Kingdom Holding Company

http://www.kingdom.com.sa/

"Kingdom Holding Company

 The World’s Foremost Value Investor

Welcome to the online home of Kingdom Holding Company – one of the world’s most successful diversified investment holding companies. Based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Kingdom Holding Company (KHC) is a publicly listed company on the Tadawul (Saudi Stock Exchange). KHC is comprised of a select team of experienced investment specialists directed by HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, one of the world’s leading investors.

KHC is internationally renowned for its interest in both high performance global brands and strategic regional interests. The company utilizes detailed selection criteria to identify optimum opportunities to invest and realize value from undervalued or underperforming assets nationally and internationally, appreciating potential for the long term. 

 

Investments

Kingdom Holding Company – The Home of Investment

The KHC investment strategy is to identify and support “best of the best” enterprises around the world. We employ detailed selection criteria to maximize long-term returns for shareholders and joint venture partners, and employ an astute approach to realize investment potential in addition to identifying potential assets that are typically undervalued or underperforming, locally and globally through our sound investment strategy.

Through this approach KHC has cemented its position as one of the world’s foremost value investors.

But the real strength of the overall KHC portfolio lies in sector diversity. We have major interests in investment categories ranging from luxury hotels and real estate to media and publishing, entertainment, finance and investment services, social media and technology, consumer and retail, petrochemicals, education, private equities, health care, aviation, – even agriculture. KHC is among the world’s largest and most diverse investors, with regional and international holdings in many key industries. We are recognized as one of the largest foreign investors in the United States. We are also active in Africa, an emerging market and growing economic power offering nearly limitless potential.

KHC regularly extends its portfolio to include new opportunities. Current holdings shown do not define the limits of the company’s investment ambitions...."

 

Acumen Fund

"As a non-profit, we raise charitable donations that allow us to make patient long-term debt or equity investments in early-stage companies providing reliable and affordable access to agricultural inputs, quality education, clean energy, healthcare services, formal housing, and safe drinking water to low-income customers...."

http://acumen.org/

8 Miles

"8 Miles is a private equity firm focused exclusively on making private equity investments in Africa. We invest in consumer-driven businesses and service providers with strong growth prospects. We look to partner with leading entrepreneurs and management teams, and work with them to achieve shared objectives by providing capital and operational expertise. A core part of our strategy is active ownership - actively participating in transforming businesses in which we invest. We are "hands on" investors in Africa.

At 8 Miles we have a complementary team of principals with significant experience in private equity and direct experience in successfully managing and transforming businesses in Africa. All our principals have extensive experience in developed and emerging economies, and therefore have a deep insight into the unique opportunities and challenges that Africa presents. We seek to achieve superior capital returns and accelerate the development of African companies by delivering lasting operational improvement.

Typically, we place between US$15 million and US$45 million in each investment that we make. Whilst we look at opportunities from growth equity to more complex buyouts, our strategy is essentially quite simple. We invest in African businesses and sectors with high growth prospects, and enhance performance by implementing our "active ownership" approach to manage the investment. We believe the combination of careful selection and hands-on involvement leads to better performance.

We work with highly motivated entrepreneurs and managers and ensure all stakeholder interests are completely aligned. We aim to take majority or influential minority positions in companies, and work closely with like-minded stakeholders to devise and implement operational changes to the business. Some of these changes appear straightforward - management controls, proper training and incentivisation, alignment of interests, analytically-driven decision making, and so forth - but they help ensure that the companies we work with have a competitive advantage relative to their peer group.

Our collective experience in Africa has taught us that value creation requires the key discipline to do simple things well; applying proven best practice and transferring skills, rather than re-inventing the wheel. Our "active ownership" philosophy integrates governance and operational change programmes. By leveraging our operational expertise, we look to create market leading African businesses. This leads to sustainable growth and value creation for all stakeholders.

8 Miles has identified target geographies and sectors where its investment approach can be best implemented. We focus on countries with strong macroeconomic fundamentals, good governance, a favourable regime for foreign investors, and a track record of private sector reforms which make doing business easier.

