The
weekly roundup of Africa's Private Capital news
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Here's the latest weekly wrap of the most interesting Africa-related private equity, infrastructure and venture capital deal stories, market opinion articles and information pieces.
Thank you for being a reader and we look forward to continuing to keep you informed on the private capital investment themes, deals and fundraisings in Africa.
We'd be delighted if you shared it with any interested colleagues and/or partners. If they would like to receive their own weekly copy, they're more than welcome to sign up here.
As always, if you have any tips, suggestions or questions, please reach out to Allan Cunningham at
[email protected]
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This week's issue supported by...
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An upmarket burger chain was the center of the largest private equity-related deal in Africa last week.
Famous Brands, owner of the Wimpy chain in the UK, is adding to its portfolio of British assets by acquiring
Gourmet Burger Kitchen from South African private equity investor
Yellowwoods and the company's management in a £120 million (approximately $143 million) deal using a combination of cash and short term funding. Yellowwoods originally acquired the business from its founders in 2010. Additional terms of either deal were not disclosed.
Gourmet Burger Kitchen, which has delivered five consecutive years of same-store sales growth at better-than-market rates, is an opportunity for the restaurant franchisor to tap a more upmarket consumer via the multi-channel brand which earns its revenues selling eat-in and take-away food services, online delivery and GBK-branded food products in retail locations. According to Kevin Hedderwick, Famous Brands' Group Strategic Advisor for M&A, the company's existing business model has the potential to double the business's footprint over the next five years.
Staying with the food sector,
Invenfin,
Remgro's strategic venture capital and private equity investment arm, is taking a 30% stake in South Africa's
Dynamic Commodities, a specialist producer and exporter of frozen fruit-based delicacies based in Coega outside Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Stuart Gast, Invenfin's Executive Director who led the transaction, will be taking a board seat as part of the deal. The decision to invest in the company was motivated by the quality of the owner-management team, the company's product range and operational capabilities as well as the growth potential of the global market for frozen desserts.
Last week also saw a couple of pharmaceutical deals - one in North Africa and the other south of the Sahara.
Medis, a generic pharmaceuticals business operating in Tunisia and Algeria, was the subject of a secondary private equity stake sale.
Actis has agreed to acquire what the press release announcing the deal describes as a "meaningful stake" in the business from fellow Africa-focused private equity investor
AfricInvest in an undisclosed deal. Actis plans to establish Medis as a significant pan-African and Middle Eastern pharmaceuticals platform by injecting additional capital to finance its planned build-and-buy strategy.
In what is in all likelihood a smaller pharmaceutical deal, size-wise, Namibia's
EOS Capital is acquiring a 35% in
Fabupharm, a pharmaceutical manufacturer with regional expansion ambitions. The company operates the only pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Namibia, producing a range of products including paracetamol, antibiotics, vitamin supplements and sunscreen and selling them to the Namibian government as well as local retailers and pharmacies. The firm has also secured export approval for a number of its products to be shipped to Botswana, Mozambique and Lesotho and a number of other countries.
One of the most interesting companies in Africa's renewable energy sector landed $20 million from a consortium of investors last week. Off-Grid solar company
BBOXX will use the capital to support the its expansion plans in its existing markets of Kenya and Rwanda as well as accelerate the provision of products and services in other markets, including Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire and Nigeria. The consortium was made up of
ENGIE Rassembleurs d'Energies, MacKinnon, Bennett & Company (MKB), the recently-launched
KawaSafi Ventures as well as existing investors
Khosla Impact Fund, Bamboo Finance and
DOEN Foundation.
In venture capital deals last week, a couple caught our eye -
Safaricom's Spark Ventures is backing
mSurvey, the Nairobi-headquartered mobile research platform in what is the $1 million fund's second and largest investment to date. mSurvey uses SMS and mobile messaging technology to simplify access to on-demand data from the emerging world. With this investment Spark joins mSurvey's roster of investors which include Silicon Valley-based
Cross Culture Ventures and Caribbean-focused
AlphaAngels. Meanwhile,
Goodwell, Omidyar Network and
Horizon Ventures have committed $1.5 million between them to South African transport technology startup
Whereismytransport as part of the firm's anticipated $2.6 million seed round.
And a group of Egyptian and United Arab Emirates angel investors and venture capitalists are backing taxi-hailing startup
Ousta with a $1.25 million bridge investment to support the Cairo-based company's recruitment and growth plans. Founder and Chairman Nader El-Batrawi tells
Disrupt Africa that he expects the firm to be looking for another sizeable round in the near future.
