African IPO pipeline includes $3bn Vivo Energy

Investors have been snapping up Africa-focused IPOs (initial public offers) of shares and more capital-raisings and stock-exchange listings are in the pipeline. Biggest of the upcoming African IPOs is a reported share offer by Vivo Energy, while miner AfriTin, investment and real estate company Cytonn and property company Hystead also said to be heading for the markets.

Earlier this month, Wall Street Journal reported that Netherlands-based Vivo Energy, which is licensed to distribute Shell fuel and lubricants in 16 African countries, is working with investment banks to act as underwriters. Its offer, planned for the London Stock Exchange, could value the company at $3 billion.

Vivo Energy (photo credit Vitol Africa)

Vivo was created in 2011 after Shell sold 80% of its downstream operations in 14 African countries to Dutch firm Vitol Africa BV and private equity fund Helios Investment Partners in a deal worth $1bn and then sold the balance to them for $250 million earlier this year. Vivo operates 1,800 Shell fuel stations and sells Shell-branded products such as liquefied petroleum gas and lubricants to aviation, marine and mining in 16 markets.

AfriTin is a newly formed tin company which is acquiring the tin assets of Bushveld Minerals in Namibia and South Africa and announced plans for a £2m ($2.6m) capital raise on the AIM market operated by the London Stock Exchange. The assets will include 85% of Uis Tin Project, the former workings of Uis mine in Namibia, and assets in South Africa including Mokopane and Zaaiplaats Tin Tailings project.

Pieter Prinsloo, CEO of South African real estate investment trust (REIT) Hyprop, focused on shopping centres, said it was looking to list UK subsidiary Hystead separately on the Johannesburg and Luxembourg stock exchanges in the first half of 2018, according to this news report. Hyprop owns 60% of Hystead, which has interests in 4 malls in Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia and Bulgaria valued at EUR460m ($535m). Hyprop listed on the JSE in 1988 and has property assets in malls in South Africa, Ghana, Zambia and Nigeria.

Kenya’s Cytonn Investment plc changed into a public company in August using a 2015 provision in the Companies Act. It said it plans to list 10m shares by introduction on the Growth Enterprise Market Segment (GEMS) of the Nairobi Securities Exchange in mid-2018. CEO Edwin Dande said on CNBC . It is not raising new capital but seeking to diversify sources of funding and increase corporate governance, transparency and accountability.

CampusKey houses 4,000 students in 6 locations in South Africa. It says it will list on th JSE when it gets to 10,000 beds and says this is on track for 2019.

Thanks to research contribution by Enko Capital, which invests in IPOs and other African opportunities.

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