Emerging markets investor CDC Group has added further weight to its plans to broaden its African investments by hiring a buyout specialist who led the privatisation of the Zambian business landscape.

CDC has appointed Valentine Chitalu as a non-executive director, according to a statement. Chitalu formerly led the Zambia Privatisation Agency, a state-backed organisation aimed at selling Zambia government-owned businesses to private owners, as its chief executive. While at the agency he oversaw the sale of more than 240 businesses.