Staff Writer

UK finance development institution CDC has committed $20m to one of the largest agri-business private equity funds in Africa. CDC hopes the move stimulates fundraising in the sector.

The state’s $15bn oil and gas endowment has established a 10% real return allocation, which could include investments in timber and infrastructure, and has begun to look for an investment officer to direct the real return group.

The US firm has made its first investment in Australia, backing Victoria-based fruit and vegetables producer The Costa Group.

The Canadian fund manager has committed a $10m loan to the Jordan-India Fertilizer Company to finance construction of a new $186m plant in Jordan that will produce fertilizer for the Indian market.

The US government’s development finance institution has provided commitments in the form of senior loans to five funds that focus on agriculture in Africa and renewable energies in Asia.

Sierra Leone is forecast to become a “renewable energy hub” in Africa as seven organisations sign up to €133m of debt financing for an integrated renewable energy and agriculture project.

A New York investment firm is busy educating investors on the opportunity in water. Alexandra Atiya meets its co-founders to find out more.

The Australian sovereign wealth fund continues to increase its exposure to real estate, private equity and infrastructure, according to its Q1 2011 portfolio update. Future Fund’s infra and timberland assets increased by A$562m in the first three months of the year.

The Toronto-based asset manager attracted $330m for its first private investment fund focused exclusively on agricultural land. The Brookfield Brazil 'AgriLand' Fund aims to make money by buying up pasture lands in Brazil and converting them to crops.

To tackle the growing water crisis the world is facing, we need to look for new and innovative ways in which the private sector can help to improve the management and delivery of this precious resource, the IFC’s Jane Jamieson and Vipul Bhagat argue.