The African development private equity firm, Phatisa, has committed funds to regenerate, plant and preserve an indigenous Miombo woodlands in central Zambia.
The Metier Capital Growth Fund II, which completed its first close in mid-February, has signed a binding sale agreement with its first portfolio company, a consumer retail chain with a presence in South Africa and the rest of the continent.
The deal activity on the African continent remains strong with $8.1bn worth of deals completed in 2014, a new report by the African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (AVCA) has revealed.
Enko Africa Private Equity Fund, a pan-African private equity fund managed by Enko Capital Managers, has acquired a minority stake in Madison Financial Services (MFS), an insurance-based financial services group in Zambia. Ralph Gilchrist, partner at ECM, said: “This is a landmark first investment for the Enko Africa Private Equity Fund and we are proud to enter into this long-term partnership with MFS. We are looking forward to creating value together and supporting the high growth potential of the company.”
LeapFrog Investments has invested $25m in AFB Mauritius, a financial technology platform that offers financial tools to financially-excluded consumers and small businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Amethis Finance has taken a 17.1% stake in CIEL Finance, the banking and financial services arm of Mauritius-based CIEL group.
The pan-African private equity firm, 8 Miles has acquired a 42% stake in Orient Bank, a mid-tier commercial bank in Uganda, from Keystone Bank, a state-owned Nigerian bank.
Qalaa Holdings is considering an exit of remaining Egyptian food businesses to accelerate group deleveraging and de-risking.
The ARM-Harith Infrastructure Fund (ARMHIF) has raised $91m at the first close from AfDB and a number of Nigerian pension funds, according to ARM-Harith Infrastructure Investment, a joint venture between Asset & Resource Management Company (ARM) and Harith General Partners of South Africa.
Private equity and venture capital fundraising in 2014 increased year-over-year in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to EMPEA, the global industry association for private capital in emerging markets.
Nedbank Capital, the investment banking business of the Nedbank Group, has concluded a private equity transaction for a 32,9% stake in the GloCell Group.
The Ascent Rift Valley Fund (ARVF), managed by Ascent Capital Africa, has made its inaugural investment in Medpharm Holdings Africa, a leading medical diagnostic laboratory with operations in Ethiopia and expansion ambitions in the Greater East Africa region.
One Thousand & One Voices (1K1V), a private family capital fund focused on Sub-Saharan Africa, has made its first investment in the South African agribusiness sector via its $300m One Thousand & One Voices Africa Fund I.
The African Agriculture Fund (AAF), managed by Phatisa, has invested in General Plastics, a manufacturer of packaging products servicing food, beverage and agro-chemical sectors in Kenya and the broader East Africa region.
