Wale Ajayi

Wale Ajayi is the Regional Investment Specialist for East and Southern Africa and serves as Head of Office in Uganda. A British national, he brings extensive experience in international finance and investment. He recently completed an Executive MBA from the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, holds an MSc in Investment Analysis from the University of Stirling, an MSc in International Business from the University of Hertfordshire (UK), and a BSc in Agricultural Economics from FUNAAB, Nigeria.

Wale is responsible for structuring and mobilizing private capital for Sustainable Development Goal-aligned investments across Eastern and Southern Africa, as well as the Arab States.

Before joining UNCDF, Wale was a Vice President at Crédit Agricole’s Fund Solutions Group, where he led complex transactions across private equity, real estate, infrastructure, and private credit. He also held senior corporate and investment banking roles at Bank of China and HSBC in London. His work focused on financing transactions for mid-market businesses, non-bank financial institutions, and private capital asset managers, while integrating ESG-aligned financing solutions across the EMEA region.

Earlier in his career, Wale supported technical assistance (Fund for Africa Private Sector Assistance) and investment initiatives at the African Development Bank, contributing to programs aimed at expanding access to finance for financial institutions, SMEs, infrastructure development, and climate-resilient growth across Africa. Wale has built extensive banking and capital markets expertise across Europe and Africa, specializing in origination, risk assessment, structured finance, and portfolio management, and working closely with financial institutions, development finance institutions, and development partners.