africa
Dealflow | March 28, 2024
Capria Ventures backs fintechs in Nigeria and Bangladesh to expand financial services
Capria Ventures, a Seattle-based venture investor in emerging markets, continues to deploy capital from its Global South Fund II, which achieved a first …
Photo by Umba.
Financial Inclusion | August 4, 2022
Emerging markets neobank Umba acquires a majority stake in Kenya’s Daraja
ImpactAlpha, August 4 — More than half of adults in Africa still don’t have access to banking and financial services, including mobile money …
Photo by Calvert Impact Capital.
Clean Energy | June 21, 2022
Mirova acquires SunFunder to expand clean energy and climate investing in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, June 21 — Paris-based Mirova, a $27 billion unit of French global asset management firm Natixis Investment Managers, is acquiring SunFunder to …
Climate and Clean Tech | December 14, 2020
Zola Electric scores $8 million partnership for solar mini-grids in Africa
Investment and spending on energy access in sub-Saharan Africa and other emerging markets screeched to a halt at the outset of the COVID-19 …
africa | March 7, 2018
Goodwell’s Umunthu fund backs Nigerian fintech provider Oradian
Oradian helps microfinance institutions reduce operating costs and cope with intermittent Internet connectivity as well as storms, floods and fires. From northern Nigeria, Oradian …
africa | March 7, 2018
Grassroots Business Fund eyes regional fund strategies
Inclusive Economy The international impact investment firm is developing two funds for Africa and Latin America PC: Grassroots Business Fund Grassroots Business Fund is developing …
africa | March 6, 2018
Cephus raises $51 million for high-growth Ethiopian businesses
The new private-equity fund will back small and growing Ethiopian businesses with a focus on manufacturing, agro-processing and services. Growth-stage companies have the …
africa | February 22, 2018
Goodwell raises €20 million feeder fund for African impact investing
Impact Tech The Dutch firm invests in young companies focusing on financial inclusion in Africa and India PC: Goodwell Investments The Dutch firm invests …
africa | February 10, 2018
Too much of a good thing in Kenya?
A new report on “The State of Social Impact Investing in Kenya” suggests that a growing number of impact investors, many of them …
africa | February 9, 2018
Opportunity zones, Big Society’s community fund, credit in Brazil, Kenya’s impact glut
Greetings, ImpactAlpha readers! #Featured: The New Revivalists Turning capital gains into community investments. The Investing in Opportunities Act tucked into the recent US …
africa | February 9, 2018
Jibu raises $7 million to expand clean water franchises
The social enterprise uses a franchise model to help locals in Eastern and Southern Africa start businesses that provide clean water to their …
africa | January 27, 2018
Partech Ventures launches fund for African tech
The investment firm has raised €57 million ($70 million) toward a €100 million fund to back growth-stage African fintech companies. The fund, called …
2030 Finance | January 27, 2018
AgDevCo invests in Tanzanian hydro project
No, the project doesn’t represent a shift for the agriculture-focused impact investor. The 1.5-megawatt Suma Hydro project in southwest Tanzania will power a …
2030 Finance | January 25, 2018
Flexible loan terms, climate insurance open door to small farmer financing
Impact Voices is an occasional series sharing the opinions of impact investing practitioners and leaders with ImpactAlpha readers. The views expressed in Impact …
africa | January 19, 2018
For solar energy, follow the cell phone signal
Fewer than 14% of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo have access to electricity; only seven other countries fare worse. Millions died in …
africa | January 13, 2018
Equator Capital Partners raises $62 million for African microfinance
The U.S.-based fund manager reached a first close towards its $150 million goal for its third ShoreCap fund. The fund is backed by development …
africa | January 6, 2018
AgDevCo re-ups with Zambian farming venture
Katito Farming Enterprises aims to increase local agricultural production and processing in northern Zambia and to connect smallholder farmers to regional export markets. AgDevCo, …
africa | January 6, 2018
Metro migration
City populations are growing and rural populations are shrinking. By 2030, 60% of the world’s people will live in cities; by 2050, the …
2030 Finance | January 5, 2018
Church pension fund backs off-grid solar in Africa and south Asia
The $75 million Off-Grid Solar and Financial Access Senior Debt Fund aims to impact one million people in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia …
2030 Finance | December 13, 2017
Africa GreenTec commissions village solar system in Niger
The German startup is installing a solar-based power system in Amaloul Nomade, an off-grid village on a route used by 90% of African …
africa | December 5, 2017
Shortlist acquires Spire to boost talent development in East Africa
About half of new graduates from Kenyan universities are not prepared for the workforce, according to a 2014 study, while fast-growing Kenyan startups …
africa | December 5, 2017
West Africa’s growing startup ecosystem is built for small, growing and high-impact companies
Earlier this year, Accion Venture Lab, Newid Capital and a group of angel investors backed a $1.25 million seed round for Lidya, a …
africa | December 1, 2017
Comparing online impact advisors, maternal health impact bond, West Africa’s startup landscape…
