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Investment in Leading Tunisian Snacks Producer and Creation of New North-African Fast-moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Platform

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FMCG

The investment is consistent with Admaius’s strategy of investing in African FMCG companies positioned to benefit from growing incomes and increasing demand for products tailored to meet local needs

KIGALI, Rwanda, November 15, 2022/APO Group/ — 

Admaius Capital Partners (www.Admaius.com), a leading pan African private equity house, (“Admaius”) announces that, via a subsidiary of the Virunga Africa Fund 1, it has made a significant investment in Power Brands, the parent company of Céréalis S.A. (“Céréalis” or “the Company”), Tunisia’s leading producer of salted snacks and a significant producer of baked goods. Admaius will partner with the current owners of Power Brands, the Gahbiche family and Ekuity Capital, a leading Tunisian private equity investor, to build a leading branded FMCG platform through a combination of organic growth and selective acquisitions to expand and build on Céréalis’s portfolio of strong local brands.

The investment is consistent with Admaius’s strategy of investing in African FMCG companies positioned to benefit from growing incomes and increasing demand for products tailored to meet local needs.

Céréalis was founded in 2004 by current CEO Karim Gahbiche, a Tunisian national and Harvard graduate who started his career at Goldman Sach’s asset management business and comes from a family of entrepreneurs. Céréalis has grown rapidly to become Tunisia’s largest salty snacks producer with a range of leading branded products.

Admaius will also use its position to drive improvements in areas where Céréalis has the potential to have significant positive impacts on society such as reducing packaging waste, increasing recycling, carbon footprint reduction and improving nutrition. Admaius is a signatory of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment and is committed to aligning its investments with the UN Social Development Goals.

Commenting on the announcement, Karim Gahbiche, CEO of Power Brands and Céréalis said:

We look forward to working with Power Brands in the coming years to support the development of a new FMCG platform

“I’m excited to be working with Admaius and Ekuity Capital as we enter a new chapter in the development of the business which I founded back in 2004. The experience and network that the Admaius team brings to the table will be invaluable in helping us to grow and develop a major North African FMCG platform.”   

Commenting on the announcement, Amine Allam, MD of Admaius said:

“We are delighted to announce our second investment in another outstanding African business led by a strong entrepreneur. Céréalis is representative of the home-grown national champions that we typically look to partner with in North Africa and that are expected to outperform and create value for all stakeholders across the cycle. We look forward to working with Power Brands in the coming years to support the development of a new FMCG platform.”

Commenting on the announcement, Marlon Chigwende, Managing Partner of Admaius said:

“This investment is an excellent example of Admaius’s differentiated approach to investing in Africa that combines on the ground presence with global private equity expertise. With our strong networks across the continent and our deep expertise in our core sectors, I am convinced that this approach will result in superior outcomes for our investors and our investee companies.”

Mohammad Al-Nemah, CEO of Ekuity Capital commented:

“This transaction is consistent with Ekuity Capital’s objective of enabling the development of a strong Tunisian business sector. Since investing in Céréalis 8 years ago, we have worked closely with Karim Gahbiche and his team and are enthused by the opportunity to support the continued growth and evolution of the business.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Admaius Capital Partners.

Business

Ministers among hundreds of energy-sector leaders to attend AOW event

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Sinclair

The event kicks off with an invitation-only ministerial symposium focused on the theme of “Fostering innovation, attracting investment, and promoting sustainable growth in the oil, gas, and energy sectors”

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, October 4, 2024/APO Group/ — 

AOW: Investing in African Energy (https://AOWEnergy.com) – Africa’s leading oil, gas and energy event – has confirmed attendance for more than 80 ministers and senior officials, representing African governments, energy departments and regulators at next month’s event.

These influential stakeholders will be among the more than 1 600 senior delegates and industry leaders who will be attending the event to develop policy, share discoveries, secure investment, and shape Africa’s energy future.

The event kicks off with an invitation-only ministerial symposium focused on the theme of “Fostering innovation, attracting investment, and promoting sustainable growth in the oil, gas, and energy sectors.”

Given the recent major oil-and-gas discoveries across Africa, the energy transition and major geopolitical events, it is clear that the energy sector needs positive intervention

Among the officials and government ministers attending will be energy leaders from South Africa, Nigeria, Namibia, Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique, DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Eswatini, Uganda, CAR, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Gabon, Malawi, Morocco, Zanzibar, Liberia, Senegal, Congo Brazzaville and Sierra Leone.

In addition, the event will feature high-level delegations from numerous national oil companies, as well as multilateral bodies including the African Union, (AU), African Energy Commission (AFREC), African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO) and the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).

