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Solevo, a leading African distributor of specialty chemicals sold by Helios to DPI-led consortium

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Solevo

Acquisition will support growth of critical specialty chemical inputs portfolio and accelerate geographic expansion

LONDON, United Kingdom, April 19, 2023/APO Group/ — 

Solevo is a leading specialty chemicals distribution platform operating across eight countries in West and Central Africa, delivering critical inputs to high GDP contributing sectors in life sciences and industrials; Africa is one of the fastest growing markets for chemicals globally, driven by secular trends towards urbanisation, industrialisation and a fast-growing, emerging middle class; Solevo is an ethical business with strong governance principles and has a successful history of establishing long-term partnerships; Helios Investment Partners exits following significant transformation of the company creating a pan African champion, driving the institutionalisation of the business, and positioning it for continued growth; DPI (https://www.DPI-llp.com) will accelerate Solevo’s expansion to scale into new geographies, with an expanding portfolio of specialty chemicals across key sectors.

Solevo Group (“Solevo”), a leading African distribution platform for specialty chemicals, today announced its acquisition by Development Partners International (“DPI”), an investment firm focused on Africa, alongside minority co-investors South Suez and European development finance institution, DEG. The group of investors, led by DPI, are acquiring 100% of the business from Africa-focused investment firm, Helios Investment Partners (“Helios”). All regulatory approvals for the transaction have been approved and the deal closed on 18 April 2023.

Helios, alongside global investor Temasek, acquired Solevo in 2017 through the corporate carveout of Louis Dreyfus Company’s (“LDC”) African Inputs business, a leading global commodities merchant. Underpinned by over 75 years of heritage and brand recognition in Africa, Solevo has established itself as a key enabler in the continent’s drive for agricultural self-sufficiency and the stimulation of local industry. With 23 distribution sites, a deep network across eight countries, and a team of market-leading experts, Solevo is recognised as a trusted distribution partner for customers across the continent. Since founding and under Helios’ ownership, the company has transformed into a leading distributor of specialty chemicals across the most important life sciences and industrial segments.

Solevo offers a unique one-stop-shop for a range of inputs and chemicals including agriculture, also providing support for over one million small holder farmers, helping them to secure their livelihoods through increased yields and greater crop security, resulting in improved food security and climate resilience across Africa. Other life sciences segments include food and beverages, home and personal care, and industrial segments such as water treatment, mining and energy, construction, and packaging: all critical areas responsible for driving Africa’s economic growth.

Africa’s specialty chemicals market is rapidly growing, driven by secular trends towards urbanisation, industrialisation, a fast-growing, emerging middle class, as well as rapid population growth. These trends are accelerating the demand for specialty chemical products in key life sciences and industrial sectors across the continent, reflected in the 5-15% year-on-year growth seen in Solevo’s key segments. Working with new partners, DPI, Solevo will focus on continuing to deliver on its ambitious growth strategies of product and market expansion, in addition to digitalising its supply-chains, to consolidate its position as Africa’s “partner of choice” and leading distributor of critical specialty chemical products.

We are excited to work with Joris and his experienced management team, to accelerate the business’ transformation, as it scales into new markets across the continent

Joris Coppye, Chief Executive Officer of Solevo said“With Solevo firmly established as a leader in its markets, we are incredibly well placed for the next stage of our evolution: to become the go-to distributor of specialty chemicals in Africa, serving critical sectors across the life sciences and industrial segments. By accelerating our digitalisation efforts and focusing on reaching new markets, we will empower more businesses, farmers, and communities across the continent. The partnership with Helios has been highly successful and fruitful, with significant investments in people, operations, and processes. Solevo has benefited from Helios’ expertise in successfully executing large corporate carveouts and driving growth through commercial excellence. With the support of DPI, who bring a hands-on, partnership approach, entrepreneurial spirit, and deep market expertise, we have a unique opportunity to build on the achievements of the last five years under Helios’ ownership, broadening our ability to serve our customers and communities, and building the foundations for food-security across the African continent.”

Nimit Shah, Partner at Helios Investment Partners commented“During our ownership, Helios is proud to have worked with Solevo to execute a value creation strategy that resulted in strong financial, social, and environmental performance. It consistently achieved double digit annual operating profit growth rates driven by revenue growth and margin expansion. The successful sale of Solevo underscores Helios’ investment strategy of acquiring and building market-leading, diversified platform companies operating in the core economic sectors of key African countries, with an emphasis on portfolio operations as a creator of value. We look forward to following Solevo’s continued success.”

Babacar Ka, Partner at Development Partners International said“The delivery of specialty chemicals to SMEs and large businesses across Africa is a key component of unlocking the continent’s potential by supporting the growth of key life sciences and industrial sectors. Under Joris and his leadership teams’ effective stewardship, Solevo has firmly established itself as a pan-African distribution leader, championing companies and local industries across the continent, including local farming communities, equipping them with new technology and the hands-on support they need to scale their businesses. We are excited to work with Joris and his experienced management team, to accelerate the business’ transformation, as it scales into new markets across the continent.”