Greetings, ImpactAlpha readers! #Featured: Impact Voices Eleven online platforms that let you — yes, you — make socially responsible investments right now. ImpactAlpha spills a lot of digital …
africa | November 18, 2017
Lateral Capital joins Capria Network
Capria, which launched its acceleration program for new impact fund managers in 2015, has added two more funds to its network. Lateral Capital, a …
2030 Finance | November 10, 2017
Shell-backed All On invests in energy access in Nigeria
Nearly half of Nigeria’s 186 million people lack access to electricity, amid the country’s booming oil and gas sector. All On, a Lagos-based non-profit, …
africa | November 9, 2017
Tech investments target Nigeria’s unmet consumer needs
Nigeria’s entrepreneurs are having better luck raising capital, and 40% of the funding is coming from outside Nigeria. In a record year for African …
2030 Finance | November 9, 2017
Universal impact investors, recycling cell phones, Nigeria’s startup sector
Greetings, ImpactAlpha readers! #Featured: Impact Voices Why that $200 hamburger may not maximize shareholder value after all. That two-dollar fast-food burger could cost up …
africa | November 3, 2017
TPG Growth invests in agtech venture Gro Intelligence
Can better data encourage more financial investment in African agriculture? Gro Intelligence scrapes information sources from governments, trade organizations and markets and standardizes …
2030 Finance | November 3, 2017
PEG Africa raises $13.5 million to expand off-grid solar in West Africa
The company offers pay-as-you-go home solar systems to 200,000 off-grid customers in Ghana and the Ivory Coast. It plans to use the new …
africa | October 30, 2017
Global Partnerships backs online artisan marketplace Novica
Novica connects more than 19,000 artisans worldwide with international markets and provides no-interest microfinancing through Kiva. It has arranged nearly $81 million in …
2030 Finance | October 27, 2017
BBOXX closes $5 million for pay-as-you-go solar in Rwanda
The debt funding will be used to help 150,000 Rwandans finance BBOXX’s home solar products and systems. The funds will be managed by Banque …
africa | October 26, 2017
AgDevCo backs Rwanda’s Uzima Chicken
The impact investor, which focuses on early-stage agri-businesses in Africa, made a $3 million equity investment in Uzima. The company sells a breed of …
africa | October 25, 2017
Bloom Impact gets boost from Engineers Without Borders
Bloom Impact, a Ghana-based fintech startup, provides an online and mobile platform to help micro- and small-business owners in Africa raise funds by …
2030 Finance | October 25, 2017
Fenix acquired by Engie SA to accelerate off-grid solar in Africa
The San Francisco-based maker of small pay-as-you-go solar systems will anchor the French utility company’s efforts to grow in Africa. Engie will provide capital …
africa | October 18, 2017
Lendable raises $6.7 million to back Kenyan “alternative lenders”
Lendable connects impact investors to social ventures that offer asset-based financing in Africa. In the company’s first deal, it helped arrange funds for Tugende, …
africa | October 17, 2017
Andela lands $40 million to train Africa’s software developers
The Nigerian company pays young Africans to take its online coding courses, hiring some graduates as programmers for such companies as Viacom and …
2030 Finance | October 16, 2017
Oolu raises $3.2 million to expand power access in West Africa
The Senegal-based startup sells solar-energy products to off-grid households in West Africa, where 150 million people lack access to the grid. Oolu, part of …
africa | October 16, 2017
OPIC commits $2 million to fighting blindness in Cameroon
Blindness afflicts nearly 40 million people worldwide, with more than half of the cases caused by cataracts. The condition can be corrected through …
africa | October 13, 2017
Capitalworks lands $40 million for investment in Africa
Capitalworks has raised $40 million for investment in Africa. The South African investment firm makes long-term equity investments in mid-size companies across sub-Saharan Africa. …
africa | October 10, 2017
GreenTec Capital raises €1 million for African startups
Inclusive Economics The firm wants to back 50 African startups by 2020 The GreenTec Team | PC: GreenTec Capital Partners The Frankfurt, Germany-based impact investor …
2030 Finance | October 3, 2017
Call for women-led clean energy businesses in West Africa
A network of investment, clean energy, and technology groups is calling for proposals from women-led sustainable energy enterprises in West-Africa. The Private Financing …
2030 Finance | September 28, 2017
Mitsui backs OMC Power’s minigrid expansion to Africa
OMC Power develops solar minigrids for telecom towers and rural villages in India. With a ¥1 billion ($9.3 million) equity investment from Japanese conglomerate …
africa | September 22, 2017
Shortlist raises $1 million to connect Indian and African employers and skilled jobseekers
The Mumbai-based tech startup’s jobseeker-vetting platform helps companies “hire based on skills and potential, rather than pedigree.” More people in sub-Saharan Africa will …
africa | September 19, 2017
AgDevCo inks third Africa agribusiness deal in a month
“Zambia potatoes, Mozambique bananas and Malawi chickens,” wrote AgDevCo co-founder Chris Isaac on LinkedIn. That isn’t tonight’s menu at the company’s London HQ. …
africa | September 9, 2017
Agroforester Florestra Viva secures funding from Moringa
The Brazilian company produces organic heart of palm with environmentally friendly practices. Production of the plant is a $500 million business worldwide, and …