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It was Africa's energy sector that proved to be the major beneficiary of private equity investment activity last week with the news that  Seven Energy, a Nigerian oil and gas company, received $100 million in equity capital from a number of its existing investors as well as the Islamic Development Bank's Infrastructure Fund II, a $2 billion private equity infrastructure fund managed by Bahrain-based  ASMA Capital. 

IDB Fund II is investing $50 million in the deal while the balance is being provided by a group of the Nigerian company's existing shareholders including  Temasek, Petrofac, Capital International Private Equity, Standard Chartered, the  International Finance Corporation and the IFC's Africa, Latin American and Caribbean Fund. The firm is going to use fresh capital to boost its liquidity as it completes work on a gas pipeline that will integrate its existing pipeline network in the south east of Nigeria.

Staying in West Africa, private equity firm  African Capital Alliance is acquiring a significant minority stake in publicly-listed Continental Reinsurance for an undisclosed amount. The investment is being made through Capital Alliance Private Equity IV, ACA's most recent fund, which is reportedly targeting a final close of $600 million and is being backed by, among others, the  New York State Common Retirement Fund.

Development Partners International or DPI is on the verge of closing its first deal in Egypt, according to South Africa's  Business Day. The deal will be in the retail sector and will be made through DPI's latest fund, the $750 million African Development Partners Fund II which was the third largest Africa-focused private equity fund to close last year. Once the transaction is complete, the fund will have approximately 60% or $450 million of its committed capital remaining for other deals.

On the fundraising front, sources told  Dow Jones LBO Wire that  Kuramo Capital Management has garnered a combined $140 million in commitments for its second Africa-focused fund of funds and a companion co-investment vehicle last week.   Ultimately the New York-headquartered firm is targeting a combined total of $250 million for both vehicles and anticipates holding a final close between April and June this year.

In South Africa, well-known venture capital firm  Knife Capital has become the latest firm to establish a 12J Venture Capital Company with the launch of  KNF Ventures. The firm's goal is to raise R100 million or $65 million to invest and has delivering investors annualized returns of 40% or more as a target. 12J Venture Capital Companies take advantage of a South African Government-implemented tax incentive designed to help the country's SMEs with access to equity finance by encouraging more investment in privately-owned entrepreneurial businesses. Individuals, companies and trusts investing through approved section 12J venture capital companies can deduct the full amount of their investment from taxable income.

And finally this week,  LeapFrog Investments is pushing ahead with its initiative to expand its investment activities into the healthcare sector and has appointed Felix Olale, an entrepreneur as well as a physician-scientist, as a Partner and Lead for the impact investment firm's healthcare deals in Africa. He'll have Matthew Myers, a Director and Tom Verghese, an Associate Director, working with him and playing, what the firm describes as being "pivotal" roles in LeapFrog's healthcare investments strategy in Africa.

To read more on these and other stories from the last week, please scroll down for the abstracts and links.

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