
Investment Pipeline Building for the Asset Owners Forum of South Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
CrossBoundary Advisory
Clean Power & Energy Transition
Market: South Africa
Providing a selection of vetted investment opportunities that align with strategic goals
Capabilities:
Due diligence
Market research/analysis
Opportunity validation
About the Client
The Asset Owners Forum of South Africa (AOFSA) is a consortium of 15 South African pension funds with combined assets under management of US$150 billion. The AOFSA was formed to increase the participation of pension funds in South Africa in the infrastructure sector while delivering appropriate risk-adjusted returns to pension fund beneficiaries.

Engagement
CrossBoundary Advisory acted as sub-advisor to MIDA Advisors to curate a high-quality pipeline of direct infrastructure investments and potential infrastructure funds for the Asset Owners Forum of South Africa (AOFSA). The engagement aimed to offer the AOFSA a selection of vetted investment opportunities that align with their strategic goals, while also meeting rigorous risk-adjusted return criteria. This was done through:
- Establishing frameworks and processes to scrutinize investment opportunities for suitability
- Utilizing CrossBoundary’s expansive network to compile a list of investment-worthy infrastructure funds
- Undertaking a comprehensive review of each infrastructure fund manager and presenting findings to key AOFSA committees
Approach
In fulfilling AOFSA’s objective, CrossBoundary Advisory and MIDA Advisors used the following methodology:
Evaluation Framework: Designed and implemented standardized processes and frameworks to help AOFSA member funds assess investment opportunities efficiently.
Pipeline Development: Leveraged industry connections to assemble a pipeline of vetted, investment-ready infrastructure funds for AOFSA’s consideration.
Fund Manager Review: Conducted comprehensive research and interacted with infrastructure fund managers to pre-vet their offerings and aligning them with AOFSA’s investment criteria.
Committee Engagements: Presented summarized findings of each fund manager to the AOFSA Investment Committee, offering answers to follow-up queries, and also briefed the AOFSA Steering Committee on the fund offerings that passed initial screenings.
The support provided enhanced the AOFSA’s capacity to invest in infrastructure opportunities, with a longer-term view of contributing to critical infrastructural development in South Africa.