Africa
Frontier and Growth Markets | April 19, 2024
Deal spotlight: African banks help Acre Impact Capital bridge gaps in infrastructure finance
It’s taken three years for Mauritius-based Acre Impact Capital to reach a first close for its first infrastructure finance fund. The firm is …
Investing in Health | April 16, 2024
SEAF provides impact-linked capital to Dawa Mkononi for pharmaceutical access in Tanzania
Impact investment firm SEAF (for Small Enterprise Assistance Funds) launched its Daraja Impact initiative with support from AlphaMundi Foundation and the Swiss Agency …
Climate Finance | April 16, 2024
Pula lands $20 million to offer livestock insurance to smallholder farmers
Insurance tech startup Pula launched in 2015 to provide crop insurance to small scale farmers, 80% of whom lack access to products that …
Smallholder Agriculture | April 11, 2024
SunCulture raises $27.5 million to expand solar irrigation for smallholder farmers
Nairobi-based SunCulture has been making affordable irrigation systems for smallholder farmers in Africa since 2013. A decade ago, farmers had difficulty finding affordable …
Financial Inclusion | April 10, 2024
Africa50 and Oikocredit lead $14 million round for Zeepay’s cross-border payments
Remittance inflows to Africa are expected to top $55 billion this year. But Africa is the most costly region in the world for …
Frontier and Growth Markets | April 5, 2024
African pension funds back Adenia Capital’s fifth impact private equity fund
Mauritius-based impact private equity firm Adenia Capital raised $470 million to invest in African businesses delivering essential goods and services. Adenia tracks an …
Dealflow | April 1, 2024
Uganda’s Credify raises early funding to address Africa’s trade finance gap
Small businesses that source products from overseas pay for the goods well before they sell them. In Africa, where small businesses already face …
Water | March 22, 2024
Deal spotlight: Turning on the capital tap to finance water and sanitation in Africa
As climate change makes water supplies and management more critical than ever, public budget allocations for water access and treatment in Africa are …
Climate Finance | March 21, 2024
Leveraging the carbon markets for clean cooking, climate justice and social impact
Nairobi’s slums are dotted with little aqua blue signs alerting residents to top-up points for cooking fuel. Many households don’t have electric stoves …
Dealflow | March 20, 2024
Nigeria’s Moove raises $100 million for revenue-based vehicle financing
Since it launched out of Lagos in 2020, Moove has provided revenue-based vehicle financing for over 20,000 ride-hailing and delivery drivers in Nigeria, …
Water | March 20, 2024
Tanzania turns to green bond market to improve urban water infrastructure
The East African country is new to the global green bond market but has quickly become one of Africa’s most active issuers. The …
Africa | March 19, 2024
African venture capital rebounds as global LPs re-up in Partech Africa
ImpactAlpha, March 19 — Africa was not spared from last year’s venture capital funding slowdown. But nearly all of the limited partners in …
Africa | March 13, 2024
IFC extends $20 million to Burundi bank to bolster small business lending
The International Finance Corp. and a group of institutional investors have extended a $20 million loan to Banque de Crédit de Bujumbura to …
Financial Inclusion | March 13, 2024
IFC extends $20 million to Burundian bank to bolster small business lending
The International Finance Corp. and a group of institutional investors have extended a $20 million loan to Banque de Crédit de Bujumbura to …
Frontier and Growth Markets | March 12, 2024
XSML raises nearly $100 million to invest in African small and mid-sized businesses
Amsterdam-based XSML invests in growing African businesses providing basic consumer goods and services in less-invested markets like Uganda and the Democratic Republic of …
Investing in Health | March 11, 2024
Pharma company Eisai backs South African health tech venture RecoMed
Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai launched subsidiaries in South Africa and Kenya in 2022 to supply drugs for cancer, dementia and other non-communicable diseases. …
Climate Finance | March 7, 2024
Gates Foundation seeds Africa Water Facility with $6 million grant for urban sanitation
ImpactAlpha, March 7 — Africa Water Facility, launched by the African Ministers Council on Water and managed by the African Development Bank, aims …
Dealflow | March 5, 2024
Adenia Capital acquires South Africa last-mile delivery platform The Courier Guy
ImpactAlpha, March 5 — E-commerce in South Africa is growing at an annual rate of 15%. The Courier Guy, through its network of …
Inclusive Economy | March 4, 2024
Overheard at Sankalp: Public equity for African small businesses, accelerating circular enterprises, financing women-led ventures
ImpactAlpha, March 4 – The theme of the Sankalp Africa Summit in Nairobi was “igniting Africa’s potential for a just transition.” As always, financing …
Impact Investing | February 27, 2024
Risks and opportunities in early-stage climate tech in Africa
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 26 – Climate concerns figured prominently in conversations among investors, development agencies, startups and corporations at this week’s Africa Tech Summit …
Dealflow | February 27, 2024
South Africa’s Hohm Energy nets $8 million to meet demand for solar power
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 27 – South Africans have endured years of rolling blackouts as the country’s aging coal plants falter. The outages have shaved …
Clean Energy | February 20, 2024
D.light closes $7.4 million solar securitization deal in Nigeria
ImpactAlpha, February 21 – Securitized financing enables d.light to move loans to solar customers off of its balance sheet, freeing its capital to …
Gender Smart | February 20, 2024
WIC Capital invests in a local snack food company in Senegal
