Five African private equity and venture capital moves in January 2025

We highlight five African private equity and venture capital transactions, as featured in our sister publication, Africa Private Equity News’ January 2025 Dealmaker’s Log – a database of reported investment deals, exits, and fundraising closes. Subscribe to this service here

1. Africa Capitalworks announces education deal

Africa Capitalworks (ACW) has invested in Enko Education.

Founded in 2013, Enko Education is a platform of K-12 (primary and secondary) schools.

ACW’s investment was complemented by a follow-on investment from Adiwale Fund I, an existing shareholder in Enko Education since 2022, further enhancing the shareholders’ commitment to the company’s growth plan. Read the full article

2. European LP commits €10m to AfricInvest’s new SME fund

French development finance institution Proparco has announced a €10 million investment in the latest fund dedicated to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from AfricInvest.

The fund will support SMEs in several African countries (mainly in North, East and West Africa), specialising in a number of key sectors, including education, health and agribusiness. Read the full article

3. SPE Capital in Egypt deal

SPE Capital, a private equity firm focused on Africa and the Middle East, has made an investment in Tamweely, a non-banking financial services company in Egypt specialising in serving micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The acquisition was made by SPE Capital’s private equity fund, SPE PEF III, in a consortium with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Tanmiya Capital Ventures, and British International Investment.

Established in 2017, Tamweely has emerged as a leading player in the Egyptian non-bank financial services sector, offering financing and ancillary services dedicated to empowering MSMEs. Read the full article

4. Saviu Ventures exits African eyewear company

Saviu Ventures, a venture capital firm in Francophone Africa, has fully exited its equity investment in Lapaire, a pan-African eyewear company, to new strategic investor Creadev.

Saviu initially invested in Lapaire in 2018 and participated in two follow-on funding rounds over the years to support the company’s growth, ultimately securing a 22% stake. With this exit, Saviu Ventures returned several times the investment cost to its own investors. Read the full article

5. Helios invests in SeamlessHR

SeamlessHR, a human resource technology company, has raised $9 million in its latest funding round from the Gates Foundation and Helios Digital Ventures.

The new investment will drive the HR-tech company’s plan to expand its reach across Africa, enhancing workforce productivity, and accelerating business performance through solutions such as embedded finance offerings, and AI-driven workforce management technology. Read the full article

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