Helios was advised by Akin Gump as legal counsel, Rabobank and Rothschild acting as financial advisors and KPMG providing financial due diligence. DPI was advised by Norton Rose Fulbright as legal counsel, BNP Paribas as financial advisors, PWC acting as financial due diligence and DLA Piper providing legal due diligence advice.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Development Partners International (DPI).

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Namibia’s Orange Basin Moves Toward First Oil at African Energy Week (AEW) 2026

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African Energy Chamber

The “Invest in Namibia: Transforming Discoveries into Production” session will examine how Namibia can turn its offshore oil boom into a broader industrial opportunity through local suppliers, skills development, technology transfer and domestic investment

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, August 27, 2026/APO Group/ –After a series of major offshore discoveries transformed Namibia into one of the world’s most closely watched exploration frontiers, attention is shifting from proving resources to building the infrastructure, partnerships and industrial capabilities needed to bring them into production. At African Energy Week (AEW) 2026, the session “Invest in Namibia: Transforming Discoveries into Production. Orange Basin’s Path to First Oil” will examine how the country can capture value beyond the development of individual oil fields and use the emerging petroleum sector as a catalyst for wider economic growth.





 

TotalEnergies’ Venus discovery is technically ready to move toward a Final Investment Decision, with negotiations on fiscal terms still underway. The project’s development concept targets around 150,000 barrels per day at peak production, with first oil potentially around 2030. FEED has been completed and major contractors selected, bringing Namibia’s first potential deepwater oil development closer to execution.

The real measure of Namibia’s oil opportunity will not simply be how many barrels it produces, but how much economic value those barrels create at home

Meanwhile, the Orange Basin continues to attract major international players. TotalEnergies and Galp strengthened their positions across the Venus and Mopane discoveries in 2025, with TotalEnergies becoming operator of Mopane and Galp taking a participating interest in Venus. In August 2026, Equinor agreed to acquire a 17.4% stake in Chevron’s PEL 90, marking its first upstream entry into a new country since 2017. The block is expected to see another exploration well before the end of the year.

The scale of investment now being contemplated makes the question of local economic participation increasingly urgent. Namibia’s draft Local Content Policy identifies the development of national capabilities, employment, local procurement and stronger domestic value chains as central to ensuring that petroleum resources generate benefits beyond government revenues. The government has also highlighted technical training and partnerships with universities and industry as priorities for preparing Namibians for the emerging oil and gas sector.

For Namibia, this means moving beyond an export-led model in which capital, equipment and specialist expertise flow in and crude flows out. Developing local suppliers, financing Namibian businesses, building research and training hubs and creating opportunities for joint ventures could help establish capabilities that extend well beyond the life of individual oil projects. The opportunity spans engineering and fabrication, logistics, marine services, environmental management, digital technologies and other areas of the petroleum supply chain.

“The real measure of Namibia’s oil opportunity will not simply be how many barrels it produces, but how much economic value those barrels create at home,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “Namibia has a chance to build a competitive African energy industry around its discoveries – one that creates jobs, develops local companies, transfers technology and gives Namibians a meaningful stake in the country’s energy future.”

The session will look beyond first oil itself to the ecosystem required to sustain production and translate upstream investment into long-term industrial development. With Venus, Mopane and further Orange Basin exploration moving toward development, Namibia has an opportunity to establish the commercial partnerships, financing structures and technical capabilities needed to ensure its petroleum boom becomes an economy-wide growth story.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.




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BUTEC, secures major Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract for Casablanca Waste-to-Energy Project

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BUTEC

Serving a population of more than 4.2 million people across Greater Casablanca, this project represents a significant step in the region’s transition towards a more sustainable and circular approach to waste management

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, August 28, 2026/APO Group/ –The consortium comprising Nareva, Kanadevia Inova and Itochu Corporation, through its 33.5-year concession agreement with the Municipality of Casablanca, has entrusted BUTEC (www.BUTEC.com) with a major Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract for Casablanca’s landmark Waste-to-Energy (WtE) project, leveraging BUTEC’s multidisciplinary engineering and contracting capabilities for one of Morocco’s most significant waste management and energy recovery developments.

 

For the delivery of this landmark project, BUTEC has joined forces with the Switzerland-based Kanadevia Inova, a global leader in Waste-to-Energy and renewable gas solutions.

Located northwest of the Mediouna landfill in the Casablanca-Settat region of the Kingdom of Morocco, this ultra-large waste incineration facility will process approximately 1.5 million tonnes of non-recyclable waste annually, significantly reducing reliance on landfill.

By diverting the waste from landfill and converting it into energy, this plant is expected to prevent up to 1.0 tonne of CO₂-equivalent emissions per tonne of waste while generating 126 MWe of baseload electricity.

