Efe Barber

Efe Barber is a senior investment and policy adviser with nearly 15 years of experience in management consulting, finance, investment strategy and market development. She is Executive Director of the Kuramo Foundation for Sustainable Development (KFSD), where she leads initiatives connecting emerging women-led and SME-focused fund managers with institutional capital and expanding financing for growing businesses.

Through KFSD’s Moremi Accelerator Programme, Efe has enabled participating fund managers to secure nearly $100 million in hard commitments and deploy almost $20 million to more than 40 gender-smart SMEs across Africa.

Efe also serves as Special Adviser on Investment to Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, focusing on domestic and foreign direct investment and private sector engagement. Previously, as Managing Director of CrossBoundary Nigeria, she supported the mobilization of over $150 million for climate, agriculture and healthcare businesses in West Africa. She holds several board positions and previously served on the CrossBoundary Group Advisory Council.

She began her career in financial institutions analytics at Citibank and later joined Boston Consulting Group, where she worked on upstream energy transformation and financial inclusion initiatives. Efe was named a Black Women in Asset Management 40 Under 40 nominee. She holds First Class bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from Imperial College London.