In this episode of the PE Talks Africa podcast, we catch up with Alexis Caude, Managing Partner at Adenia Partners, to discuss the exits landscape in African private equity.

From the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on exiting investments and limited IPO opportunities in Africa to the sale of Mauvilac, the Mauritian paint company, to AkzoNobel, Alexis Caude talks about Adenia’s majority ownership strategy for investing in Africa, and why a strong management team makes all the difference in a company.

In this episode, we talk to three economists from the African Development Bank (AfDB) – Dr Fadel Jaoui, Dr Omolola Amoussou, and Dr Francis Kemeze. Fadel, Lola and Francis conducted an empirical analysis of the venture capital drivers using a dataset of African economies over the 2014 – 2019 period. Their research finds that in Africa, digital infrastructure plays a significant role in shaping a favourable environment for VC in Africa to thrive, in addition to enabling regulatory frameworks, institutional factors, market size, and corporate governance.

From the potential to engineer ‘clusters’ for innovation and knowledge exchange in Africa, to bringing informal economy stakeholders into the VC conversation, our guests address the factors, trends and issues that continue to influence the flow of early-stage funding across Africa.

Find out more about the Macro-economics Policy, Forecasting and Research (ECMR) Department at AfDB: https://www.afdb.org/en/knowledge/macro-economics-policy-forecasting-and-research

In the run-up to COP26, we discussed Àrgentil’s sustainable and impact investments across clean energy and the broader productive economy via SMEs with Gbenga Hassan, Managing Partner. He also provided insight into Àrgentil’s strategy of investing in early-stage energy opportunities, approach to value creation with its investee companies and contribution to the UN SDGs.

Àrgentil is a member of AVCA and is currently expanding its investment focus via the US$95mn Àrgentil SME Investment Fund (ASIF) to cover key West African countries.

A conversation with Matthew McCollum and Lisa Pinsley at Actis, as part of AVCA's content series in the run-up to COP26 in Glasgow.

The acceleration of the transition from coal to clean energy is on the agenda at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26). In this episode of PE Talks Africa, we catch up with Actis' Lisa Pinsley, Director: Head of Africa, Energy Infrastructure and Matthew McCollum, Director: Private Equity.

Lisa Pinsley and Matthew McCollum discuss how their respective teams work together to create a more sustainable power source to address the increasing demand for connectivity in Africa; driving value through their investments; and what they enjoy about investing in Africa.

Actis is a leading global investment firm focused on sustainable infrastructure and is a member of AVCA.

Visit the AVCA website: www.avca-africa.org

As part of AVCA's special series, Achieving the SDGs through African Private Equity (PE) and Venture Capital (VC), Paulette Mbeya, Research Analyst at AVCA, speaks with Ross Strike, Investment Manager - Venture Capital at CDC Group, about how CDC tackles socio-economic challenges through private sector development and investment, and with a focus on Goal 1 – No Poverty – how the DFI supports fund managers and portfolio companies in addressing poverty on the continent.

The Covid-19 pandemic left more than 30 million people across Africa in extreme poverty, and the African Development Bank predicts that this number will rise to 39 million by the end of 2021. When the pandemic hit, CDC Group adopted a three-pillared approach – preserve, strengthen and rebuild – to help partners safeguard impact and weather the crisis by responding to economic and health challenges and to provide support beyond the pandemic, from recovery to prosperity, through counter-cyclical funding and by being one of the first investors to re-enter the market.

LeapFrog Investment's Biju Mohandas explores consolidation in Africa's health ecosystem, universal health coverage, and the global lifestyle shift towards wellness as a significant part of our lives.

AVCA Spotlight on L&Z Integrated Farms with M.D. Abubakar

For L&Z Integrated Farms, a family-owned dairy business based in Kano State, Nigeria, the future is positive and full of opportunity.

In this episode of PE Talks Africa with Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, M. D. Abubakar, we discuss the impact of private equity investment from Sahel Capital on the business' growth over the past five years; shifting consumer tastes and opportunities to introduce new dairy products into the market; and key initiatives by the business to address some of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), including Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10).

We asked M. D. Abubakar what he enjoys most about doing business in Nigeria, and he said it is the creativity and innovation of young people. "It makes my day when I see the happiness in the face of the youth when they are able to partake in commercial activity as a result of entrepreneurship."

Albert Alsina is the Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner at Mediterrania Capital Partners. In 2020, Albert published Value Creation in Private Equity, a guide for investors, fund managers and business leaders seeking to create value and improve performance.

In this episode, we talk to Albert about the eight-step model of value creation, how fund managers have supported portfolio companies during the pandemic, and the trends driving investment across Africa, including sustainability.

Albert sits on AVCA's Sustainability Committee and is an Associate Professor at the EADA Business School in Barcelona.

Find out more about AVCA: https://www.avca-africa.org/

Follow AVCA on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/african-venture-capital-association/

AVCA 2020 Focus Series - Exits: Divesting During an Economic Downturn

Speakers:

- Stephane Bacquaert, Managing Director, Adenia Partners

- Natalie Kolbe, Partner, Private Equity, Actis

- Romain Py, Chief investment officer: Pan-Africa, African Infrastructure Investment Managers

- Nina Triantis, Head of Financial Sponsor Coverage, Standard Bank

Moderator:

- Nicholas Hughes, Partner, Clifford Chance

AVCA 2020 Focus Series - Portfolio Management: Value Creation During Uncertain Times

Speakers:

· Arjuna Costa, Managing Partner, Flourish VC

· 'Tokunboh Ishmael, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Alitheia Capital

· Genevieve Sangudi, Strategic Africa Advisor, The Carlyle Group, and Partner, Alterra Capital Partners

· Marc Stoneham, Portfolio Manager, Development Partners International

Moderator:

· Rasheeda Seshie, Partner and Chief People Officer, Africa Foresight Group