AGF’s Anna Lyudvig speaks with Wildu du Plessis, Head of Africa at Baker McKenzie in Johannesburg, about how the nature of deals, exits and fundraising activity has changed in Southern African private equity throughout the years.
A major initiative made possible by the Phatisa-Meridian partnership was the Productivity Improvement Program for Smallholders; instrumental in mobilizing the AAF’s TAF to provide funds and the necessary expertise to roll out the outgrowers' program in Malawi through Meridian’s existing network of retailers in the country. Farmers Worlds, part of the Meridian Group, has hired 60 salesmen/women termed ‘agronauts’ to operate out of Meridian’s (> 100) retail outlets and reach 12,000 farmers in the central and southern regions of Malawi. Phatisa is a sector-specific fund manager with committed investments from Sierra Leone in West Africa to Mauritius in East Africa. This reflects a total of nine portfolio companies across a diverse range of agri and food-related businesses.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has backed several initiatives to support their Feed Africa Strategy, such as Africa-based Phatisa, which invests in food and agri-related businesses in Africa that show strong growth potential.
AGF’s Anna Lyudvig (AL) speaks with Rory Ord, Head of Unlisted Investments at 27four Investment Managers about the new private equity business and the launch of the PE fund of funds.
Vakayi Capital has recently invested in Homelux Property Development, making its first investment since its launch. The firm is the country’s only small and medium enterprise (SME) focused impact investor. It is uniquely positioned in Zimbabwe to tap into investment opportunities in businesses with proven business models, strong growth prospects and the potential to significantly create jobs and impact the lives of low-income people. Africa Global Funds speaks with Chai Musoni, Partner & CEO at Vakayi Capital, to learn more.
Africa Global Funds (AGF) catches up with Vincent Destieu, Deal Principal, Phatisa, to discuss new office in Abidjan and trends in agri-food in sub-Saharan Africa
In March, Mediterrania Capital Partners, a private equity firm focusing on growth investments for companies in North African and Sub-Saharan countries, announced plans to raise €250m for its third fund, Mediterrania Capital III (MC III). AGF speaks with Albert Alsina, CEO and Managing Partner, on the progress and investment strategy.
Africa Global Funds speaks with Khaled Ben Jilani, Senior Executive Partner at AfricInvest, about fundraising for its new financial sector private equity fund, investment strategy and opportunities.
Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Abuja, Sigma Pensions is the fifth largest pension fund administrator (PFA) in Nigeria. Sigma was one of Nigeria’s first PFAs and now has over 600,000 members and just under N300bn ($1bn) assets under management. The funds under management comprise of RSA Fund, Retiree fund, Afribank Fund, TCF Fund, CBN Fund, NNPC Fund, SEC Fund, NEXIM Fund, FAAN Fund, Jigawa Fund and Intercontinental Bank Fund.
Two Africa-focused fund managers have recently joined Capria Network, a global network of impact fund managers, after completing a 7-week “Intensive” program. Brightmore Capital, an investment management and advisory firm focused on the West African region, and Edge Growth, a venture capital firm based in South Africa, have joined existing managers from Africa, Asia, and Central America, bringing the total number of impact investors in the network to nine.
AGF catches up with Jonathan Kruger, Director and Portfolio Manager at Africa Merchant Capital (AMC) to learn more about company’s Sub-Sahara Fund. The fund was launched in December 2014 as a Cayman Corporate vehicle and has under $5m under management. On a net of fees annualised basis the fund has returned -10.6% USD since inception.
What are the most promising markets and sectors for African investors? Which factors will drive capital markets and PE performance in 2017? What are the best investment strategies? Find out what experts have to say on these questions and more
Lucid Ventures, an approved FSB -Section 12J Venture Capital Company, has recently completed new investments in the South African hospitality sector. The firm that was launched in early 2016 has been very active in the deal-making scene. It finds no shortage of opportunity in its core focus sectors in South Africa. Africa Global Funds catches up with Jordin Borer, Investment Officer at Lucid Ventures, to discuss new deals and plans for 2017.