Private Equity
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IFC provides $2.4 million convertible loan to Complete Farmer to scale agricultural finance in Ghana.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), in partnership with the Business Investment Financing Track, is providing Complete Farmer with a $2.4 million convertible loan to expand its agricultural financing model. The financing will support Complete Farmer’s efforts to finance agricultural inputs and agronomy services for farmers. IFC is also providing $660,000 in advisory and grant support…
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Private equity veteran Kofi Kwakwa’s firm acquires Ghanaian textile icons GTP and Woodin.
Ghanaian investment firm Olive Africa Partners Fashions has acquired TexStyles Ghana, the company behind two of Ghana’s best-known textile brands, GTP and Woodin. The acquisition gives the Ghanaian-owned investment company full ownership of TexStyles Ghana after buying the entire shareholding held by Dutch textile group Vlisco BV. The deal was led by Kofi Kwakwa, a…
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Ashesi University doubles down on African VC, joins Ventures Platform’s $84 million Fund II.
Ashesi University Foundation is deepening its commitment to African venture capital, joining Ventures Platform’s second pan-African fund as a limited partner. The commitment marks Ashesi Foundation’s second investment in an African venture capital fund, following its investment in Janngo Capital. The move positions the Ghanaian institution as an increasingly active participant in Africa’s private capital…
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Mariseth Farms secures $1.6 million in working capital loan from Sahel Capital.
Ghanaian agribusiness Mariseth Farms has secured a $1.6 million working capital facility from Sahel Capital’s Social Enterprise Fund for Agriculture in Africa (SEFAA). The financing will provide the company with additional financing to expand commodity trading during the 2026/2027 agricultural season. The facility is structured in two tranches and represents a renewal and expansion of…
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SmithField Agribusiness secures $230,000 from GBHub Africa to expand cold storage network.
SmithField Agribusiness, a Ghanaian agrifood supply chain business, has secured $230,000 (GHS 2.53 million), in convertible debt financing from GBHub Africa to expand its cold chain infrastructure, grow its network of smallholder farmers, and strengthen its operations. Unlike a conventional convertible note, the investment includes a one year moratorium and a one year decision cliff.…
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Pangea Africa and Black Star Africa acquire female-led produce pioneer Eden Tree.
Investment firms Pangea Africa and Black Star Africa have announced that they have jointly acquired a majority stake in Eden Tree, Ghana’s premier producer and distributor of fresh, packaged fruits and vegetables. Founded in 1997, Eden Tree operates a processing facility in Tema and sources fresh produce through a network of outgrower farmers across Ghana.…
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Remoteli co-founder Samuel Brooksworth launches athlete-backed VC firm PATH54
Samuel Brooksworth, co-founder of Ghanaian HR technology startup Remoteli, has launched PATH54, an athlete-led venture capital firm connecting African and African heritage athletes with founders building high growth businesses across the continent. The new firm aims to provide patient capital, strategic networks and long term support to startups while creating a structured pathway for athletes…
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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 and Asime Partners, is considerably messier. In a wide-ranging conversation on the Innovator Spotlight series, Tawia drew on…