BUTEC is establishing itself as the generalist EPC contractor of choice in this strategic sector

Serving a population of more than 4.2 million people across Greater Casablanca, this project represents a significant step in the region’s transition towards a more sustainable and circular approach to waste management, while supporting Morocco’s broader energy transition and long-term decarbonization ambitions.

BUTEC’s Scope of Work:

While Kanadevia Inova is responsible for the technology and the process part of the EPC works, as well as operations support, long-term maintenance, and financing of the facility, BUTEC will be responsible for civil works for the whole facility and for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of Non-Process buildings, facilities, and associated works, including all civil, structural, architectural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) works, as well as the external infrastructure works required for the Project.

Commenting on the significance of the award, Raymond Daou (SVP Strategy & Business Development) stated:

“Building on our affiliates’ long-standing presence in Morocco, where BUTEC has established itself as one of the country’s leading players in Electromechanical Solutions, the Group is reinforcing, through this landmark contract, its contribution to the Kingdom’s sustainable development ambitions.

Furthermore, with three consecutive large-scale Waste-to-Energy projects across the geographies in which it operates, BUTEC is establishing itself as the generalist EPC contractor of choice in this strategic sector. This latest award confirms once again our ability to combine multidisciplinary engineering expertise, strong local execution capabilities and close cooperation with world-leading process technology partners to deliver complex energy and environmental facilities.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of BUTEC Group.

 

 




 

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Asantehene opens Africa Business Investment Summit in Washington, DC with a $500m Investment Target in Africa

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Asantehene

The opening ceremony, themed “The Asante Crown Meets the Diaspora,” convened more than 400 registered delegates, including senior government officials, C-suite executives, and US-based institutional investors

 




 

WASHINGTON D.C., United States of America, August 28, 2026/APO Group/ —

  • Asantehene presented a royal vision for Africa’s economic renaissance
  • Day 1 proceeded under the theme – The Vision Day: Unlocking Africa’s Century, A Diaspora Mandate”
  • Fireside chat with Boris Kodjoe on The Diaspora Return

The Africa Business Investment Summit 2026 opened this morning at the MGM National Harbor, in Washington D.C. Metro, with a royal keynote by the Summit’s Patron, His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, as the Millennium Excellence Week hosts its first event outside of Ghana.

The opening ceremony, themed “The Asante Crown Meets the Diaspora,” convened more than 400 registered delegates, including senior government officials, C-suite executives, and US-based institutional investors. They were drawn together under a single mandate: to facilitate $500 million in structured capital commitments between African deal originators and US institutional capital during the two-day summit.

Delivering his keynote address, His Majesty articulated a vision of African economic sovereignty where the diaspora serves as architects of continental development. Speaking with characteristic authority, His Majesty called on African governments, diaspora communities, and international institutional partners to align capital, policy frameworks, and political will behind a shared agenda for the continent’s economic future.

In his address, His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene said: “For too long, Africa has been described mainly in terms of its deficiencies. We have heard of the roads not built, the electricity not generated, the jobs not created, the capital not available, and the institutions not strong enough,”

For too long, Africa has been described mainly in terms of its deficiencies

Speaking further he noted that “Africa must no longer be regarded merely as a continent of future potential. Africa is already becoming a central part of the future global economy, and those who understand this early will position themselves advantageously.”

Honorable Sampson Ahi, Deputy Minister for Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, who represented the President of the Republic of Ghana, detailed macroeconomic indicators signalling domestic economic recovery and industrial policy priorities: “ Our ambition is transformation. We want an economy that moves beyond exporting raw materials to manufacturing finished products, creating value, jobs, and shared prosperity. We want capital that drives productivity, entrepreneurship, and innovation. This is the philosophy behind the twenty-four-hour economy program, which is a commitment stimulating round-the-clock production, improving productivity, and developing a competitive and export-oriented economy.”

The first day of the summit concluded under the theme “The Vision Day: Unlocking Africa’s Century, A Diaspora Mandate”, exploring through a series of plenary sessions the most pressing deal themes in US–Africa investment today.

Programme spotlights included: The Diaspora Return, a fireside chat with Boris Kodjoe, Beyond Remittances: Building Africa’s Sixth Region, diaspora capital beyond transfers, The New Gold Rush: Africa’s Seat at America’s Critical Minerals Table,  Ghana’s Gold Moment: From the Gold Coast to Global Market Power, The Diaspora Dollar: Fintech and the Next Remittance Corridor and Powering the Continent: Energy, Infrastructure and the US–Africa Partnership

The second and final day of the event will continue to explore investment opportunities across the continent through sector spotlights on the Creative Economy, Health & Pharma, Technology, and Digital Financial Services.

Following these plenaries, the event will conclude with bilateral investment meetings that will translate the vision outlined in the plenary hall into concrete investment decisions.

Review Day 1 Plenary Sessions: https://apo-opa.co/4cPkRRP

Watch Day 2 Live Stream: https://apo-opa.co/4gYIxFP

  • Day 2 to explore investment opportunities and conclude with bilateral investment meetings

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Millennium Excellence Foundation.

 

 




 

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