There is a growing appetite among the institutional investors to invest in infrastructure assets as they are looking to diversify their portfolios. Investment opportunities within African infrastructure sector can meet these expectations in terms of deal size and financial returns. However, multiple challenges still need to be addressed to multiply the investments in the region. The Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) play an important role as catalysts for investments, as the investors often appreciate their expertise and ‘political clout’ in new investments that are perceived risky. This paper analyses the potential opportunities for the MDBs, including the African Development Bank (AfDB), to engage with institutional investors to mobilize additional resources for Africa’s infrastructure development. AfDB’s Strategy and Operational Policies department conducted comprehensive phone interviews with a selected group of institutional investors and industry experts in order to understand investors’ preferences, investment strategies and their interest in collaborating with MDBs. Based on the discussion held with institutional investors, this paper suggests that the MDBs should strengthen their focus to develop solutions that aim to scale up their project preparation facilities, set up co-investment platforms, develop innovative risk mitigation instruments, support the governance and regulatory frameworks and continue to support domestic capital market development. JEL classification: F21, F33, G23

随着机构投资者寻求投资组合多元化，它们对投资基础设施资产的兴趣越来越大。在非洲基础设施领域的投资机会可以在交易规模和财务回报方面满足这些期望。然而，要增加对该地区的投资，还需要应对多重挑战。多边开发银行(MDBs)在促进投资方面发挥着重要作用，因为投资者往往欣赏它们在被认为具有风险的新投资方面的专业知识和“政治影响力”。本文分析了包括非洲开发银行(AfDB)在内的多边开发银行与机构投资者接触、为非洲基础设施发展调动额外资源的潜在机会。为了了解投资者的偏好、投资策略以及他们对与多边开发银行合作的兴趣，非洲开发银行的战略和运营政策部门对经过挑选的机构投资者和行业专家进行了全面的电话访谈。基于与机构投资者的讨论,本文表明了mdb应该加强他们的重点开发解决方案,旨在扩大他们的项目准备的设施,设立联合投资平台,开发创新的风险缓解工具,支持治理和监管框架和继续支持国内资本市场的发展。JEL分类:F21, F33, G23