There were some other interesting bits of deal-related news last week. According to
Bloomberg, two potential suitors for some of
Barclays Africa's assets are reportedly pulling back from investing in the company. South Africa's
Public Investment Corporation was looking to gather a group of black shareholders to buy a stake in the company who are now struggling to raise financing.
The Abraaj Group, which was preparing another bid, is losing interest, according to unnamed sources and have allowed an exclusivity agreement to lapse.
Bloomberg reports that the pullbacks mean Barclays could sell down its stake via a share sale in May 2017.
Japan's pledge at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development held in Nairobi at the end of August to invest $30 billion in public and private capital on the continent over the next 3 years sends a strong signal of the country's renewed level of interest in Africa. China tends to take a dim view of this and other Japanese initiatives on the continent. An analysis and review by the
Brookings Institute looks at the intensifying competition between the two countries in relation to Africa.
Finally this week, the
Private Infrastructure Development Group is planning to establish an office in Nairobi, helping finance infrastructure projects across Africa. The multi-donor organization's CEO, Philippe Valahu, outlined the plans at a seminar held in Nairobi last week.
InfraCo Africa, a specialist finance and project development subsidiary of the Group, will source investment opportunities and provide capital for early stage infrastructure projects.
As always, you can review these and other stories by scrolling down and clicking through to them below.
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Famous Brands acquires Gourmet Burger Kitchen from Yellowwoods in $143 million transaction |
Private Equity
Yellowwoods exits GBK in £120mln deal
In its largest transaction to date, South Africa's Famous Brands is acquiring Gourmet Burger Kitchen from private equity investor Yellowwoods and the company's management in a £120 million (approximately $143 million) deal using a combination of cash and, if required, short term funding. The company, which was launched in 2001, now operates 75 company-owned restaurants across the United Kingdom, and is acknowledged as a market leader in the premium burger category. Yellowwoods originally acquired the business in 2010.
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Private Equity
Actis acquires AfricInvest's Medis stake
In its latest private equity transaction in Africa, emerging markets investment firm Actis has agreed to acquire what's described as a "meaningful stake" in Medis, a generic pharmaceuticals business operating in Tunisia and Algeria. The stake is being acquired from fellow Africa-focused private equity firm AfricInvest, who have participated in a number of investment rounds via various funds in the business since it was launched by Lassaad Boujbel in 1996. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
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Private Equity
Invenfin takes 30% stake in Dynamic Commodities
Invenfin, Remgro's strategic venture capital and private equity investment arm, is taking a 30% stake in South Africa's Dynamic Commodities, a specialist producer and exporter of frozen fruit-based delicacies based in Coega outside Port Elizabeth. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
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Private Equity
Off-Grid solar company BBOXX raises $20mln
Off-grid solar company BBOXX has successfully raised $20 million in a Series C round from a consortium of investors made up of ENGIE Rassembleurs d'Energies, MacKinnon, Bennett & Company (MKB), the recently-launched KawaSafi Ventures as well as existing investors Khosla Impact Fund, Bamboo Finance and DOEN Foundation. Additional details of the transaction were not released.
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EOS Capital takes 35% stake in Fabupharm
Eos Capital, the Namibian private equity firm founded by Johannes !Gawaxab , is acquiring a 35% in Fabupharm, a pharmaceutical manufacturer with regional expansion ambitions. Financial terms of the deal, which is subject to regulatory approval by the country's Competition Commission, were not disclosed.
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Spark Ventures backs mSurvey in fund's largest deal
Safaricom's Spark Ventures is backing mSurvey, the Nairobi-headquartered mobile research platform in what is the $1 million fund's second and largest investment to date. Nonetheless, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. With this investment Spark joins mSurvey's roster of investors which include Silicon Valley-based Cross Culture Ventures and Caribbean-focused AlphaAngels.
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Whereismy transport raises $1.5mln
Goodwell, Omidyar Network and Horizon Ventures have committed $1.5 million between them to South African transport technology startup Whereismy transport as part of the firm's anticipated $2.6 million seed round.
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Egyptian taxi-hailing startup Ousta lands $1.25mln
A group of Egyptian and United Arab Emirates angel investors and venture capitalists are backing taxi-hailing startup Ousta with a $1.25 million bridge investment to support the Cairo-based company's recruitment and growth plans. The country's answer to Uber only launched 5 months ago, claims to be experiencing 30% growth every week and is already operating in 11 cities. Founder and Chairman Nader El-Batrawi tells
Disrupt Africa that he expects the firm to be looking for another sizeable round in the near future.
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This week's issue supported by...
