Jonathan Shafer

Co-Founder and Managing Partner

Jonathan Shafer is a seasoned executive with a unique mix of financial and operational skillsets honed in the United States and Africa. Prior to co-founding CFL Africa Group, Jonathan was Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of CommonGood Capital, a firm focused on impact investment funds in the US and around the world. Prior to CommonGood, Jonathan was Senior Vice President of Operations at CNL, where he directed all operational aspects of CNL’s $4 billion alternative investment product line, including both private credit and private equity.

Jonathan spent the seven years prior to joining CNL in West Africa where he invested in and led multiple industrial businesses.  During that period, Jonathan served as Managing Director of Africa Felix Juice,  a manufacturer of fruit juices for the European market and co-founder of First Step, a 50 acre special economic zone in Sierra Leone focused on attracting manufacturing businesses to the impoverished nation.  He also co-founded and served as CFO of Samshi Afrika Ltd., where he secured more than $200 million in investment capital for a greenfield steel mill and captive power plant.

Jonathan began his career in private equity with MCG Capital and Developing World Markets.

Jonathan serves as a board member of World Hope International, a Christian relief and development organization, and also as the Chairman of the Board of First Step Economic Opportunity Zone.

Jonathan holds a Master of Business Administration from the Yale School of Management where he was a recipient of the Henry F. McCance Entrepreneurial Fund Award. He also received a Bachelor’s degree Summa Cum Laude in Economics from Loyola University (Chicago).

Jonathan and his family of four are currently transitioning from their home in Orlando, Florida to Kigali, Rwanda.