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The African Guarantee Fund (AGF) has appointed Constant N’ZI as Group Chief Executive Officer, effective 23 June 2026, following its 15th Annual General Meeting and Board Meeting.

N’ZI, who previously served as Deputy Group CEO and Group Chief Risk Officer, has been Interim Group CEO since February 2026. He brings more than 15 years’ leadership experience across financial services, banking, risk management, development finance, and stakeholder engagement. His appointment follows a rigorous selection process by the Board of Directors to identify a leader to guide AGF through its next phase of growth.

AGF said N’ZI’s appointment signals continuity, stability, and renewed momentum as the institution advances an ambitious capital mobilisation agenda to expand its guarantee capacity and support more small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Board Chairman Felix Bikpo welcomed the appointment, saying: “His extensive leadership experience and thorough knowledge of the Company, its mandate and the vision set by the Shareholders, make him exceptionally well placed to lead the Group into its next chapter. We are confident that under his leadership, the Group will continue to strengthen its market position as the number one guarantee fund in Africa.”

Accepting the role, N’ZI said he was “honoured and humbled” by the confidence placed in him. He pledged to build on AGF’s strong foundation, strengthen financial performance, mobilise additional capital, deepen partnerships with financial institutions, and ensure the Fund continues to deliver meaningful impact across Africa.

AGF is a pan-African non-bank financial institution dedicated to expanding SME access to finance. Through its guarantee products and capacity-development support for more than 250 partner financial institutions, AGF has unlocked more than $7 billion in financing for SMEs across 44 African countries, with a focus on job creation, inclusive growth, women-led businesses, green finance, and sustainable development.

Its shareholders and sponsors include the African Development Bank, German Development Bank, Impact Fund Denmark, the Governments of Denmark and Spain, the French Development Agency, Nordic Development Fund, PROPARCO, West African Development Bank, Global Affairs Canada, TechnoServe, Norad, Mastercard Foundation, and the African Intellectual Property Organisation.