New Forests, an Australian asset manager specialising in nature-based investments, has appointed a new Managing Director for Africa as it looks to expand its presence on the continent. Yida Kemoli will be based out of Nairobi, Kenya, and will lead the investment firm’s fundraising for forestry strategies in the region. He joins from Phatisa Group, a food and agriculture private equity group operating in sub-Saharan African. New Forests manages A$11.7 billion (£6.3 billion) worth of investments in sustainable timber, carbon finance projects, agriculture and timber processing across Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Africa and the US. “Africa represents a strategically important market for New Forests to continue to capitalise on the wealth of opportunities that exist across forestry in sub-Saharan Africa,” New Forests CEO Mark Rogers said, adding that Kemoli’s experience in the region would be “fundamental in contributing to the success of the business”. New Forests launched an African forestry strategy in 2022, with investment from British International Investment, Norfund, and Finnfund.
