A high-level delegation comprising board members from Kenya’s leading pension funds visited Europe at the end of May, with stops in the Netherlands, Denmark and Switzerland. The group, made up of Board Chairs, Directors and Board Members, gathered to exchange perspectives on pension fund governance, investment strategies and cross-border collaboration.

As part of the Swiss visit, an event was held at IMD in Lausanne, providing a platform for dialogue with European stakeholders. The delegation, organised by Finnet Trust and led by Executive Director Godwin Kibet Simba, engaged in discussions aimed at strengthening partnerships and exploring new investment opportunities.

During the Lausanne event, John Tidmarsh, Co-founder and CEO of VAI Capital and Partner at the Mobility Credit Fund, contributed to the programme, presenting the fund and extending an invitation to Building Bridges to participate in the discussion. Boris Le Montagner, Head of Strategic Projects at Building Bridges, who leads the Building Bridges for Investing in Africa programme, shared perspectives on fostering collaboration between African and European institutional investors. He was joined by Sasha Cisar, representing Nest Sammelstiftung, a Swiss ecological and ethical pension fund from our ecosystem, and Jon Duncan, Sustainable Finance and Green Economy advisor with extensive experience working with African pension funds and Swiss private banking, further reflecting the importance of multi-stakeholder engagement.

Discussions in Lausanne focused on strengthening investment collaboration between Swiss and Kenyan pension funds, highlighting growing interest from African pension funds in European investment opportunities and from European pension funds in opportunities across Africa.

The visit provided a valuable opportunity to deepen dialogue and explore potential avenues for long-term collaboration across regions around knowledge transfer and evolution of the regulation allowing larger allocation to alternative asset classes such as private markets and infrastructure.