Founded in 1948, CDC is the UK’s Development Finance Institution (DFI).  Wholly owned by the UK Government’s Department for International Development, it is the world’s oldest DFI.

No country has succeeded in reducing poverty in a sustainable manner without economic growth and a thriving private sector. Successful businesses employ and train people, pay taxes and create and operate infrastructure.

CDC’s mission is to support the building of businesses throughout Africa and South Asia, to create jobs and make a lasting difference to people's lives in some of the world's poorest places. To do this CDC provides debt and equity capital, directly and through intermediaries, to businesses in Africa and South Asia.

Our investments:

• provide much-needed capital for growing businesses;
• attract other investors by demonstrating success;
• build value in companies through environmental, social and governance improvements; and
• drive economic growth, which is the only long-term route out of poverty.

CDC is a self-financing organisation that reinvests its profits into the business and its operations.  The organisation has had no new money from government since 1995.  We currently have capital at work in over 1,126 companies in 74 countries, working with 80 different fund managers.