8 Miles focuses on consumer driven businesses and service providers with strong growth prospects. Typical sectors which we consider include:

• Agribusiness
• Business and Financial Services
• Consumer Goods and Retail
• Energy and Utilities
• Healthcare and Pharmaceutical
• Hospitality and Real Estate
• Telecom, Media and Technology
• Transport and Logistics

http://www.8miles.com/index.php 

Swicorp

"Swicorp initiated its private equity activities in 2004 to leverage its long-standing network of relationships in the MENA region and capitalise on the wide range of attractive investment opportunities in one of the world's most exciting emerging markets.

Since 2005, over USD 1 billion has been raised for Swicorp private equity funds, primarily from investors based in the Middle East. In 2011, our investors base widened to include Development Finance Institutions, such as the International Finance Corporation, the European Investment Bank and Proparco, that wish to support the economic development of the region post 'Arab Spring'.  Swicorp currently has two active investment programmes with distinct sector focus.

Sectors: consumer goods & retail, consumer services, light industrials and healthcare
Scope: Middle East and North Africa

Sectors: Energy and energy intensive industries, oil & gas, petrochemicals and infrastructure
Scope: Middle East and North Africa

In addition to the two franchises, Swicorp has established in 2012 a Co-Investment Platform that leverages on Swicorp's regional network and on-the-ground presence in Saudi Arabia to identify investment opportunities that will be presented to like-minded investors on a deal-by-deal basis. In order to fully align interests, Swicorp will commit its own capital alongside that of co-investors for each individual transaction.

Swicorp's private equity activities provide:

• Comprehensive regional and sector coverage
• Over 20 seasoned professionals with on the ground presence in target markets
• Access to Swicorp's longstanding network and investment experience in the MENA region and beyond...

 http://www.swicorp.com/en/private-equity/overview.html

International Finance Corporation (IFC)

"Industries in Sub-Saharan Africa

IFC Hits Record Investment, Advisory Volume to Promote Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

IFC committed a record $5.3 billion to new investments and carried out advisory services projects worth $65 million in Sub-Saharan Africa in its most recent fiscal year. IFC supported infrastructure, health, agribusiness and a range of activities in conflict affected states and helped Africa’s entrepreneurs gain access to finance. 

IFC invested $3.5 billion from its own account, and mobilized $1.8 billion from other investors.  In FY 2013, IFC’s supported projects that provided loans for 54,000 small and medium businesses, encouraged 13.7 million microfinance clients; and improved health and education for 360,000 people. IFC’s investments in wind power and other renewable energy reduced 667,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

Advisory Services

IFC Advisory Services spending reached $65 million during the most recent fiscal year. Projects were active in 42 countries, with 126 projects, valued at $217 million over the life of the projects. During fiscal year 2013, advisory services projects improved access to lighting and education  services for 1.6 million people; generated 27,000 jobs; trained entrepreneurs and connected farmers to global markets. Three public-private partnership mandates were successfully closed, helping deliver health services to 360,000 people in Lesotho and Nigeria and power to 75,000 in Liberia.

IFC and the World Bank's Investment Climate Advisory Services worked with governments in Sub-Saharan Africa to implement over 50 reforms that benefited the private sector in 17 different countries. In Uganda, for example, licensing reforms led to private sector cost savings of $15.5 million. The 2013 Doing Business report found that of the 50 economies globally making the most improvement in business regulation for domestic firms since 2005, one-third were in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Agribusiness

IFC’s agribusiness investments in Sub-Saharan Africa reached $600 million in the 2013 fiscal year. By investing in companies such as the Kenya Tea Development Agency and the Export Trading Group, IFC created economic opportunity for 263,000 farmers in sub Saharan Africa.

Infrastructure

IFC funding for infrastructure projects in Africa reached $1.5 billion. IFC’s Infraventures division joined hands with private sector partners to develop wind power projects in Tanzania and Kenya. In West Africa, IFC invested aviation companies and mobilized funding for the Lomé port to expand the transportation network and improve trade infrastructure in the region.   

Fragile and Conflict Affected States

Assisting in fragile and conflict situations is a strategic priority for IFC in Africa, and during the most recent fiscal year, IFC provided support in nearly all African economies emerging from conflict. IFC’s Conflict Affected States in Africa Program provided advisory support and funding to eight countries (Burundi, the Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan). IFC’s programs in these countries helped strengthen the private sector foundation, and create opportunity and jobs. Last fiscal year, CASA received approval to expand to all 19 fragile and conflict affected states in Sub-Saharan Africa and will focus the first phase of the expansion on Mali, Somalia, and Zimbabwe. 

