Challenge:
Africa is home to 25% of the world’s biodiversity but receives less than 6% of global conservation financing. This disconnect leaves high-impact, on-the-ground conservation efforts underfunded and disconnected from capital markets.
Solution:
In response, Axum and partners launched BIRA, Africa’s first biodiversity accelerator. Initially funded by FSD Africa Investments and now incubated by SITU, BIRA is a coalition that includes the African Leadership University’s School of Wildlife Conservation, CreditNature, Xilva, and Axum. Together, the coalition supports nature-positive enterprises through pipeline development, ecosystem valuation, and innovative financing instruments.
BIRA includes several key components:
- The Accelerator: In its first cohort, BIRA supported ventures such as Kijani Pamoja in Tanzania and Upemba National Park in the DRC. These engagements helped unlock financing and supported one of Africa’s first biodiversity credit pilots. As of 2025, the accelerator has launched its next cohort with an expanded group of organizations.
- Funders’ Circle: A curated network of catalytic funders focused on biodiversity investment, particularly in hotspots like the Congo Basin.
- Buyers’ Club: Created with the Sustainable Finance Coalition, the Club connects corporates seeking nature-positive outcomes with project developers via biodiversity credits and payments.
- Communities of Practice: Peer-learning platforms focused on agroforestry, forests, and the blue economy.
- Executive Training: In partnership with ALU’s School of Wildlife Conservation, BIRA offers training for institutional actors to help unlock domestic capital pools.
Axum originated BIRA and plays a central orchestration role. We provide business development and investment advisory services for accelerator ventures, lead engagements with funders, and support the design of financing mechanisms such as biodiversity credits and investment certificates in partnership with CreditNature. We also contribute to shaping broader market architecture to build a credible pipeline of nature-based investments aligned with African and global priorities.
Impact:
BIRA is bridging the gap between conservation practice and investment by aggregating, supporting, and de-risking ventures with strong environmental and community outcomes. The initiative is advancing a future where Africa’s natural capital generates sustainable jobs, attracts innovative finance, and strengthens the continent’s leadership in nature-based solutions. Through coalition-driven implementation, targeted acceleration, and system-level design, BIRA is reshaping how biodiversity investment is approached across Africa.