Through our Private Equity business, we serve as a catalyst, unlocking massive economic potential across emerging economies in West Africa.
With our disciplined and multi-pronged approach to investing, we identify and support high-growth businesses to achieve their full potential, create job opportunities and provide good returns to our limited partners.
Strategic Focus
In line with our vision to create life-changing wealth for all stakeholders, ACA has built a solid foundation for the Private Equity business that is anchored around three core principles:
Our private equity business is focused on the sub-Saharan African region. ACA has over two decades of experience investing in the region. Our team of experienced investment professionals and operating partners understand the nuances of navigating the region and have a deep operating knowledge of key African markets and business sectors. Our target business sectors include Financial Services, Telecommunications, Media & Technology (TMT), Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), Agribusiness, Energy, and a few Emerging Sectors (i.e, Industrials, Education and Healthcare). We partner with competent business sponsors and management teams to build businesses that become market leaders.
Our extensive networks and relationships mean that we are able to source proprietary deals and access market intelligence in a manner that ensures a diverse pipeline of investment opportunities across target sectors and geographical markets. We are also backed by a group of sophisticated domestic and international investors, many of whom have partnered with us across multiple funds.
Deploying our rich experience and lessons learnt over our operating history, we focus on disciplined execution of our defined strategies for making investments, mitigating risks, creating value in our portfolio companies and realizing returns for investors. A defined focus, rigorous discipline and an unwavering commitment to these core principles are the foundation of ACA’s private equity business. Over the years, we have also evolved to be increasingly operative; acquiring ownership stakes with strong governance rights that enable a more interventionist approach to value creation.
Our Approach to Value Creation
At ACA, value creation encompasses everything we do to ensure that each portfolio company we invest in becomes more attractive at exit. Working with operating partners, we leverage our hands-on and operational capabilities as the primary lever for value creation. Our value creation efforts are targeted at four objectives.
Portfolio Company Case Studies
ABC TRANSPORT
ABC Transport (ABC) was a CAPE I investment. Highlights of milestones achieved with the ABC management team reflect a growth in business capacity and scope of operations, including pioneering an expansion across the West African coast.
MTN NIGERIA LTD.
ACA’s CAPE I – III funds invested in MTNN.
ACA contributed to MTNN’s operational success largely through its proactive role in capital financing rounds, creating innovative financial structures and governance arrangements that enabled the other investors participate in the opportunity.
NIGER DELTA EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION (NDEP)
Niger Delta Exploration & Production Plc (NDEP) is Nigeria’s first integrated oil and gas investment company and a CAPE IV investment. The business is currently on track to achieve its investment milestones.
CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC
Continental Reinsurance Plc (Continental-Re) is a composite reinsurer offering life and non-life reinsurance services. Continental Re understands the risk terrain in Africa and has been providing fire and engineering, general accident, marine and aviation, oil and gas, motor and liability, bonds & guarantees, political violence & terrorism, agriculture and group life reinsurance for over 30 years.
DARAJU INDUSTRIES LIMITED
ACA invested in Daraju Industries Limited (Daraju) in 2018. Daraju is a manufacturer and distributor of personal care and household products targeting low and middle-income consumers, a mass-market segment that covers more than 70% of Nigeria’s population.