Treasury

Through innovative use of treasury operations, IFC expanded its capability to develop domestic capital markets and serve clients with local currency financing. In FY13, IFC provided more than $350 million in local currency loans to countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. IFC pioneered a Nigerian naira bond, raising $75 million in local currency for private sector investments. IFC is working with authorities in a number of countries including Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia on programs that will enable IFC to regularly issue local currency bonds.

IFC’s focus on encouraging investments between emerging markets was strengthened this year through new investments of nearly $400 million in so-called South-South investments. This included African cross-border investments, such Mali-based Azalai Hotels Group’s new hotel project in Cote d’Ivoire. In Nigeria, IFC financing supported major investments by two Indonesian companies: Indorama’s investment in Eleme Fertilizer and Wings Group’s Nigerian operations...."

 http://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/region__ext_content/regions/sub-saharan+africa/investments/investments

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Afric Invest

AfricInvest was founded in 1994 and is part of Integra Group, an investment and financial services company based in Tunisia.

Uniquely positioned as one of the most experienced private equity investors on the continent, AfricInvest has dedicated investment teams focused on North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, and employs 50 professionals based in six offices.

AfricInvest manages USD750 million across 13 funds and benefits from strong, long-term support from both local and international investors, including leading development finance institutions in the United States and Europe.

Having co-founded the African Venture Capital Association (AVCA) as well as the Middle East North Africa Private Equity Association (MENAPEA) and the Euromed Capital Forum, the firm is an active promotor of the private equity industry in the region.

Since 1994, AfricInvest has invested in 112 companies across 24 African countries in a variety of high growth sectors and maintains a broad network of high quality executives across Africa, offering extensive expertise in key growth industries, including financial services, agribusiness, consumer/retail, education and healthcare...."

 http://www.africinvest.com/

Kagiso Tiso Holdings

"Investment Approach

KTH (through its legacy companies KTI and Tiso), boasts a track record of investment performance and creating long term sustainable shareholder value. Historically, the group’s impeccable BEE credentials allowed them to partner with strong companies (as an empowerment partner) and assisted those companies to create wealth for all shareholders. As a result, KTH currently has a portfolio of investments comprising market leading companies across key sectors. With the creation of KTH, the group is now poised to leverage this experience to become a leading investment company across Africa.

KTH focusses on investing in companies in specific sectors with strong, involved management teams. We aspire to become active shareholders of reference in our portfolio companies, through participation at board level and the various sub-committees. These companies are generally, high growth or cash generative and meet our investment criteria of inter alia generating market related returns for KTH. We maintain a long term horizon and can therefore partner with companies through-out cycles without any pressure to exit.

KTH sees the African continent at its primary market and will seek to manage a portfolio spanning across various sectors on the continent.

We adhere to the strictest code of ethical and professional conduct as an organization and ensure that through our participation in various corporate governance structures of our investee companies, the highest standards of corporate governance are adhered to. KTH believes it can be a catalyst for the transformation of our society by assisting to drive a broad based transformation agenda in our portfolio companies. We are equally proud of the charitable work and social agenda of our key shareholders and seek to invest in companies that share these values..."

http://www.kagiso.com/about.php

Tana Africa Capital

Tana Africa Capital is an Africa-focused investment company founded by E. Oppenheimer & Son International Ltd and Temasek. Through the medium of capital and business building support, Tana aims to build African business institutions for generations to come. In doing so, Tana is able to draw on the rich heritage, vast experience and extensive networks of its founding shareholders as well as the on-the-ground African knowledge and operating experience of its management team. Like its namesake, Ethiopia’s Lake Tana (the source of the Blue Nile), Tana aims to serve as a fount of development, leaving an enduring, tangible and positive legacy on the businesses which it supports.

Investment Approach

Tana’s investment approach is predicated on the following three core principles:

Active Investment Management

Tana is an active, value orientated investor that engages positively and in a collaborative fashion with the boards and management of the companies in which it invests. Tana prioritises the institutionalisation of business practices such as business leadership, financial discipline, operational excellence and sound corporate governance. In doing so, it is able to draw on its investment team’s deep experience in strategy and operations across Africa.

