President and Managing Director of Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), Samaila Zubairu, has disclosed that Africa has an estimated $4 trillion in domestic capital resources that can be strategically harnessed to fast-track the continent’s infrastructure development and economic transformation.

Speaking at the Afreximbank Annual Meetings in Abuja, Zubairu stressed that with the right regulatory framework and investment structures, Africa can finance its own future without excessive dependence on foreign aid or external debt.

He explained that beyond the figure, an additional $1.1 trillion lies within the non-bank financial sector, which can also be mobilised through targeted regulatory reforms.

According to him, Africa must urgently create clear pathways for directing these vast domestic funds into private equity, venture capital, and long-term infrastructure projects that deliver real impact on the ground.

Zubairu noted that while the capital exists, the missing link is an enabling environment that supports its effective deployment.

“What we need is not more capital from abroad, but the ability to invest the capital we already have in sectors that can drive growth, create jobs, and build resilience,” he said.

He stressed that Africa’s ability to de-risk investments, citing the InfraCredit model, is proof that scalable deployment of local capital is achievable when innovative frameworks are in place.

He warned that waiting on foreign investment to lead the way will only delay Africa’s progress, noting that Africa must first develop its own capacity, which will naturally attract global investors.

He added, “Foreign capital follows local capital. Foreign aid alone cannot build the Africa we want. We must catalyse our own resources — pension funds, sovereign wealth, insurance capital — and redirect them into roads, ports, power, healthcare, and industrial infrastructure.”

Despite growing institutional wealth and a maturing financial ecosystem across the continent, Zubairu pointed out that much of Africa’s capital is still invested offshore or left idle due to weak financial intermediation, policy inconsistencies, and low investor confidence.

He lamented that capital is not flowing into the private sector at the scale necessary to spark broad-based economic growth.

“This must change,” he asserted, adding that unlocking this capital is essential to meeting the continent’s job creation and industrialisation goals.

He called for urgent reforms that will strengthen governance, improve macroeconomic stability, and introduce innovative financial instruments that reduce investment risk while attracting local investors.

Zubairu emphasised that governments must work closely with the private sector to put in place strong regulatory incentives and risk-sharing mechanisms to accelerate the flow of capital into high-impact sectors.

According to him, Africa is in a unique position to chart its own course if it can mobilise its internal resources effectively.

He pointed out that doing so will not only reduce vulnerability to global market shocks but also empower African nations to shape a development agenda driven by and for Africans.

“We don’t have a capital shortage, we have a deployment problem. With courage, clarity, and collaboration, we can unlock Africa’s own financial power and build the future we deserve,” Zubairu said.