Economy
Africa: Resilience in the Private Equity Market
By Angela Simpson and Lydia Shadrach-Razzino
Private markets in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have seen a continuous rise in activity since the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest AVCA Private Capital Activity Report 2022 revealed that $7.6 billion of private capital was invested in 2022, resulting in a 3% growth in deal value across the continent last year after a similarly upbeat 2021. According to the report, 37% of the deal volume came from multi-region investments.
Challenges, risks and resilience
This resilience is despite the impact of numerous crises over the last couple of years, especially the looming global recession, supply chain disruptions and soaring energy prices. These factors have led to fears that we could be entering an extended period of high inflation and poor economic growth, but for private equity investors, challenging periods can also provide opportunities for access to value. While not immune to market challenges, the private equity market has the resilience to survive and thrive.
On the positive side, the high amounts of available capital mean that fund managers have more to deploy in a better value environment. The private sector has a remarkable capacity to adapt to changing economic conditions and capitalize on new opportunities. This is boosted by the fact that, to a large extent, risk management has already been factored in. According to Deloitte’s Private Equity Review 2022, 41% of PE firms in South Africa have prioritized risk management in portfolio companies, and 14% of private equity firms in the country said they would focus on bolt-on and tuck-in acquisitions to augment their portfolio companies.
Exits
The general consensus is that exits in the African market might take a little longer going forward, and the fund life of a typical vehicle might need to be extended as managers hold assets a little longer to turn the time and growth into a premium. We have not seen many IPOs recently, and the cyclical nature of the market impacts this. The recent AVCA report details how private capital investors achieved 82 full exits in 2022, the highest number ever recorded in a single year on the continent. Another recent AVCA survey showed that LPs see opportunism in the PE market in Africa for the medium- to long-term, and more than 90 per cent are hopeful that returns in Africa over the next few years will be similar to those in other emerging markets.
Take-privates
Take-privates are also expected to increase in popularity in 2023. There have been some delistings from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in the past 18 months, and this trend will likely continue. According to the AmaranthCX database of South African company listings and delistings, South Africa has been averaging about 25 delistings a year. This, however, also presents a good opportunity for PE companies as they can take over and delist struggling companies. Taking a longer-term view, PE sponsors can work with the management team of a delisted company to transform it, using innovative methods to create a stronger and more resilient company, removing the burden of reporting requirements and the market spotlight.
Adaptability in financing
Increasing inflation and rising rates have also resulted in a decrease in the availability of cheap debt financing. Fund managers have to generate organic growth and are looking at driving a real improvement in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA). Add-on and buy-and-build strategies are also proving popular because they are helping to mitigate the higher valuations that may have been paid for the acquisition.
There has also been an increase in direct lending, with investors seeking to partner with lenders that can provide deal certainty for acquisitions. However, direct lending hold sizes have been reduced, which has required that financing structures be adapted to facilitate longer-term deals. Other innovative financing methods include permanent capital vehicles, which result in a longer fund life and enable PE firms to hold assets for longer, something that aligns well with the longer holding period often seen in African portfolio companies.
Blended finance is another fundraising avenue that has risen in popularity, and it means that investors can use catalytic funding, such as grants to mobilize private sector investment. According to Convergence, SSA has been the most targeted region for blended finance transactions to date, representing 33 per cent of blended finance transactions launched in 2017–2019 and 43 per cent of the market historically.
Another factor that has mitigated the pandemic’s impact on PE activity in Africa is the composition of the limited partner base of firms operating on the continent, where development finance institutions (DFIs) continue to play a significant role. We have also seen increasing interest in and appetite for start-ups among DFIs, with some pretty edgy new ventures attracting their attention.
DFIs also continue to be the main providers of long-term infrastructure finance in Africa. Local and regional banks, specialist infrastructure funds, and private equity and debt firms are stepping in to collaborate with DFIs and access returns. DFIs can shoulder political risk, access government protections in a way that others can’t, enter markets others can’t, and are uniquely capable of facilitating long-term lending. Multi-finance and blended solutions are therefore expected to grow in popularity as a way to de-risk deals and support a broader ecosystem of lenders.
Resilience in sustainability
In terms of preparing for future market resilience, there is a growing focus among PE investors on the green, low-carbon, and sustainable initiatives in Africa. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) have been incorporated into PE funds’ general investment considerations for several years now, but it’s fair to say that these are no longer nice-to-haves. Energy efficiency, community healthcare, staff training and qualifications, greenhouse gas emissions, the highest standards of governance and best business practices, inclusion and diversity, social impact, and litigation risks are some factors they have been considering. Alongside the increased focus of equity investors on ESG, some lenders are also prescribing particular ESG principles that a company must meet to receive funding.
