Our Team

Mezuo has more than two decades of experience across private equity, investment banking, and corporate finance. He launched Sahel Capital’s debut fund, the Fund for Agriculture Finance in Nigeria (FAFIN), in 2014, and the Social Enterprise Fund for Agriculture in Africa (SEFAA) in 2021. He provides oversight on the deployment of investment capital and the firm’s portfolio.

Mezuo serves on the boards of several of Sahel Capital’s portfolio companies. He is also on the board of the African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (“AVCA”), Nigeria National Advisory Board for Impact Investing (“NABII”), and is one of the founding members and a director of the Private Equity and Venture Capital Association, Nigeria (“PEVCA”).

Mezuo was one of three partners that set up AFIG’s debut US$72 million generalist fund in 2008, working out of the Dakar office in Senegal. Mezuo started his career with the corporate finance team of the Sabre Group in Dallas in 1995, worked in J.P. Morgan & Co’s Mergers and Acquisitions Group in New York, and then subsequently in a range of finance roles with SecTrust (now Afrinvest), Ocean & Oil Holdings, and MTS First Wireless. Mezuo co-founded AACE Foods (a food processing company) and Sahel Consulting (an agriculture focused management consulting firm) in 2010, and subsequently Sahel Capital in 2013. He remains a non-executive director in both AACE Foods and Sahel Consulting.

Mezuo is an Eisenhower Fellow and an Archbishop Tutu Fellow. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.Sc. Industrial Management from Carnegie Mellon University. Mezuo received the 2021 Harvard Business School Alumni Achievement Award, the highest honor given by the school.

Deji has more than a decade of work experience, of which 7 years were in operating roles in the FMCG, agrochemicals, and seed sectors. Since joining Sahel Capital in 2016, he has led investments and provided portfolio oversight across a broad range of crop value chains.

Deji previously worked with Syngenta Crop Protection AG and Proctor & Gamble; and has lived and worked in Nigeria and Switzerland. He sits on the Board of Directors of L&Z Integrated Farms and Coscharis Farms Ltd.

Deji is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA®) and is also certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP). He holds a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering (First Class Honours) from Obafemi Awolowo University, and an MBA from INSEAD Business School.

Aïcha is a proven expert in impact financing with a 10-year experience in the agro-industry, impact debt and deals origination & structuring. Prior to Sahel Capital, Aïcha worked for Zira Capital- an impact fund sponsored by I&P, where she successfully developed a portfolio of high growth potential SMEs.

Aïcha previously led the Credit Analysis Department at Banque Atlantique Mali where she worked for 4 years. She worked at different capacities at Société de Financement Local and S.O Capital Advice in Paris.

Aïcha Haïdara is certified as an expert in Business Strategy by HEC Paris. She holds a Master degree in Corporate Finance from Ecole Supérieure de Gestion de Paris and a she is also a graduate from Paris 2 Panthéon Assas University in Economics.

Zaks has more than 15 years of work experience, of which 10 years were in commercial bank lending environment working across four different banks in Kenya. Prior to Joining Sahel, Zaks worked for Samawati Capital Partners an advisory firm that facilitates impact oriented-investments and initiatives for clients across Sub-Saharan Africa as the Senior Investment Manager.

Zaks previously worked with Root Capital Inc as the Senior Portfolio Manager Sub-Saharan Africa for five years, where he developed a portfolio of high impact SMEs. He also worked as the Head of Agribusiness department at Sidian Bank Kenya, where he was instrumental in developing a new strategy for the Agribusiness portfolio.

Zaks has attended various professional courses in Agri-financing and has Diploma in project management. He holds a bachelor’s in business management from Mt. Kenya University and a master’s in development studies from Management University of Africa.

Yemisi is a credit risk professional with over a decade of work experience within the financial industry. She partners with the business development team to create a portfolio of investments with focus on impact and sustainability.

Prior to joining Sahel Capital in 2021, she worked with Sterling Bank for 13 years as a Credit Risk Analyst. She worked on various projects within Agriculture, Oil and Gas, Transport, Manufacturing and other viable sectors.

Yemisi has a B.Sc. Accounting from the University of Lagos. She is also an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers.

