Private Equity
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How a new evergreen technical assistance funding model aims to fix the SME funding pipeline.
This article draws on an original piece by John Scicchitano of Pangea Africa and Rob Mills of Social Finance International. In 2023, Mariseth Farms, a Ghanaian agribusiness founded by Marian Ofori Twumasi, had reached a familiar ceiling. The business had grown steadily by working with smallholder farmers and aggregating produce for market, but further expansion…
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Traditional VCs overlooks 70% of African businesses: Peter Wamburu on financing the missing middle.
In this edition of the Innovator Spotlight Series, we sit down with Peter Wamburu, Prinicipal at Vested World. Vested World is an early-stage investment firm redefining startup funding by prioritizing societal impact, commercial viability, and gender equity. In this interview, Wamburu shares insights on operating in the “missing middle” of investment, dismantling biases in due…
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African VC ecosystem does not actually exist: Sewu-Steve Tawia on the brutal realities of funding African startups
Venture capital is often presented as a straightforward formula: raise funding, scale quickly, and build the next breakout company. The reality, according to Sewu-Steve Tawia one of Ghana’s most active angel investor and Partner at Jaza Rift Ventures and Asime Partner, is considerably messier. In a wide-ranging conversation on the Innovator Spotlight series, Tawia drew…
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Origen Private Debt Fund joins Prime Meridian Docks’ $137 million financing round.
Origen Private Debt Fund one of Ghana’s emerging private credit platforms has joined the consortium backing Prime Meridian Docks’ $137 million “Project Shiprite,” a landmark floating dry dock and ship repair facility under development at the Port of Takoradi in Ghana. Origen’s commitment GHS 23 million forms part of a broader blended financing package supporting…
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Uniik Foods secures funding from Mirepa to expand manufacturing capacity.
Uniik Foods, the manufacturer of shelf-stable African food products has raised an undisclosed sum of funding from Mirepa Investment Advisors. The company will use the funds to modernize its facilities with automated equipment to scaleup production and provide working capital to streamline supply chain operations. Furthermore, the funding will accelerate the brand’s footprint in international…
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Growth Investment Partners secures $20 million from Axis and Norfund to back SMEs.
For years, the pitch to Ghanaian pension funds has been simple: stop parking all your cash in government bonds and start investing in the local factories that actually drive the economy. This week, one of the country’s biggest players doubled down on its mission to invest in the real economy. Growth Investment Partners (GIP), the…
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Fido secures a $5.5 million debt investment to scale its AI-driven lending platform.
Fido Ghana has secured a USD 5.5 million debt investment from the Regional MSME Investment Fund for Sub-Saharan Africa, managed by the Swiss-based impact manager, Symbiotics. The new capital injection will strengthen Fido Ghana’s capacity to scale its lending portfolio, enhance its digital infrastructure, and meet rising demand for accessible financial tools. For many borrowers,…
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Henos Energy lands $1.2 million to accelerate clean cooking fuel adoption in Ghana.
Henos Energy , a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) distributor, has raised $1.23 million in debt financing from the Switzerland-based Spark+ Africa Fund, a vehicle focused on clean and modern cooking solutions in frontier markets. The facility will support Henos’ expansion under Ghana’s Cylinder Recirculation Model (CRM), a regulatory framework designed to improve safety by shifting…
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Mariseth Farms backer, SEFAA secures $10m to ramp up investment in Africa’s agribusinesses.
The Social Enterprise Fund for Agriculture in Africa (SEFAA) — one of Ghana’s most active agribusiness investors and a backer of Complete Farmer, Mariseth Farms, Oyster Agribusiness, Kuapa Kokoo, and Idan Agro — has secured $10m from the Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund. Managed by Sahel Capital, SEFAA plans to deepen its reach across 13…
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Complete Farmer bags $5m debt deal to scale its agritech platform.
Ghana’s agriculture sector is vast , contributing nearly 20% to GDP and employing almost a third of the population but it’s also deeply fragmented. For the majority of smallholder farmers, inconsistent crop quality, volatile incomes, and weak market linkages remain daily realities. Now, Accra-based agritech startup Complete Farmer has secured $5m in debt financing from…