Jonathan First is Head of Africa at the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and a Senior Consultant to MIGA at the World Bank Group. He brings more than 25 years of experience across investment banking, development finance, and climate finance, having worked in London, Toronto, and Johannesburg. After qualifying as a lawyer, Jonathan spent 18 years in investment banking before transitioning into development finance. At the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), he developed innovative structured finance solutions for large-scale infrastructure projects and led the initiative to establish a green bank, culminating in the launch of the GCF- and EIB-funded Climate Finance Facility in 2018. He has also played a key role in advancing impact investment frameworks in Africa, including supporting the establishment of South Africa’s Impact Investment National Advisory Board and advising on the creation of Rwanda’s green bank, IREME Invest. Jonathan currently chairs the advisory committee of Africa’s first green outcomes-based fund