African investment, seen from the inside

A partner-led advisory firm, founded in 2006, with offices in Accra, Dakar and Kigali.

What we believe

Africa’s borders should carry trade, not stop it. Since 2006, we have worked to make that true through trade, finance and economic integration.

Constelor was founded to identify and develop investment opportunities across the continent. Our partners have served inside the institutions that shape African investment, among them the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Africa Finance Corporation and Ecobank, and have worked alongside the governments that regulate it. They know how closely business and government are tied in most African markets, and how regulation can make or break a venture.

So we start every piece of work with the country, not the spreadsheet: its rules, its institutions and the people who run them. Before we advise on a venture in any market, we examine its regulatory environment in detail, so our clients understand the process before they are inside it.

Country by country

Every market has its own rules and its own politics. We start with the ones that apply, never with a continental template.

Government and business, together

Regulation can make or break a venture, so we look at the public side of a deal as closely as the commercial one, and we are trusted on both.

Through to delivery

We stay until the plant is running, the goods have shipped or the concession is signed. Advice that stops at a report is rarely worth what it costs.

The partners

Every mandate is led by a partner, from the first brief to the final signature. Clients deal directly with the people whose experience and relationships they are relying on.

Founder, Chairman and CEO

Paulo Gomes

A former Executive Director of the World Bank, Paulo has spent his career advising governments and businesses on strategic investment across Africa. He founded Paulo Gomes and Partners, has served on the boards of Ecobank, Asky Airlines and AFIG, and is a founder of the Africa-South East Asia Chamber of Commerce, where he chairs the advisory board. He chairs Orango Investment Corporation, co-chairs the AfroChampions Initiative and is a senior adviser to PIL Group.

BA Economics, ILERI Paris · Master’s, Harvard Kennedy School

Managing Partner

Kahwa Douoguih

An economist and entrepreneur, Kahwa has worked across Africa and the Americas in technology, mining, economics and finance, in both public and private institutions, including the Africa Finance Corporation and the IMF.

PhD Economics, University of Maryland · MS Mineral Economics, Colorado School of Mines · BA, Stanford University

Managing Partner

Ope Babalola

An accountant and project manager with a banking background, Ope advises small businesses, large corporates and government institutions. He has worked across the UK, the US and Africa with organisations including Google Foundation, Cadbury and Ecobank Group, and is a director of ServLed Africa, a business accelerator in Ghana.

BS Accounting · PG Dip Management · Chartered Management Accountant (UK)

Where our partners have served

Inside the institutions that shape African investment, and on the boards of the companies that depend on it.

  • World Bank
  • International Monetary Fund
  • Africa Finance Corporation
  • Ecobank Group
  • Asky Airlines
  • AfroChampions Initiative

Institutions and memberships

  • African Continental Free Trade Area
  • Afreximbank
  • Africa Finance Corporation
  • AfroChampions Initiative
  • Africa-South East Asia Chamber of Commerce
  • Orango Investment Corporation

Our offices

Offices in West and East Africa, working across the continent.

Have a mandate in mind?

Tell us what you’re weighing. A partner will take it from there.

Start a conversation

Working with us

We are always glad to hear from economists, lawyers, engineers and financiers who know African markets well and want to work on mandates that get built.

Send us your CV