Long-Term Investment Focus

The value-adding, partnership approach is supported by the fact that Tana limits the number of companies in which it invests, focusing its efforts on companies that can serve as platforms for domestic and regional expansion. Developing such enduring businesses will, at times, require the adoption of lengthy investment time horizons. The flexibility that Tana has in terms of investment holding periods originates from the fact that it has been established as an evergreen investment company and has as its founding shareholders investors that have achieved great success from eschewing the short termism that dominates much of the investment world.

Clear Sector Focus

Tana’s investment activities are focused on two primary sectors: Consumer and Agriculture. This clear sector focus brings with it deep industry expertise and extensive networks, greatly enhancing the positive impact that Tana can have on the companies in which it invests. 

Focus Sectors and Investment Criteria

Tana invests between US$20 million and US$75 million to acquire significant minority or control equity positions in established businesses across Africa that operate within the Consumer and Agriculture sectors.

Consumer Focus

Companies well positioned to meet the consumption needs of Africa’s young, energetic and growing population are core to Tana’s Consumer sector focus. There is tremendous economic and social value in satisfying the food, beverage and personal care consumer good needs of the African populace, providing the building materials required to house the growing number of households, and offering the logistical support needed to produce and deliver these goods.

Within the Consumer sector, Tana focuses its efforts on:

• Food, beverage and personal care fast moving consumer goods
• Building materials
• Retail
• Logistics

We also consider select opportunities in Consumer Financial Services, Media, Healthcare and Education.

Agriculture Focus

Africa, which has the largest reservoir of undeveloped arable land in the world, will play a pivotal role in the decades ahead in ensuring that the food requirements of a rapidly growing world population are met. Tana will be there to support the development of the crucial Agriculture sector, investing along the agricultural value chain from agricultural inputs (fertilizer, crop protection and equipment) to downstream opportunities in processing, storage and logistics.

Investment Criteria

Tana has a preference for companies operating in these sectors that have the following characteristics:

• Talented and visionary entrepreneur/majority shareholder/management team
• Large, addressable and rapidly growing market
• Minimal public sector dependency
• Attractive industry structure with proven, profitable and sustainable business model
• Highly scalable business with standardised and repeatable processes
• Internal expansion opportunities, as well as potential for add-on acquisitions
• Distinct competitive advantage driving strong market position
• Clearly identifiable and implementable levers for value creation
• Appropriate corporate governance

The Abraaj Group

The Abraaj Group has accumulated more than two decades of investment experience in global growth markets across six regions. Our typical equity transactions range between US$ 10 million and US$ 100 million. - See more at: http://www.abraaj.com/our-approach/private-equity#sthash.lekA9YoD.dpuf

The Abraaj Group has accumulated more than two decades of investment experience in global growth markets across six regions. Our typical equity transactions range between US$ 10 million and US$ 100 million. - See more at: http://www.abraaj.com/our-approach/private-equity#sthash.lekA9YoD.dpuf

Over the past ten years we have made 200 investments in 50 countries, giving us significant breadth and reach. We have applied the learnings from these investments to identify and follow global best practices and to hone our portfolio management and investment skills. - See more at: http://www.abraaj.com/our-approach/private-equity#sthash.lekA9YoD.dpuf

TriVest

TriVest is a leading provider of equity for growth capital financings, middle market corporate acquisitions and recapitalizations. Since its founding, TriVest has experienced a huge demand for capital in the early stage sector in Southern Africa, where innovative early-stage and start-up companies often lack the financial, managerial and network resources for expansion and growth.

TriVest prefers to invest in quality small to medium sized companies, which possess or promise strong and defendable market positions in growing or fragmented industries. TriVest always co-invests with company management and pursues transactions which are supported by the management and Boards of Directors of the investee companies.

We also aim to become the preferred sponsor of small to middle market acquisitions. Our mission is to build a track-record of proven closing capabilities and the ability to successfully grow acquired businesses in concert with management.

TriVest pursues investment opportunities which are based in South Africa, but with the potential to achieve scale through expansion within Africa.

TriVest is a member of the South African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (SAVCA) and upholds the industry’s good practice and valuation principles.

