Dana B.

Skills

Risk management, Private Equity, Fund Structuring, Project Finance, Infrastructure, Transactions, Governance,

About

Dana Bennett is an in-house legal executive with over 20 years of experience advising boards, CEOs, and investment leaders in the infrastructure, finance, and private equity sectors. As Principal Legal Counsel at Africa50, she oversees the transactions and fund formation legal vertical and leads a team of lawyers who support project development, equity investments, and new fund initiatives across energy, transport, digital infrastructure, and midstream gas.
At Africa50, Dana serves as a trusted legal advisor to senior management and investment committees, guiding governance, risk, and complex structuring decisions. She helped launch the Infrastructure Acceleration Fund, securing a landmark USD 222.5 million first close, and led negotiations for the USD 100 million Senegambia Bridge asset recycling transaction. She also advises on structuring and fundraising for blended-finance and renewable-energy vehicles, including the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa, the Africa Solar Facility, and the DRE-Nigeria Fund.
Previously, Dana spent twelve years at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Washington, D.C. and Istanbul. As Senior Counsel, she led equity, quasi-equity, project finance and restructuring transactions across multiple regions; later, as Head of the Management Secretariat, she advised IFC’s Management Team, strengthened corporate accountability processes, and led institutional risk reviews.
Dana began her career with Cleary Gottlieb in Washington and Paris, advising multinational clients on structured finance, capital markets, and M&A. Her cross-border experience spans Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
She holds a J.D. from Yale Law School and an A.B. in Government from Harvard College, and is a member of the New York Bar. She is fluent in French and proficient in Turkish.