According to Preqin, private capital dry powder has reached $2trn and is climbing. The trouble is that capital commitments continue to grow and are not being called on in what appears to be a sellers’ market, writes James Rae. Read on to find more on how to deploy dry powder in Sub-Saharan Africa on pp. 16-17.

In this month’s issue, we also hear from leading PE experts on how the evolution of the African model for PE sector continues to attract innovative solutions (pp. 14-15).

On the fundraising front, LeapFrog Investments has announced the largest-ever private equity fund by a dedicated impact fund manager, surging past its $600m target to reach $700m. Meanwhile, AfricInvest has announced the fourth close of FIVE, an evergreen platform for investing in financial institutions in Africa. Finally, Kasada Capital Management, a Sub-Saharan hospitality investment platform, has reached a first close on its maiden fund Kasada Hospitality Fund LP with equity commitments of over $500m (News on pp.4-6). 

Finally, Elise Donovan of BVI Finance shares her thoughts on how international financial centres can fuel African economic development on p. 22.