TriVest prefers to invest in the following industries: Healthcare (including Biotechnology) Renewable Energies Security We select businesses whose market position is strong and can be protected from new or unexpected competition. The firm has particular interest in acquiring companies in fragmented industries. Successful acquisition and growth financing candidates usually possess the following characteristics: Talented and committed management team Strong and defendable market positions Scalability A product line with extended life cycles and low obsolescence risk Sustainable and above average operating profit margins (>25% in Retail and Manufacturing, >50% in Services)..." http://www.trivest.co.za/AboutUs/Introduction.aspx

Development Partners International

"Development Partners International LLP (DPI) is the investment adviser to ADP I, a private equity fund that invests across Africa.

Our focus is on companies benefiting from the fast-growing emerging middle class. We work throughout Africa and see the benefits of investing in the fast-growing and newly liberalising countries in Africa.

Our Focus

We expect the fund to invest in a wide variety of companies across the continent, with a view towards not concentrating on any one country, region or industry. We have a focus on companies that provide products and services for the fast-emerging African middle class, which we believe offer the most compelling investment profiles.

These include, but are not limited to the following industries: financial services, fast moving consumer goods, pharmaceutical and health and housing. We also expect the fund to take advantage of strategic opportunities with significant upside, including, among others, resource-based businesses to take advantage of Africa’s oil, natural gas and mineral riches.

Where We Invest

ADP I can invest throughout Africa, with a focus on increasing investments in the fast-growing post-conflict and newly liberalising African countries.

Our Criteria for Investment

We consider profitable or cash-flow positive companies which are growing either organically or through acquisitions, or partnering with established corporations expanding into new regions in Africa. They should offer ADP I the ability to exit over the lifetime of the investment.

The companies’ management must be experienced, and committed to transparency; with a clear corporate strategy designed to create value for shareholders...."

http://www.dpi-llp.com/ 

Actis

"We are a global pan-emerging market private equity firm 

With US$5 billion managed by 105 investment professionals we put our investors’ capital to work in 65 companies in total employing over 101,000 people.

With a first class track record

We have invested US$4.0bn in the emerging markets and realised US$2.2bn from US$867m cash invested since Actis was established in 2004.

A distinctive investment strategy

We invest in response to two trends: rising domestic consumption driven by the rapid expansion of the new consumer class, and the need for sustained investment in ​domestic infrastructure; education, energy, financial institutions, healthcare and real estate.

Rich deal flow in country

Actis is resolutely local. Our competitive intelligence and access to opportunities derive from close relationships on the ground. We match this local insight with a global sector approach. This yields great results. In India alone we have put over US$1bn to work to date. We have a particular strength in working with families and founders to professionalise their businesses. We take successful local brands and build them into world-class companies. Consequently many founders want to work with us. This results in unique deal flow.

Successfully mitigating risk

Revolutions, currency depreciation, inflation, bubbles, hot markets and downturns – our experience inherited from our 60 year legacy as part of the UK’s development arm, the Commonwealth Development Corporation or CDC, allows us to anticipate and mitigate those risks traditionally associated with the emerging markets.

A commitment to investing responsibly

Investing responsibly is especially important in the emerging markets. We make sure that civic society, our investors and our employees all benefit from how we invest capital as we build successful sustainable business...."

 http://www.act.is/content/WhoWeAre

Vuwa Investments

"Vuwa is a new generation investment holding company maintaining a portfolio of investments across a wide range of sectors. The company actively invests in healthcare, industrial, resources, energy and property among other opportunities..."

 http://www.vuwa.co.za/

Thebe Investment Corporation

"Founded in 1992 as a pioneering black-owned company, Thebe Investment Corporation (Thebe) is one of South Africa’s leading investment companies, managing assets of over R6 billion. Thebe is a unique entrepreneurial company that does not exist only to make a profit, but is driven by a commitment to serve the broader interests of the community.

Our investment portfolio spans tourism, mining resources, infrastructure, renewable energy, petrochemicals, telecommunications, financial services, and healthcare. We actively work to promote mutually beneficial economic partnerships by investing in or developing businesses that create value for our stakeholders through the origination, execution, and prudent management of our investments...."

 http://www.thebe.co.za/