Fund raising

• It is estimated that of the total USD 6.4 trillion PE funds raised globally between 2007 and 2018, approximately USD 33.1 billion is earmarked for Africa and USD 3.3 billion for East Africa.
• 47% of the respondents noted, their main source of funds were investors from Europe and North America largely comprising of DFIs, High Net Worth individuals/family offices, along with others such as asset managers and international and local pension funds.
• There was a 20.4% increase in respondents opting to source funding from East Africa.

Investment activity

•  A total of 190 PE backed deals in East Africa have been reported during the period 2007 to 2018 with an estimated value of over USD 2.7 billion. Over both 2017 and 2018, 84 PE backed deals were reported at an estimated value of USD 1.4 billion. This implies an estimated USD 0.6 billion (total raised USD 3.3 billion versus total invested USD 2.7 billion) of dry powder yet to be deployed by the PE sector in East Africa.
• Average number of deals reported per year increased to 42 per year for the period 2017 to 2018 compared to 18 in 2015 to 2016. Similarly, average investment size increased to USD 37 million in 2017 to 2018 from USD 17 million in 2015 to 2016.
• Kenya remains the most popular investment destination in EA with Agribusiness, Financial Services and FMCG being the dominant sectors.

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