In the summer of 2005 Jon Maguire (Chairman of cru Investment Management), grew increasingly concerned about predictions of orphan numbers in sub-Saharan Africa. He decided to start an investment in Malawi, one of sub-Saharan Africa’s poorest countries. At the time Jon had no idea if the venture would be profitable, but as he started seeing substantial returns on his investment, the Africa Invest Fund was born. Africa Invest was established in 2006. Africa Invest Malawi now owns seven farms across the country and is looking to expand in neighboring Sub-Saharan countries. Each farm runs a feeding programme to take care of the vulnerable people in the area including widows, orphans and the elderly. They are given nutritious porridge 7 days a week to prevent malnutrition.

Africa Invest has continually focused on and insisted that their commitment to poverty reduction is an absolute. In respect of the £2million pilot scheme, their profit motive was only to prove the investment case, on the basis that this will then attract further investment and by multiplication of investment schemes the future of Africa will improve substantially. As Africa Invest continually stresses, giving has failed Africa whereas investment can transform her. Africa Invest now has over 2,000 employees, over 8,000 families participating in out grower schemes and 1,700 children and elderly in feeding programmes.