The Silicon Savannah - an insider's view

"Nairobi has gotten a lot of press over the past few years as the rising “Silicon Savannah” of Africa – a hub for tech start-ups in Sub-Saharan Africa. Most of the press is legit, but there is also a bit of hype. I’ve been a participant in Nairobi’s tech scene since 2012 when I discovered the iHub, a year after moving here in 2011. I thought I would share my notes here for those who want to get a real picture of what is going on in the “Silicon Savannah.”...."

http://vc4africa.biz/blog/2014/07/18/the-silicon-savannah-an-insiders-view/ 

NIgeria, Kenya or South Africa - Which is Africa's top ICT hub?

"Lured by the growth potential of African economies and our increasing interest in technology, many companies are fast expanding their employee base and branches in a market that was earlier viewed as a low-cost. But while most technology companies had earlier chosen South Africa as their African headquarters, many are expanding into fast-growing economies such as Kenya and Nigeria...."

http://vc4africa.biz/blog/2014/07/09/nigeria-kenya-or-south-africa-which-is-africas-top-ict-hub/

Adenia Partners

"At a glance

2002	Adenia Partners founded
2003	First fund, Adenia Capital, established with committed capital of €10 million (fully invested)
2007	Second fund, Adenia Capital (II), established with €37 million in capital commitments (fully invested)
2012	Third fund, Adenia Capital (III), established with €96 million in capital commitments.

The journey to building your own business is a long – and often lonely – one.

We know how tough the road is, because we have walked it ourselves. Our team of successful entrepreneurs founded Adenia Partners in 2002 to put this knowledge to fruitful use.

We have built a fellowship of business leaders who, like us, pursue an ethos of excellence through hard work and humility. By interacting and sharing resources, our business leaders make so much more of the capital invested.

We have deployed our investments though three funds, launched respectively in 2003, 2007 and 2012, across a range of sectors including, but not limited to, agribusiness, manufacturing, financial services, ICT and telecommunications, and finally tourism and hospitality. You can view our portfolio here.

We invest in companies based in West Africa and the Indian Ocean region. Visit us at our offices in Antananarivo, Port Louis, Accra, and Abidjan...."

http://www.adenia.com/ 

Investec Principal Investments

"Principal Investments

Investec’s principal investments include private equity and BEE transactions.

Finding a BEE partner for your company requires resources such as funding, contacts and expertise. Access all the resources you need with our passionate team of equity specialists.

A combination of entrepreneurial operators and financiers, we offer sustainable returns through solid investing, strategic involvement and trusted partnership development over the long-term.

With us you get:

•        Access to international markets and contacts.
•        An international corporate and investments bank.  
•        The dynamic entrepreneurial minds of our people.

Delivering returns for more than ten years, we have a remarkable track record of successful partnerships with respected brands across the globe...."

 

 https://www.investec.co.za/products-and-services/advisory-services/principal-investments.html

Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA)

"Company Profile

The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) is a state owned entity with the purpose of accelerating sustainable socio-economic development and improve the quality of life of the people of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) by driving financial and non-financial investments in the social and economic infrastructure sectors 

• Social infrastructure: Infrastructure aimed at addressing backlogs and expediting the delivery of essential social services to support sustainable living conditions and a better quality of life within communities 
• Economic infrastructure: Infrastructure aimed at addressing capacity constraints and bottlenecks in order to optimise economic growth potential

The DBSA has prioritised water, energy, transport and ICT as its key focus areas.

Mandate

The Government through Act. 13 of 1997 mandated the DBSA to: 

• Promote economic development and growth, human resources development and institutional capacity in the region 
• Support sustainable development projects and programmes in the region 
• Focus on infrastructure and leverage the private sector...."

http://www.dbsa.org/EN/Pages/default.aspx 

Convergence Partners

 
 
"About Convergence Partners

Convergence Partners, founded in 2006, is an investment management firm focused on the TMT sector in Africa. Convergence Partners has a proven track record of developing new investment opportunities as well as adding value to investments across the entire life cycle of ICT assets.

As impact investors, Convergence Partners is dedicated to catalysing investment capital to accelerate communications access and ICT infrastructure development on the Continent, focusing on initiatives that increase availability of communications, broadband services and new technology offerings to the people of Africa.

Convergence Partners’ founders are seasoned pan-African private equity players, experienced in developing investments that deliver enhanced returns while underpinning Continental development...."

http://www.convergencepartners.com/