Investment team

Afrotopia Capital’s investment team is made up of seasoned African specialists who are anchored locally, aware of the realities of the African business environment, passionate about the continent and imbued with a sense of cultural and intellectual intimacy with targeted markets.

Fabrice NDJODO

Founder and Managing Partner

Fabrice NDJODO

Previous experience in private equity, investment banking and equity research. He has covered more than EUR 2bn worth of transactions in private equity in Africa over his career.
Fabrice was Managing Director at Tana Africa Capital, an Africa-focused private equity firm based in Johannesburg and Abidjan with US$600m AUM and jointly owned by E. Oppenheimer & Son and Temasek Holdings.
Previously, Fabrice worked as Executive Director at Liquid Africa, a financial advisory firm focused on raising capital in sub-Saharan Africa and based in Johannesburg.
He also worked as Sell-Side Research Analyst for Macquarie First South Securities, based in Johannesburg.
Prior to this, he was Associate in the Corporate Finance Division of Macquarie USA in New York, and served as Investment Analyst for the International Finance Corporation (“IFC”), World Bank Group, in Washington, DC, focusing on projects in Europe, South America and Africa.
Fabrice holds a MSc in Finance and International Management from HEC Paris, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Magellan ATTOUNGBRE

Vice-President

Magellan ATTOUNGBRE

Previous experience in private equity, investment banking, infrastructure investment and commodities trade finance.
Magellan cofounded and managed Brownfield, an investment advisory and project development firm with a focus on infrastructure, property and energy in West Africa.
Before cofounding Brownfield, he worked as Investment Officer at ABREC Invest, an infrastructure fund manager that was owned by the African Biofuel and Renewable Energy Company (ABREC).
Previously, Magellan worked for the family’s business, Afrique Cacao, as a Manager in charge of Strategy and Business Development in North Africa and in Europe. His main focus was on restructuring operations and accelerating growth.
Prior to this, he worked in Mergers & Acquisitions in the oil and gas department at Credit Agricole CIB in Paris.
Magellan began his career at Foxtrot International LDC, a leading oil and gas exploration and production company that is a joint-venture between Cote d’Ivoire’s National Oil Company (PETROCI) and the family-owned French group, Bouygues, as an Engineer in charge of Cost Control and Internal Audit on strategic growth projects like infrastructure construction, fields acquisition and joint-ventures.
Magellan holds a MSc in Energy Management from ESCP Europe, and a MSc in Petroleum Engineering from INP-HB Yamoussoukro.
Magellan also holds a Certificate in Business & Entrepreneurship from Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management in Evanston, IL.

Jean Baptiste ENDOUGOU

Senior Associate

Jean Baptiste ENDOUGOU

Previous experience in private equity and investment banking.
Jean Baptiste was Senior Analyst at KeysFinance Partners, a financial advisory firm that is based in Abidjan and covers West and Central Africa.
Jean Baptiste started his career at SPE Capital, a pan-African investment fund based in Tunis and a spin-off from Swicorp.
Jean Baptiste holds a Master in Business Management with a major in Finance from Mediterranean School of Business of Tunis, and is a CFA Level II Candidate.

Advisory board

Danuta PIETER

Previous experience in philanthropy, ESG and impact, academic research and teaching.
Danuta has established a consultancy firm to help companies and entrepreneurs define their social impact and their sustainable development strategy.
She also teaches several courses at Sciences-Po Paris and at the University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland, on the topics of philanthropy and fundraising.
From 2009 to 2021, Danuta was the Chief Executive Officer of the Fondation des Hôpitaux de Paris - Hôpitaux de France, a leading non-profit organization, acting as facilitator for change and accelerator of innovation for patient care in public hospitals.
Previously, she was Manager at Engie (Suez Environment) where she ran the department of Know-how Transfer and specialized in Water for All programs in large metropolises across the world.
Prior to this, she was an Associate Researcher at the Centre for Geostrategic Studies of Ecole Normale Supérieure ULM in Paris.
Danuta holds a Master in Management from HEC Paris, a Master in International Relations from Sciences Po Paris, and a M.Eng. from Imperial College London.

