News and developments on African capital markets, includes: African securities, African stock exchanges/stock markets, African equities, African bonds, African private equity/venture capital, and African social impact investment
Entrepreneurs running small and medium-enterprises (SMEs) in West and East Africa stand to benefit from a new $75m private equity fund. The announcement follows the news on 29 Jan that two long-term private equity partners – Jacana and InReturn Capital – are merging.
This week the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) has joined the rush into providing boards for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with the launch on 22 January of the Growth Enterprise Market Segment (GEMS).
The Egyptian Exchange (EGX) has approved the listing of the 23rd company on Nilex (the Nile Exchange, its securities market for listing growing medium and small companies.
Voxtra East Africa Agribusiness Fund, a Norwegian social investor, has completed its inaugural investment of US$1.5 million in Mtanga Farms Limited in Tanzania, which grows seeds, crops and livestock.
Abraaj Capital, a leading private equity manager investing into Africa, Middle East, Asia and Turkey, recently announced the acquisition of Aureos Capital, a global private equity fund management group investing in small and medium-sized enterprises across Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Morocco’s Casablanca Stock Exchange is offering grants to small and medium enterprises to encourage them to raise capital. The first listing of 2011 was 8.7x over-subscribed.
Tiny, small and medium businesses in Egypt and Tunisia, later Algeria and Morocco, are set to benefit from a new €30 million ($43.2 mn) SANAD Fund for MSME.