Financing Africa’s Future: A glimpse into AfricInvest’s 30 years of History
Founded in 1994, AfricInvest started as a small and mid-cap private equity fund manager focused largely on investments in Tunisia. Over the past 30 years, it has grown into a pan-African multi-asset investment platform that delivers value and impact for investors, portfolio companies, and communities.
With over 100 highly-skilled investment professionals working across eleven offices, and a portfolio comprising of over 225 companies, AfricInvest remains steadfast in its mission of bettering lives in Africa and driving inclusive and sustainable growth across the continent.
A Pan African Investment Platform with a Local Presence
AfricInvest’s journey from a single country-focused investment firm into a pan-African powerhouse speaks volumes about its strategic expansion. Growing from its initial base of Tunisia in 1994, the firm developed a regional strategy in the late 1990s, broadening its focus to penetrate North Africa. By the 2000s, AfricInvest had recognised the growth potential of other markets further south. The firm expanded its investment strategy to include key sub-Saharan markets, opening new local offices as the firm grew both its geographic exposure as well as the range of fund strategies it managed. This deliberate growth strategy has positioned AfricInvest as one of Africa’s leading private equity firms, now with over $2bn in assets across 22 funds.
It has attracted strong, long-term support from both African and international investors, including notable Dutch partners, from both the public and private sectors. By balancing a pan-African presence with local expertise, AfricInvest has not only adapted to regional constraints but also capitalised on proprietary deals, delivering both long-term value to portfolio companies and successful exits for fund investors.
“Local knowledge is invaluable. AfricInvest’s extensive on-ground experience, coupled with its ability to adapt to regional socio-economic shifts has empowered the firm to understand the pulse of diverse local markets, leading to enhanced proprietory deal sourcing, appropriate execution, and value creation for all stakeholders” states Mr. Aziz Mebarek, Co-Founder and Co-Managing Partner at AfricInvest. With eight strategically-placed offices in Africa, AfricInvest fosters close and active collaboration with its portfolio companies. This extensive network, combined with robust global partnerships, helps portfolio companies scale, and seamlessly access international markets.
A Drive to Innovate
An unyielding drive to innovate has kept AfricInvest at the forefront of private capital investment. Over the years, the firm has remained anchored in its mission to create a multiplier effect by supporting African businesses that drive job creation, uplift communities, and deliver value to society. Today, the firm manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, venture capital, blended finance, private credit, and listed equity.
This commitment to innovation is exemplified by its latest impact-focused intiative, which is designed to finance African small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with high growth and impact potential. The SME intiative will provide tailor-made financing solutions, ranging from $4 million to $15 million per investment, by taking influential minority equity positions. It prioritises inclusive, sustainable development and will target a diverse range of sectors and geographies, with a particular focus on regions where AfricInvest has a local presence.
For the SME Strategy, AfricInvest has formed a strategic partnership with Invest International, a Dutch impact investor, to strengthen economic and commercial synergies between Africa and the Netherlands. By leveraging AfricInvest’s deep expertise in African markets and Invest International’s global network and cross-border capabilities, the partnership will identify promising African SMEs with existing or emerging relationships with Dutch companies and provide equity investments to support their growth. This collaboration aims to accelerate regional growth, foster impactful development, and deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns.
Impact at its Core
To further its mission of sustainable value creation, AfricInvest has partnered with the Bridgespan Group to develop the Multiple of Impact (MOI), a ground-breaking open-source tool that quantifies the net positive and negative social and environmental impacts of investments, aggregating them into a single, monetised figure. By making impact measurement accessible, and challenging misconceptions about the risk-return-impact relationship, the MOI aims to unlock greater capital flows into Africa’s private sector, fostering inclusive and sustainable development.
“AfricInvest’s mission is to empower scalable enterprises and create sustainable value for both investors and communities, while contributing to the global pathway toward a just net-zero future” says Ms. Aicha Zakraoui, Head of Impact & Sustainabilty at AfricInvest. The firm has invested in some of the most promising, innovative, and resilient companies across Africa, tackling pressing development gaps in key sectors such as education, financial inclusion and healthcare.
Providing more than just capital, AfricInvest supports its portfolio companies in embedding impact at the core of their strategies, investing in firms on the leading edge of innovation, transforming potential into meaningful progress. For example, an investment in the Group Cotugrain-Hortimag, a leader in Tunisia’s horticulture sector, leverages a partnership with Dutch international groups to introduce expertise in horticultural innovation, enhance export capacity to the European Market, and directly and indirectly deliver affordable, internationally standardised food products. The investment aims to modernise equipment, restructure the company’s operations to reduce debt, and create over 100 direct jobs through new greenhouses. By boosting foreign currency inflows, promoting sustainable practices, and revitalizing rural economies, AfricInvest reinforces its mission to create lasting, inclusive impact across Africa.
AfricInvest and the NABC
“Thanks to the NABC, there is now a large number of Dutch companies active in Africa, and more will likely boost business relations and improve knowledge sharing between the Netherlands and African countries. The NABC must stay ahead of the curve by continuing to introduce Dutch businesses to the African continent, which is developing at such a rapid pace” expresses AfricInvest’s former Chairman Mr. Ben Zwinkles. Ms. Nadia Tawil, Investment Officer at AfricInvest adds “We value our longstanding relationship with the NABC, which has played a vital role in helping us enhance our collaboration with Dutch players and unlock new opportunities between the African markets we operate in and the Netherlands.”
To learn more about AfricInvest, visit www.africinvest.com