ROBERTA ANNAN – Founder and Managing Partner Impact Fund for African Creatives

Recognized as one of Africa’s foremost creative economy supporters, Roberta Annan has built an impressive track record and played a key role in providing support, funding, infrastructure and capacity building opportunities to African creatives and emerging talents through African Fashion Foundation, a non-governmental organization she set up in 2011.

Ms. Annan is a Ghanaian businesswoman and the founder of the African Fashion Foundation. She is also an investor, philanthropist, and a United Nations Environment Programme Goodwill Ambassador. Annan was the youngest African to be inducted into the African Leadership Hall of Fame. A graduate of Carleton University and Georgetown University, Annan began her career with an internship at the U.N. headquarters in New York City. Annan is the owner of Annan Capital Partners, an investment company in Sub-Saharan Africa, and ALDG, a portfolio of assets in sustainable hospitality, agribusiness, and sustainable luxury in Africa.

Education

Annan attended the SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College. She graduated Summa Cum Laude in Biochemistry from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and earned a master’s degree in Biotechnology from Georgetown University. She also completed two modules of the Program for Leadership Development at the Harvard Business School.

Career

Annan, who speaks both English and the Akan dialect, worked as Research Analyst Intern at the University of Giessen and with multi-nationals like Athgo International and MAP International between 2005 and 2007.

In 2008, Annan joined the United Nations as an intern and later became a consultant for the UN, mobilising funds and resources for UN projects worldwide. In 2012, she founded Roberta Annan Consulting, re-branded to Annan Capital Partners in 2016 after two years with LJ Africa Advisors.

In 2017, Annan was appointed the Senior Market Liaison for Fieldstone Africa where she led on business strategy and marketing. She has served on boards including The Frallain Group, Industrie Africa, Women’s Empowerment and Investment Group, and Ghana France Business Club. She was an adviser to The Rose of Sharon Foundation, by Nigerian business magnate, Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija and The European Commission Devco Steering Committee for the International Colloquium for the Creative Economy.

Roberta Annan is an advisory council member of the prestigious Condé Nast College of Fashion and Design. She works alongside Edward Enninful, Victoria Beckham, Naomi Campbell, Suzy Menkes and Sarah Mower.

In 2011, Annan founded the Africa Fashion Foundation (AFF) to support Africa’s growing fashion industry. The African Fashion Foundation (formerly Africa Fashion Fund), empowers fashion designers and creative professionals from Africa and its diaspora to succeed in the global fashion industry.  AFF has become a leading resource and trusted strategic partner for both African brands and mainstream luxury brands through a variety of initiatives. These include a fellowship programme that took standout African designers and brands such as Kenneth Ize to an international audience via partners such as LVMH; designer Pappa Oppong’s work with US retailer Macy’s as well as other initiatives such the first-ever Creative Industry Retreat.

She is the co-founder of the Impact Fund for African Creatives (IFFAC), a €100 million impact investment fund aimed at supporting Africa’s creative and lifestyle industries.

Over the years, she has built strategic partnerships with internationally recognized institutions such as Vogue Talents (Scouting for Africa), Ethical Fashion Initiative (EFI), ITC among others.

An award-winning entrepreneur, Roberta has been featured on several international platforms and such as Concordia Summit, Private Equity Africa Summit, The Global African Investment Summit New York Forum Africa, New York Forum Africa, Impact Investment Forum Africa 2021, Ethical Fashion Podcast, Bella Naija Digital Summit among others.

She has also been featured on international media platforms such as Forbes, the HuffingtonPost, Financial Times WWD, Bella Naija among others.

Roberta Annan Consulting was also a franchise owner of the Miss Universe Pageant from 2011 to 2015.

Fund raising and philanthropy

Annan has been recognised for fundraising projects including the €100 Million Funds for African Creatives in partnership with UN-ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative.

Annan Capital also raised funds through engagement with High-net-worth individuals, corporations and foundations for both non-profit and for-profit initiatives projects from $6MM to $100MM.

Under the African Foundation Kayayei Initiative, Annan and other Ghanaian women including Ophelia Crossland, Torlowei and Velma Owusu-Bempah trained head porters known as Kayayei in fashion and millinery.

During the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in Ghana, WEIG in partnership with Annan Capital Partners and GUBA, launched the COVID-19 Stimulus Fund, offering financial prizes to support and invest in female-led enterprises in Ghana.

Awards and recognitions

Annan is a member of the Young President Organization (YPO) and currently the UNEP Goodwill Ambassador for the Creative Economy, ’20 under 40 Influential Business Leaders in Ghana’, the “40 under 40 Influential Business Leaders in Consulting” and the “100 Young Influential Africans”, “Youngest African ever to be inducted into the African Leadership Hall of Fame”.

Annan spoke at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development round table panel discussion with Isabelle Durant, Deputy Secretary-General of UNCTAD; Mahendra Siregar, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia and Marisa Henderson, Head of UNCTAD Creative Economy.

Roberta has received several accolades for her work in impact investing, philanthropy, advocacy among others. Roberta is committed to raising the economic potential of Africa through investments in capacity building, creative arts, technology, and infrastructure. She sits on the board of the Frallain Group, Industrie Africa, Women’s Empowerment and Investment Group (WEIG), and Ghana France Business Club. Roberta draws from her wealth of experience across various markets globally while using her extensive network to help startup entrepreneurs bring their ideas to the market and scale globally. Her interests span mentorship, funding startups, and investing in infrastructure for the creative economy. Roberta is involved in conversations on socio-economic issues in Africa including women empowerment, entrepreneurship and youth unemployment.

Source: edwardasare.com / Wikipedia.com