timbuktoo’s Joanne Manda on building Africa’s innovation engine from within

African investors accounted for 45% of total venture fund commitments in 2025, up from an average of 23% between 2022 and 2024, according to the African Private Capital Association. 

It is the highest domestic participation rate the continent has recorded. For Joanne Manda, timbuktoo’s Global Lead, it is evidence of a deeper shift in how Africans think about their own economies. 

“We…