ImpactAlpha, February 20 – Most African markets are heavily dependent on imported food products, despite the fact that most Africans depend on agriculture …
Climate and Clean Tech | February 14, 2024
Catalyst Fund seeds nine African climate tech startups
ImpactAlpha, February 14 – The impact tech fund of BFA Global invested $1.8 million in companies that “directly empower farmers, healthcare providers, waste …
Financial Inclusion | February 12, 2024
First Circle backs Egypt’s Balad for cross-border payments
ImpactAlpha, February 12 – Egyptians living abroad send more than $30 billion a year to friends and family back home. Most of the …
Smallholder Agriculture | February 8, 2024
Eco.business Fund backs Family Bank to finance climate resilience for farmers in Kenya
ImpactAlpha, February 8 – Most commercial banks in Africa have long dismissed smallholder farmers and other agricultural businesses as too risky. Kenya’s Family …
Gender Smart | February 8, 2024
Village Capital partners with Standard Chartered to catalyze capital to African women in tech
ImpactAlpha, February 8 – Female founders receive just 2% of venture capital in Africa (and about the same globally). Standard Chartered bank launched …
Good Jobs | February 1, 2024
Upskilling Africa’s workforce for green jobs in renewable energy and resilient agriculture
ImpactAlpha, February 1 – National commitments to decarbonize economies and mitigate climate change are spurring a global green jobs boom, as countries race …
Inclusive Economy | February 1, 2024
Preparing Africa’s workforce for a green future
Africa is poised to play a pivotal role in the global fight against climate change. Its untapped renewable energy potential, abundant land, natural …
Dealflow | January 22, 2024
African Guarantee Fund backstops Vista Group’s lending to small businesses and green ventures
ImpactAlpha, January 22 – The African Development Bank and Danish and Spanish governments launched the African Guarantee Fund more than a decade ago …
Africa | January 17, 2024
EAIF locks in $294 million in debt for infrastructure in Africa
ImpactAlpha, January 17 – The $100 billion gap in Africa’s annual infrastructure financing needs isn’t evenly spread. The Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund is …
Climate Finance | January 10, 2024
Renew Capital backs Octavia Carbon for direct air capture in Kenya
ImpactAlpha, January 10 – African leaders and innovators are starting to tap global carbon markets. Nairobi-based Octavia Carbon is a rare direct air …
Clean Energy | January 10, 2024
African investors back Africa50 to accelerate sustainable infrastructure
ImpactAlpha, January 10 – Morocco-based Africa50 aims to spur critical infrastructure development in Africa with different funding mechanisms that help developers overcome financing …
Africa | January 9, 2024
Rwandan electric motorcycle maker Ampersand raises $19.5 million for fleet expansion
ImpactAlpha, January 9 — Kigali-based Ampersand seeks to build and finance a fleet of five million taxi motorcycles and battery swapping stations across …
Dealflow | January 3, 2024
AXIAN Energy secures $30 million from EAIF for renewable energy in Africa
ImpactAlpha, January 3 — AXIAN Energy has secured a $30 million debt investment from the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund, a $1 billion investment …
Frontier and Growth Markets | December 14, 2023
Investors back Copia with fresh capital to right the ship
ImpactAlpha, December 14 – The wave of investment in digitizing informal businesses in emerging markets produced overfunded startups, artificial valuations and unproven business …
Dealflow | December 11, 2023
Mercy Corp Ventures backs Tappi to boost economic and climate resilience in Africa’s small businesses
ImpactAlpha, December 11 – Flooding and droughts, which disrupt logistics, damage stock, depress consumer spending and raise the cost of goods, affect nearly …
Africa | December 6, 2023
Emerging fund managers score nearly $30 million for Africa’s small businesses
ImpactAlpha, December 6 – Mastercard Foundation’s Africa Growth Fund has allocated $200 million for investment managers supporting economic opportunities for women and youth. …
Frontier and Growth Markets | December 4, 2023
Funds of funds provide more than capital for local investors in small and growing businesses
An expanding range of financing mechanisms and vehicles are emerging to help private capital providers direct money and resources to their small business …
Agrifood Tech | November 27, 2023
Investors commit $1.7 million to Aquarech to support fish farmers in Kenya
ImpactAlpha, November 28 – Africa’s fast-growing population is driving increased demand for protein, including fish. With local production dwindling, Kenya is meeting demand …
Dealflow | November 16, 2023
Beyond Capital Ventures backs Lapaire for affordable eye care in Africa
ImpactAlpha, November 16 — Africa faces a shortage of eye-care specialists, making it challenging for tens of millions of Africans with visual impairments …
Africa | November 15, 2023
Easy Solar scores $7 million for energy access in Sierra Leone and Liberia
ImpactAlpha, November 15 – Until the early 2000s, both Sierra Leone and Liberia were rocked by civil war. One of the many longstanding …
Frontier and Growth Markets | November 12, 2023
Novastar Ventures secures $40 million for African impact startups
ImpactAlpha, November 13 – Financial services firm SBI Holdings has directly invested in several startups on the continent. It’s now backing Novastar to …
Clean Energy | November 2, 2023
EAIF commits $48 million to ‘social bonds’ for rural electrification in Côte d’Ivoire
ImpactAlpha, November 2 – Nearly half of Côte d’Ivoire’s 28 million people live in rural areas; less than 40% of them have access …
Clean Energy | October 31, 2023
Burn Manufacturing issues $10 million green bond for clean cooking in Africa
ImpactAlpha, October 31 – More than two billion people still use kerosene, wood, charcoal and other rudimentary, dirty fuels for most of their …