“We have opened our first regional office in Nairobi, Kenya. This marks a significant milestone for us, as we expand into Africa and endeavour to bring blended finance data, intelligence, and deal flow to more institutions around the world,” stated Joan Larrea, CEO of Convergence. “Having a presence in the region also supports our efforts to round out our membership and encourage deal sponsors from every market to bring their blended finance opportunities to our platform.”

The office will be headed by our Africa Region Representative, Ladé Araba, a development finance professional with over 16 years of experience.

Ladé is uniquely suited for the job, having previously served as Technical Adviser to the former Minister of Finance of Nigeria and Head of the Ministry’s Strategic Monitoring Unit. She was also an Adviser in the Power Sector Team at the Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (NIAF). As the Technical Adviser to the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Ladé advised on financing regional infrastructure projects and promoting intra-African trade. Finally, Ladé has ample experience executing deals as a Senior Investment Officer at the African Development Bank.

In addition to the Nairobi office, Convergence also has a presence in Washington, DC and is headquartered in Toronto.