Admaius Capital joins forces with Minapharm in African biopharma play
Transaction enables scale-up of advanced therapies and regional biotech innovation.
Admaius Capital Partners, an Africa-focused private equity investor, and Triquera, the majority shareholder in Minapharm, a leading biopharmaceutical company in the Middle East and Africa and a global provider of proprietary technologies to leading biopharma players, today announced a strategic partnership following Admaius’ investment in Triquera.
For over two decades, Minapharm has established a robust biopharmaceutical platform that combines world-class R&D with end-to-end manufacturing capabilities for complex genetically engineered therapeutic recombinant proteins and viral vectors as well as small molecules with advanced galenic formulations, operating across facilities in Cairo and Berlin. Today, Minapharm operates the largest biological drug substance and drug product facilities in the Middle East and Africa. Through its international subsidiaries, Minapharm licenses out proprietary technologies in the fields of monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, and cell and gene therapies. These technologies enable the development and production of advanced biologics that address critical unmet medical needs globally and have been incorporated into FDA-approved products, underscoring their clinical relevance and global impact.
Together, Triquera and Admaius will focus on accelerating the development and production of complex genetically engineered therapies, while expanding access to high-quality, affordable recombinant proteins by investing in innovation and scaling distribution to better serve patients across underserved markets in Africa and the Middle East. In parallel, the partnership will pursue strategic acquisitions of global contract development and manufacturing organisations (CDMOs) to support Minapharm’s growth in the biotech sector.
This partnership reflects a shared commitment to advancing healthcare equity through innovation and aligns closely with Admaius’ broader strategy of supporting mission-driven businesses and management teams in high-impact sectors across the African continent.
Zilla Capital acted as the sole financial advisor to Triquera and the existing shareholders. Matouk Bassiouny served as legal counsel to Triquera and the existing shareholders. Admaius Capital Partners was advised by White and Case LLP as legal counsel and by Arthur D. Little as commercial advisor.
Dr. Wafik Bardissi, Chairman and CEO of Minapharm, said: “This partnership reflects the accelerating momentum of Minapharm’s growth as we extend our leadership in biotherapeutics, cell and gene therapies, and proprietary platform technologies. With Admaius, we gain not only capital but a strategic partner whose insight, alignment, and ambition match our own. Together, we are advancing regional self-sufficiency and expanding the global reach of our innovations.”
Marlon Chigwende, Managing Partner of Admaius, commented: “This is a landmark transaction. The founding families have built a unique asset on the African and European continents that combines scale, growth and impact to fight cancer and other awful diseases. We are pleased to be able to partner with Triquera, Dr. Wafik and Dr. Shaheer and will help to internationalise and grow the business further.”
Ahmed Rady, Managing Director of Admaius, said: “At Admaius, we back exceptional management teams – and the team behind Minapharm is as impressive as the science, technology, and capabilities they've built across Cairo and Berlin. This partnership is about scaling a homegrown champion that combines cutting-edge global know-how with end-to-end manufacturing excellence. We’re excited to support Minapharm in taking this next big step and look forward to working closely with the management team.”
Dr. Shaheer Bardissi, Co-CEO of Minapharm, added: “This strategic collaboration with Admaius will accelerate and scale Minapharm’s vision of translating cutting-edge scientific innovation into affordable therapies, while advancing global scientific frontiers in immunotherapy as well as advanced therapy medicinal products, for the benefit of the broader biopharmaceutical industry.”