Curriculum · Season One

Four tracks.
One destination.

River Hub's programme is structured across four curriculum tracks — each addressing a distinct practitioner need in African finance. Courses run weekly, rotating across tracks so participants can build a complete curriculum over a year without schedule conflicts.

A
Track A · TAF Funded
Blended Finance & DFIs
The mechanics of development finance — how capital stacks work, how DFIs think, how to position a project or fund for institutional capital from IFC, AfDB, BII, Proparco, and beyond.
A1 — Blended finance fundamentals
A2 — How to raise capital from DFIs
A3 — Project preparation & bankability
A4 — Mauritius as an IFC gateway to Africa
A5 — Structuring African investment funds
B
Track B · HRDC Eligible
ESG & Climate Finance
ESG from the investor and capital allocator perspective. How institutional LPs screen African funds, how the EU Green Taxonomy applies to African assets, and how the energy transition translates into investable opportunities.
B1 — ESG for African investments
B2 — EU Green Taxonomy for fund managers
B3 — Transition finance & net zero strategy
B4 — Climate risk & TCFD for financial institutions
B5 — Nature, biodiversity & emerging green frameworks
C
Track C · HRDC Eligible
Capital Markets & Governance
How African capital markets work in practice — from the SEM and NSE to private equity, sovereign debt, and trade finance. Combined with the governance frameworks institutional investors require.
C1 — African capital markets for practitioners
C2 — Corporate governance for African boards
C3 — Impact measurement & SDG reporting
C4 — Private equity & venture capital in Africa
C5 — Sovereign & sub-sovereign debt
C6 — Trade finance & African supply chains
D
Track D · Premium Convenings
Premium Convenings
Invitation-only sessions where the value is the room — LP-GP dialogue roundtables, DFI Deal Clinics where project developers receive live panel feedback, and the African Circuit pre-session for ministerial and institutional delegates.
D1 — LP–GP dialogue session
D2 — DFI deal clinic
D3 — African Circuit pre-session
D4 — Year-end investor briefing
How we teach

Not a lecture.
A practitioner room.

Method 01
Case method
Every session anchors to a real African transaction. Participants read the case before the session, then work through it live with faculty as the expert guide. You decide what should happen — then we show you the outcome.
✓ Real transactions from the Foundation's network and public DFI deal databases
✓ Pre-read distributed 48 hours before each session
✓ Small group discussion — in-room and online participants together
✓ Faculty debrief with the real outcome and lessons that transfer to your context
Method 02
Deal clinic
Participants bring their own project and present it to a panel of faculty, DFI representatives, and peers. The panel gives structured live feedback on bankability, E&S readiness, and capital structure. Not a pitch. A preparation session.
✓ 10-minute structured presentation per project
✓ Panel includes DFI investment officers and legal advisors
✓ Written feedback summary issued within 48 hours
✓ Confidential — NDA signed by all participants
Method 03
Live simulation
Participants are assigned roles — fund manager, DFI investment officer, LP, legal counsel, project developer — and run a simulated deal process in real time. By the end you have lived through the deal rather than been told about it.
✓ Role assignments sent with pre-read 48 hours before
✓ In-room and online participants take different roles
✓ Structured debrief after each decision round
✓ Simulation summary issued post-session
Method 04
Expert panel
Two or three practitioners with different vantage points debate a live question in front of participants, who then interrogate them. No prepared answers. The disagreement is the learning.
✓ Panellists are active practitioners, not academics
✓ Question set submitted by participants 24 hours prior
✓ Online participants can submit live questions via chat
✓ Session recorded and shared with all registered participants
Method 05
Workshop lab
Participants work in small groups on a structured task with a defined deliverable — an impact framework, an ESG screening template, a DFI approach memo. By the end each group has produced something they can take back and adapt.
✓ Groups of 3–4 — mixed in-room and online participants
✓ Template and brief distributed at session start
✓ Groups present their output — peer feedback structured by faculty
✓ All group outputs compiled and circulated post-session
Example — Track A, Session A2
"You are the fund manager. IFC has just asked for your E&S policy. What do you send them?"
Pre-session
Read the deal summary — a Kenyan solar project seeking AfDB co-investment. Identify what is missing from the information memorandum.
In session
Groups debate the capital structure. Faculty introduces the DFI's actual investment criteria. Participants revise their recommendation.
Debrief
The real outcome is revealed. What the DFI said. What changed. What you would take back to your own deal.
How a deal clinic runs
Your project. A real panel. Structured feedback you can act on.
Before
Submit a one-page project summary 5 days prior. Panel reviews and prepares targeted questions.
Presentation
10-minute structured pitch covering opportunity, structure, E&S profile, and funding ask.
Panel Q&A
15 minutes of structured questions from DFI officer, legal advisor, and transaction advisor.
After
Written panel feedback within 48 hours. Three specific actions to take before approaching a DFI.
Example — Track C, Session C1
African Capital Markets simulation — four roles, one deal, one afternoon.
Round 1
LP announces allocation criteria. Fund managers compete to structure the most attractive vehicle. Legal counsel flags compliance issues.
Round 2
Market event introduced — currency shock. Teams must restructure. DFI officer announces new conditions.
Resolution
Each team presents their final structure. Faculty scores and debriefs against what real managers did.
Example — Track B, Session B1
"Does ESG actually change how DFIs make investment decisions in Africa — or is it theatre?"
Panellist A
DFI E&S officer — argues IFC PS have fundamentally changed project structures in East Africa.
Panellist B
Fund manager — argues ESG screening adds cost without changing outcomes for smaller deals below USD 5M.
Open floor
Participants interrogate both positions. Faculty synthesises the practical implications for the room's own contexts.
Example — Track B, Session B3
Build a transition finance screening framework for your portfolio in 90 minutes.
Brief
Each group receives a fictional African portfolio of three assets. Task: screen them against the EU Green Taxonomy and flag the gaps.
Lab
60 minutes of structured work. Faculty advises each group in rotation. Online participants collaborate via shared doc.
Present
Each group presents their screening output. Faculty marks against what a real European LP would actually require.
48h
Pre-read distributed before every session
3–4
Group size for workshop and simulation methods
100%
Practitioner faculty — no career academics
48h
Post-session summary and outputs to all participants
Fees

Priced for
your market

Fees are set by location. On-site participants in Mauritius benefit from the HRDC employer levy refund — bringing the net cost to as little as Rs 5,000 per session after your employer claims back 75%.

Season One bundle: Register for 5 or more sessions and receive a 15% reduction across all bookings.

How HRDC works Register interest →
On-site · Mauritius
Rs 20,000
per session
HRDC eligible · net cost from Rs 5,000 after employer levy claim
Online · Africa & Indian Ocean
USD 150
per session
Kenya · South Africa · Rwanda · Madagascar · Réunion
Online · International
USD 350
per session
Europe · Gulf · Asia · Americas
Premium Convenings · Track D
By invitation — fees confirmed on acceptance