Karim BEN SALAH

Previous experience in private equity, investment advisory, and operations and senior management in FMCG companies.
Karim has established a consultancy firm providing advisory, management services and C-suite support functions to investment holdings, private equity and venture capital-backed portfolio companies.
Prior to this, he co-founded Tell Group, an investment management and advisory firm focused on North Africa.
Prior to founding Tell, he established and headed the Saudi SME Fund, a USD 265m private equity and credit fund.
Earlier, he worked at Swicorp Private Equity (now SPE Capital) were he invested the Intaj I and Intaj II mid-cap growth funds dedicated to consumption-driven sectors and focused on the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey.
Prior to this, Karim held several senior management positions at Philip Morris International running regional operations and business divisions for the group in the United States, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.
Karim holds a Master’s degree in Economics and Social Sciences from University of Geneva.

Ziad DEBBAS

Previous experience in finance and management advisory, entrepreneurship, and family businesses’ operations and senior management.
Ziad is Senior Advisor with Alvarez & Marsal Middle East, advising and supporting companies in the MENA region on financial restructuring, operational turnaround and strategic transformation.
Previously, he was CEO of Debbas Group, a USD 200m centennial electrical engineering and energy management group based in Beirut, Lebanon and active in more than 15 countries in the Middle East, Africa and India.
He founded Coperon Technologies in 2001 in London, an innovator in content management software for complex and structured data.
He started his career at Arthur D. Little in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he advised more than 20 clients on strategy, performance improvement, organizational structure, industrial and real estate project feasibilities and M&A transactions.
Ziad holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from Concordia University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Bernard DE GERLACHE

Previous experience in investment banking, corporate operations and senior management, investment advisory and commercial banking.
Bernard is Managing Director of Belficor S.A., a firm specialized in mergers and takeovers, investments and business advisory.
He currently sits on the Boards of Belficor S.A., Editions Dupuis, ITB-TRADETECH S.A. and Trust Merchant Bank (Lubumbashi, DRC). He previously sat on various Boards of listed companies such as Texaf and Floridienne.
Previously, he worked as Managing Director of Sipef S.A., a Belgian agribusiness group listed on Euronext Brussels.
Prior to this, he was Managing Partner at the Discount Bank of Belgium.
He started his career at the Bank van Brussel and then moved to Benelux Bank.
He was the Chairman of the Belgo-African Chamber of Commerce, where he is still active as Honorary Chairman.
Bernard holds a Doctorate in Law from University of Louvain-la-Neuve and an MBA from Boston University.

Daouda SEMBENE

Previous experience in macro-economic policy, regulatory oversight of financial systems, public policy, international financial organizations and academic research.
Daouda is a Distinguished Non-Resident Fellow at the Center for Global Development, a leading think-thank on global macro-economic policies based in Washington DC.
He founded Sunu Bibliotech, a non-profit organization based in Senegal that aims to promote digital and social inclusion in local communities.
He worked as Senior Economic Advisor to the President of Senegal from 2018 to 2020.
Previously, he was Chief Financial Sector Regulator at the Ministry of Economy, Finance, and Planning in Senegal.
He also worked as Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) representing 23 African countries. During his tenure, he chaired the Executive Board Committee in charge of IMF collaboration with the World Bank Group, the United Nations, and other regional and international institutions.
Prior to this, Daouda served as Senior Advisor to the Minister of Economy, Finance, and Planning in Senegal. In that capacity, he was appointed as IMF and World Bank Alternate Governor for Senegal and sat on various Boards.
Before that, he took over various positions in the Research Department and the Independent Evaluation Office, and the Executive Board of IMF.
Daouda started his career at the World Bank in Washington DC, as part of a team of lecturers and researchers in the management of macroeconomic policies.
Daouda holds a Ph.D. in Development Economics from American University in Washington DC and a Master of Arts in Development Economics and International Economics from the George Washington University.