Reginald has over six years of experience in the impact investment sector, with expertise in impact debt/equity, deal sourcing, and execution spanning a diverse range of industries such as agri-business, fintech, textile, health, education, energy, and more recently, financial institutions. He joins Sahel Capital as an Investment Associate, where he will lead the Seed Growth Initiative and contribute to other fund initiatives.

His background includes transaction advisory, followed by an investment role at Investisseur & Partenaire with a focus on Central Africa, before serving as Investment Officer at Triple Jump, covering Africa and the Middle East from Cameroon/Nairobi.

Reginald holds a Master’s degree in International Relations (specializing in Banking and Finance) from the International Relations Institute of Cameroon (IRIC). He is an FMVA certificate holder, and is currently pursuing his CFA Level I.

Oluwafemi is an Investment Associate at Sahel Capital with four years of professional experience in investment, spanning Venture Capital and Structuring & Origination.

Prior to joining Sahel Capital in 2023, he previously worked at Octerra Capital, where he excelled in sterring early-stage investments in high-valued tech startups within Africa, and he managed a portfolio of companies across various industries (including Fintech, Regtech, Freight and Logistics).

Oluwafemi holds a B.Sc. in Economics from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria.

Toluwalope is an investment professional with over 7 years of work experience, including 4 years in deal advisory and transaction services.

Before joining Sahel Capital, she worked with PwC and KPMG Nigeria, where she provided transaction services to clients across a diverse range of sectors, including FMCG, agriculture, and oil and gas, with a focus on the African market.

Toluwalope is a Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA) and a certified Advanced Financial Modeler (AFM). She holds a B.Sc. in Economics (First Class Honors) from Babcock University.

Nana Aba is a Associate with over three years of experience in credit risk assessment and portfolio management. She joined Sahel Capital in 2025, bringing extensive experience from her role at Access Bank Ghana, PLC.

At Access Bank, Nana Aba specialized in evaluating Credit Risks, Portfolio Management and Reporting. She also played a critical role in conducting due diligence during loan capital fundraising efforts, significantly enhancing the bank’s impact lending capacity.

Nana Aba holds an MBA in Accounting and Finance from the University of Professional Studies, and a BA in Economics with Mathematics from the University of Ghana. She is also an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Nigeria

Fikemi is an experienced finance professional with over 5 years of work experience in the financial service industry.

Prior to joining Sahel Capital in 2023, she was a senior financial reporting analyst at a leading asset management firm. She oversaw the fund accounting, finance operations, and financial reporting processes in her previous position.

Fikemi is a Chartered Accountant, a certified financial modeling and valuation analyst, and holds a bachelor’s degree in management and accounting from Obafemi Awolowo University

Greg is a Senior Investment Analyst at Sahel Capital, with over 5 years of experience in investment analysis, private equity, and banking. Before joining Sahel Capital, he worked as a Senior Investment Analyst at Samawati Capital Partners, focusing on deal origination, financial analysis, deal structuring, and due diligence, primarily in agribusiness.

Previously, Greg served as a Credit Analyst at Co-operative Bank of Kenya, where he assessed the financial strength of MSME and corporate clients for loan approvals, gaining exposure to industries such as real estate, technology, manufacturing, and renewable energy.

Greg holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) from the University of Cape Town and is a certified Corporate Credit Analyst, with additional certifications in corporate finance, valuation, ESG investing, and financial modelling.

Paul brings over five years of experience supporting SMEs in the agribusiness and climate finance sectors. Prior to joining Sahel Capital, he worked with a specialized advisory firm focused on advising and mobilizing financing for SMEs across Francophone Africa.

He has developed strong expertise in financial analysis, financial modeling, and strategic advisory, particularly in assisting climate-focused and impact-driven SMEs to scale. Paul has also built significant experience engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, including governments, commercial banks, development finance institutions (DFIs), SMEs, and corporates.

At Sahel Capital, Paul serves as a Senior Financial Analyst within the Private Debt Team of the SEFAA Fund, where he is actively involved in transaction analysis and due diligence across Francophone Africa.

He holds a Master’s degree in Finance and Accounting from the Institute National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny (INPHB) in Côte d’Ivoire.