The 5 most popular stories on Africa Private Equity News the past week
Here are summaries of the five most widely read stories the past week on Africa Private Equity News.
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Here are summaries of the five most widely read stories the past week on Africa Private Equity News.
1. Alterra Capital Partners invests in East African travel group
Alterra Capital Partners has made an investment in ARP Africa Travel Group, partnering with the founding family to accelerate expansion across East Africa and beyond.
ARP Africa, which includes Pollman’s Tours and Safaris Limited (Kenya), Ranger Safaris (Tanzania), and ARP Africa Travel (United Kingdom), is a provider of destination management services in East Africa. Established in Tanzania in 1978, the company works with global travel agent partners in fifty countries across five continents, arranging travel experiences for global visitors to East Africa. Read the full article
2. South African PE firm announces logistics deal
South African private equity fund manager Clearwater Capital has announced the purchase of Etlin International’s temperature-controlled storage and logistics arm through a business rescue deal. This division, SnoLink Logistics, will continue to serve its existing customer base, which includes several blue chip retailers.
Currently, the temperature-controlled storage and logistics arm specialises in several key services, such as the import of food products; however, it facilitates exports as well. Furthermore, SnoLink also provides solutions for frozen, chilled, and ambient temperature-controlled product warehousing, port clearing services, and long haul and fine distribution to the country’s leading retailers. Read the full article
3. Helios Fund V secures $75m commitment
The European Investment Bank (EIB Global) has announced a $75 million investment in the Helios Fund V, managed by Helios Investment Partners.
The fund will support the growth of companies that help provide digital infrastructure like data centres, fibre-optic networks and telecom towers; tech-enabled business services like cloud services, health tech and logistics tech; and financial services and technology like bank tech payments or financial management software. It will also support companies that help provide healthcare or education and training. Read the full article
4. South Africa: Kholo Capital fund reaches final close
Kholo Capital Mezzanine Debt Fund I, managed by Kholo Capital, has reached a final close at ZAR1.4 billion (about $76.1 million) in commitments. The fund will make long-term mezzanine debt investments in small and medium sized businesses in Southern Africa.
The fund provides growth capital, BEE financing and acquisition funding into various sectors of the Southern African economy, including social housing, healthcare, education, renewable energy, food, ICT, financial technology and infrastructure. Read the full article
5. Super app Gozem secures $30m Series B funding
Gozem, a super app in Francophone Africa, has secured $30 million in Series B funding, comprising both equity and debt, led by SAS Shipping Agencies Services (a subsidiary of MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company) and Al Mada Ventures.
Since its launch in 2018 as a moto-taxi service, Gozem has expanded across Togo, Benin, Gabon, and Cameroon. Its super app now integrates diverse services, including ride-hailing (moto, tricycle, and car), food and supermarket delivery, digital ticketing, vehicle financing, and digital banking. Read the full article
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