UK Development Finance Agency Resumes DP World Investment

Monday 16th February 2026

By inAfrika Newsroom

The UK’s development finance institution British International Investment said it will resume joint investments with DP World after the Dubai-based ports group appointed a new chief executive, a reversal that reopens a partnership the investor links to projects in African trading ports.

BII had paused new co-investments earlier in the week after allegations circulated in connection with DP World’s then chief executive. Reuters reported the pause and said the decision added pressure on DP World as questions were raised about alleged ties involving the former CEO and the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

DP World African port pipeline: key details

On February 13, BII welcomed DP World’s appointment of Yuvraj Narayan as the new CEO and said it would resume investing alongside the ports operator. BII said it looked forward to continuing its partnership to advance development of “key African trading ports” to unlock the continent’s global trading potential.

Canada’s pension fund La Caisse, also cited by Reuters, said it would move quickly to work with Narayan to continue its partnership with DP World on port projects worldwide after it had similarly suspended new investment amid the same allegations. The statements signaled that the institutions were tying re-engagement to the leadership change rather than to a wider review of DP World’s Africa portfolio.

DP World has positioned Africa as a growth region for terminals, logistics parks and corridor-linked infrastructure, as governments seek faster cargo clearance and more reliable shipping capacity. In East Africa, port efficiency affects fuel and food supply chains, project cargo, and the competitiveness of exports such as tea, coffee, horticulture and minerals. Investors often frame these upgrades as a constraint-removal effort for trade under continental and regional integration agendas.

The episode highlights a broader reality for African infrastructure financing: development finance institutions and pension funds often co-invest with global operators, blending long-tenor capital with operational expertise to de-risk projects that carry political, regulatory and currency exposure. When governance concerns hit a sponsor or operator, funding pipelines can slow quickly even when the underlying assets are in demand.

DP World’s Africa-linked partnerships have previously drawn political scrutiny in some markets, but the latest development was driven by investor reactions to allegations tied to an individual executive, not by a new host-government dispute. Reuters reported that both BII and La Caisse framed their decisions around DP World’s CEO transition and their intention to continue partnerships.