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Insurance
Allianz ramps up pace of Africa acquisitions
In a brief Q&A with Delphine Maidou, Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty Africa's CEO, on the insurance giant's strategy for the continent. She explains the opportunities and challenges, especially in terms of regulation and recruitment, faced by the insurance sector in Africa.
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Banks
Sale of Barclays Africa hits headwinds
Two potential suitors for some of Barclays Africa's assets are reportedly pulling back from investing in the financial services company according to
Bloomberg. South Africa's Public Investment Corporation, manager of the country's Government's Employees Fund, was looking to gather a group of black shareholders to buy a stake in the company who are now struggling to raise financing. The Abraaj Group, which was preparing another bid, is losing interest, according to unnamed sources and have allowed an exclusivity agreement to lapse.
Bloomberg reports that the pullbacks mean Barclays could sell down its stake via a share sale in May 2017.
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Infrastructure
Pencom to allocate 40% of total assets to infra by 2019
Nigeria's National Pension Commission announced last week that it expects to allocate at least 40% of the country's pension fund assets to investments in infrastructure development by 2019. If realized, the total amount of capital deployed would equal N2.32 trillion or US$740 million, and would, according to the Commission's Director General Chinelo Anohu-Amazu, help fulfill part of the body's strategy to enhance inclusive economic growth in the country as well as generate better value returns for the country's pension contributors.
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Perspectives
Sino-Japanese competition heats up in Africa
Japan's pledge at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development held in Nairobi at the end of August to invest $30 billion in public and private capital on the continent over the next 3 years sends a strong signal of the country's renewed level of interest in Africa. China generally takes a dim view of this and other Japanese initiatives on the continent. An analysis and review of the intensifying competition between the two countries in relation to Africa.
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Companies, People & Profiles...
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Companies
PIDG to set up shop in Nairobi
Private Infrastructure Development Group is planning to establish an office in Nairobi, helping finance infrastructure projects across Africa. The multi-donor organization's CEO, Philippe Valahu, outlined the plans at a seminar held in Nairobi last week. InfraCo Africa, a specialist finance and project development subsidiary of the Group, will source investment opportunities and provide capital for early stage infrastructure projects.
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Investment Manager, Intermediated Equity, Impact Fund at CDC
Based in London, United Kingdom
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Investment Officer, Private Equity Real Estate at ACA
Based in Lagos, Nigeria
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Investment Associate, Impact Investments at CDC
Based in London, United Kingdom
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Private Equity Analyst at ACA
Based in Lagos, Nigeria
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Analyst VP, Sub-Saharan Banks at Renaissance Capital
Based in Lagos, Nigeria
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Based in Johannesburg, South Africa
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Based in Johannesburg, South Africa
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Investment Officer, Private Equity at enterprise development firm
// linkedin.com
Based in Johannesburg, South Africa
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Based in Cape Town, South Africa
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Based in Johannesburg, South Africa
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Lagos, September 20th, 2016
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The Global African Investment Summit Kigali
Kigali, September 5th to September 6th, 2016
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London, September 14th to September 16th, 2016
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3rd Africa Alternative Investment Intensive
New York, September 19th to September 20th, 2016
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Tanzania Infrastructure & New Energy Investment
Dar es Salaam, September 21st, 2016
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Kenya International Renewable Energy Congress
Nairobi, October 3rd to October 5th, 2016
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8th Africa PPP Conference & Showcase
London, October 24th to October 26th, 2016
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Dubai, October 24th to October 26th, 2016
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Sub-Saharan Africa Power Forum 2016
Cape Town, October 26th to October 28th, 2016
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International Islamic Banking Summit Africa
Djibouti, November 2nd to November 3rd, 2016
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3rd Annual Infrastructure Project Financing Africa
Nairobi, November 7th to November 9th, 2016
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Investing in Emerging Markets Summit
Johannesburg, November 16th to November 17th, 2016
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Cape Town, November 29th to December 1st, 2016
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14th Annual African Capital Markets Conference
Cape Town, November 30th to December 1st, 2016
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The Global African Investment Summit London
London, November 30th to December 1st, 2016
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We hope you found the digest to be a useful summary of the major happenings in Africa's private capital markets last week. We'd love it if you shared it with colleagues and business partners. They can sign up for free
here.
Best wishes for a productive week - if you have any tips, suggestions, questions or comments, please get in touch.
All the best,
- Allan
Allan Cunningham
Editor & Publisher
AfCD | Africa Capital Digest
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Africa Capital Digest is a product of Rowayton Press
Rowayton, CT 06853, USA
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