AOW will see these energy leaders networking with C-suite executives and decision-makers from more than 760 top energy companies at daily networking events, to discuss insights, forge new relationships, and negotiate major energy deals.

“We are so excited to see the calibre of delegates at this year’s AOW event,” says Chief Executive Officer of Sankofa Events, Paul Sinclair. “Given the recent major oil-and-gas discoveries across Africa, the energy transition and major geopolitical events, it is clear that the energy sector needs positive intervention. The high-powered attendance proves AOW is a key platform to enable this intervention.”

Key themes to be discussed at this year’s AOW will be sustainable upstream development; expanding gas value chains; renewables and new energies; adoption of best-in-class technologies; and access to finance.

AOW: Investing in African Energy will culminate in a special anniversary party at Groot Constantia Vineyard to celebrate 30 years of the AOW event.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of AOW: Investing in African Energy.

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Afreximbank approves US$20.8 million for Starlink Global’s cashew factory project in Lagos

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The facility is expected to promote value addition which will guarantee increased earnings to the company while also fostering the creation of about 400 new jobs

CAIRO, Egypt, October 4, 2024/APO Group/ — 

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) has approved a US$20.8 million financing facility for Nigeria-based Starlink Global & Ideal Limited to enable the company construct and operate a 30,000-metric tonne per annum cashew processing factory in Lagos.

We are delighted at this partnership which promises to deliver significant impact on employment in Nigeria

According to the facility agreement signed in on July 22, 2024, Afreximbank will provide the funds in two tranches with the first tranche of US$7.48M going toward capital expenditure for the construction of the factory and the second, totalling US$13.25M to be deployed as working capital for the operations of the factory.

The facility is expected to promote value addition which will guarantee increased earnings to the company while also fostering the creation of about 400 new jobs once the factory becomes operational. It is also expected to support about 40 small and medium-sized enterprises.

Commenting on the transaction, Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra Africa Trade and Export Development, Afreximbank, said that by supporting Starlink Global to establish a modern processing facility, Afreximbank is making it possible for Africa to add value to its agro-commodities, thereby facilitating exports and subsequent inflow of much-needed foreign exchange into the continent.

“We are delighted at this partnership which promises to deliver significant impact on employment in Nigeria. It will contribute to value creation and to the development of the local community while also improving the lots of smallholder farmers and small business suppliers that will work with Starlink across the value chain,” Mrs. Awani added.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

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Sonangol to Lead Decarbonized Oil & Gas (O&G) Development, Says Angolan National Oil Company (NOC) Head

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Sonangol

Participating in an on-stage interview at Angola Oil & Gas 2024, Sonangol CEO Sebastião Gaspar Martins emphasized that oil and gas remains a core focus for the national oil company

LUANDA, Angola, October 3, 2024/APO Group/ — 

Angola’s national oil company Sonangol reiterated its commitment to driving sustainable hydrocarbon development during the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) conference this week. Speaking during an “In-Conversation with” session, Sonangol CEO Sebastião Gaspar Martins stated that the company will not abandon oil and gas, but rather advance decarbonized oil and gas development.

We are looking at opportunities in the gas sector and have identified the right partner to develop non-associated gas

By investing in upstream oil and gas production while prioritizing low-carbon projects, Sonangol aims to boost national crude output, while diversifying and decarbonizing the industry. The NOC is focusing efforts on non-associated gas development, as well as alternative energy sources such as solar.

“We are looking at opportunities in the gas sector and have identified the right partner to develop non-associated gas. Gas produced from Angola LNG will be used for the production of fertilizer and we are evaluating the utilization of gas in the south of the country, linking gas with steel industries. We also have a blue carbon project, linked to the reduction of carbon through the plantation of mangroves. We have one area in Luanda and have identified four additional areas for this,” stated Gaspar Martins.

Sonangol has undergone transformation in recent years: following the creation of the National Oil, Gas & Biofuels Agency (ANPG) in 2019, Sonangol transferred its role as national concessionaire and regulator. This transformation has aimed to make Sonangol more competitive and strengthen its capacity as an upstream operator. Concurrently, the government is partially privatizing the NOC, with privatization set to be complete in 2026. This process will enhance financial capacity, allowing Sonangol to drive new upstream projects forward.

“The transformation of Sonangol started several years ago, when we passed the regulatory, concessionaire role to the ANPG. At the time, we transferred almost 600 employees to the ANPG. After that, Sonangol underwent a restructuring program where we created five core business units from 36 different entities – starting with exploration and production. We want to go public, but we want to do it properly. So, we are currently going through all the processes to do this,” stated Gaspar Martins.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

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