Invest
On behalf of our clients we invest sustainably in four ways:
- All our investment strategies incorporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors as we believe that ESG investing should enhance long-term performance. By incorporating ESG factors, our strategies consider the full spectrum of risks and opportunities associated with an investment.
Read more on the Principles for Responsible Investment’s assessment of our ESG processes. - As an active investor, we engage with portfolio companies and governments to encourage them to address sustainability and improve their ESG performance. We believe strongly in the power of engagement to effect positive change.
Read more about ESG and how we engage. - We offer dedicated investments targeting opportunities arising from the world’s transition to a more sustainable model, giving investors the chance to put their capital at the leading edge of the sustainability revolution.
- Our solutions include investments that have a positive impact. Since 2008, our private equity, credit and infrastructure investments have enabled sustainable development in Africa (e.g. our Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund, which has helped to transform lives across the continent).
Principles for Responsible Investing
We have been a signatory to the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) since 2008. As such, our responsible investment practices are assessed annually by the PRI team. Our 2019 scores are shown in the table. Firms are ranked on a performance band from A+ to E.
| MODULE | OUR SCORE | MEDIAN SCORE |
| Strategy & Governance | A+ | A |
| Listed Equity - incorporation | A+ | B |
| Listed Equity - active ownership | A+ | B |
| Fixed Income - SSA (sovereign) | A+ | B |
| Fixed Income - Corporate Financial | A+ | B |
| Fixed Income - Corporate Non-Financial | A+ | B |
| Private Equity | A | B |
| Infrastructure | A | A |
For the purposes of disclosure and to encourage industry discussion around best practices in sustainable investing, we publish in full the PRI Transparency and Assessment reports on the Stewardship page of our website. The PRI assessment methodology can be found at www.unpri.org.
The six PRI commitments
As a PRI signatory, Ninety One adheres to these principles:
01We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes. |
02We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices. |
03We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest. |
04We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry. |
05We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles. |
06We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles. |
Investing with impact
Founded in South Africa in 1991, today we’re an asset manager with a global presence. But our culture remains rooted in our emerging market beginnings, and in the belief that well-directed investment can transform lives.
Infrastructure is essential for development. We manage and advise the US$1 billion Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF), which mobilises private sector investment into infrastructure in the fragile markets of sub-Saharan Africa. To date, EAIF has provided 142 million people with access to new or improved infrastructure. It has created 48,000 jobs and contributed to many of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)2.
Our private equity investments contribute to eight of the SDGs.1 By supporting mid-sized companies, investors in our strategies help to generate decent work and economic growth.
Our credit investments contribute to 10 SDGs.2 They help to establish deeper, sustainable credit markets, facilitating development and creating a viable asset class for investors in Africa.
Through our real estate strategies, investors can contribute to transforming cities into engines of growth, creating jobs, supporting capital markets and assisting progress towards three SDGs.1
1 As determined by Ninety One
2 As at September 2019, www.eaif.com
Investing in Africa
- We are one of the largest investors on the African continent.
- Investment capabilities in African private equity, private credit, infrastructure debt, sovereign debt, real estate, public equity and FX.
- More than 70 investment professionals focused on Africa.
- Embedded and dedicated in-house ESG, legal and operational teams.