Mobilizing Institutional Investors to Develop Africa’s Infrastructure (MiDA) program, a partnership between USAID and the National Association of Securities Professionals. When the program concluded in 2019, some of its principals, including Saha, established MiDA Advisors, an investment advisory firm dedicated to continuing the program’s work.
“We started with a grant from USAID to work with U.S. pension funds, foundations, and endowments because they are long-term investors, and they invest with scale. By mobilizing them to invest into Africa’s infrastructure and private equity, we can create impact and help them further diversify,” says Saha, “Now, we’re part of the INVEST network, and as a subcontractor with INVEST, we are working on some very fascinating instruments in financial markets. The United States has the best and most innovative financial markets to provide long-term liquidity for development purposes. That is exactly what Africa needs. If you want to invest in infrastructure, power, water, and other vital assets for development, you need long-term capital provided at scale. We’re also working with African institutional investors — pension funds in Kenya and South Africa — and co-investing with them in those vital assets.”
Check out the video below to hear Saha share more about the importance of private sector engagement, his experience working with USAID INVEST, and his advice for other firms seeking to work with USAID.
