Hangala Capital, the financial services arm of diversified Hangala Group has received approval from the Namibia Institutions Supervisory Authority to register Hangala Capital Private Equity as an Investment Manager. Prescient Global has a 40% stake in the new fund manager, with the balance owned by Hangala Capital. Details of any planned funds or strategies were not reported.

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Fresh from snapping up two UK consumer businesses, Christo Wiese tells the Financial Times that he is on the look out for new deals for Brait, the investment company in which he is a major shareholder. The firm's interest in opportunities in so-called "sunrise industries" like renewable energy and other disruptive technologies is particularly high. 

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Egypt's cabinet has accepted a proposal to establish a sovereign investment fund to encourage economic diversification and encourage economic and social development. The fund will not make direct investments,  but partner instead with financial institutions as well as Arab and International funds on mega-projects. The fund will be named Amlak and will be owned by the state through the National Investment Bank. No details were given of when the fund would be started or how much money it would manage. 

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At the World Economic Forum in Cape Town, a call for greater reforms and more investment to create better, efficient debt markets in Africa. According to the leading bankers on the panel, demand for Africa's sovereign and corporate notes looks set to accelerate over the next 10 years. 

During his budget speech last week, Kenya's Finance Minister, Henry Rotich, announced that the 5% Capital Gains Tax introduced at the beginning of 2015 is to be scrapped and replaced with a 0.3 withholding tax on the value of share transactions. The move follows objections amde by stockbrokers in the country.

Last week, at a conference in Egypt, African Leaders signed off on an agreement to begin talks that would lead to the creation of a 26-country common market, spanning the continent from the Cape to Cairo. The Tripartite Free Trade Area deal would establish a framework of tariffs to ease the movement of goods in a market of over 600 million people.

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With estimates of 50,000 rooms spread across 270 hotels potentially being developed this year, a combination of red tape, insufficient funding and a lack of expert skills may conspire to put a dent in the pipeline of anticipated deals. A useful overview of the opportunities in the sector. 

According to CNBC, tech giant Google is in negotiations to become an investor in East Africa's largest private investment initiative, the $700 million Lake Turkhana Wind Power Project. Once completed, the 310MW-capacity plant will boost Kenya's installed energy capacity by 20%. While Sources tell CNBC that Google's potential investment is not finalized and, if completed, would gain them a minority stake. Representatives from both companies either declined to comment or refused to confirm details.

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At the World Economic Forum in Cape Town, investors seemed more engaged than in prior years. So reports Business Day's Bronwyn Nortje. The question is whether this interest is of the lasting kind or whether it is more temporary in nature. A look at what's driving dealmaker engagement with the continent and what it takes to be successful and win good returns. 

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