It appears that the PE sector is shining in Africa as we head into the second half of 2023, and investments in the sector are playing a catalytic role in sustainable growth and investment on the continent. The Deal Leaders International report was optimistic about the M&A market in SSA, saying that foreign direct investment would increase in the next few years, despite the global economic recession. However, current economic challenges have required resilience, adaptability and agility from the PE market, leading to changes in the structure and length of deals, the implementation of new financing methods, effective risk management, and an increasing focus on ESG.
Angela Simpson and Lydia Shadrach-Razzino are Partners and co-heads of the Corporate/M&A Practice, Baker McKenzie Johannesburg
By Adedapo Adesanya
The domestic supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, from the Dangote Refinery increased by 64.4 percent in December 2025, contributing to an enhancement in Nigeria’s overall petrol availability.
This is according to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) in its December 2025 Factsheet Report released on Thursday.
The downstream regulatory agency revealed that the private refinery raised its domestic petrol supply from 19.47 million litres per day in November 2025 to an average of 32.012 million litres per day in December, as it quelled any probable fuel scarcity associated with the festive month.
The report attributed the improvement to more substantial capacity utilisation at the Lagos-based oil facility, which reached a peak of 71 per cent in December.
The increased output from Dangote Refinery contributed to a rise in Nigeria’s total daily domestic PMS supply to 74.2 million litres in December, up from 71.5 million litres per day recorded in November.
The authority also reported a sharp increase in petrol consumption, rising to 63.7 million litres per day in December 2025, up from 52.9 million litres per day in the previous month.
In contrast, the domestic supply of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) known as diesel declined to 17.9 million litres per day in December from 20.4 million litres per day in November, even as daily diesel consumption increased to 16.4 million litres per day from 15.4 million litres per day.
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) supply recorded modest growth during the period, rising to 5.2 metric tonnes per day in December from 5.0 metric tonnes per day in November.
Despite the gains recorded by Dangote Refinery and modular refineries, the NMDPRA disclosed that Nigeria’s four state-owned refineries recorded zero production in December.
It said the Port Harcourt Refinery remained shut down, though evacuation of diesel produced before May 24, 2025, averaged 0.247 million litres per day. The Warri and Kaduna refineries also remained shut down throughout the period.
On modular refineries, the report said Waltersmith Refinery (Train 2 with 5,000 barrels per day) completed pre-commissioning in December, with hydrocarbon introduction expected in January 2026. The refinery recorded an average capacity utilisation of 63.24 per cent and an average AGO supply of 0.051 million litres per day
Edo Refinery posted an average capacity utilisation of 85.43 per cent with AGO supply of 0.052 million litres per day, while Aradel recorded 53.89 per cent utilisation and supplied an average of 0.289 million litres per day of AGO.
Total AGO supply from the three modular refineries averaged 0.392 million litres per day, with other products including naphtha, heavy hydrocarbon kerosene (HHK), fuel oil, and marine diesel oil (MDO).
The report listed Nigeria’s 2025 daily consumption benchmarks as 50 million litres per day for petrol, 14 million litres per day for diesel, 3 million litres per day for aviation fuel (ATK), and 3,900 metric tonnes per day for cooking gas.
Actual daily truck-out consumption in December stood at 63.7 million litres per day for petrol, 16.4 million litres per day for diesel, 2.7 million litres per day for ATK and 4,380 metric tonnes per day for cooking gas.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has introduced a comprehensive revision of minimum capital requirements for nearly all capital market operators, marking the most significant overhaul since 2015.
The changes, outlined in a circular issued on January 16, 2026, obtained from its website on Friday, replace the previous regime. Operators have been given until June 30, 2027, to comply.
The SEC stated that the reforms aim to strengthen market resilience, enhance investor protection, discourage undercapitalised operators, and align capital adequacy with the evolving risk profile of market activities.
According to the circular, “The revised framework applies to brokers, dealers, fund managers, issuing houses, fintech firms, digital asset operators, and market infrastructure providers.”
Some of the key highlights of the new reforms include increment of minimum capital for brokers from N200 million to N600 million while for dealers, it was raised to N1 billion from N100 million.
For broker-dealers, they are to get N2 billion instead of the previous N300 million, reflecting multi-role exposure across trading, execution, and margin lending.
The agency said fund and portfolio managers with assets above N20 billion must hold N5 billion, while mid-tier managers must maintain N2 billion with private equity and venture capital firms to have N500 million and N200 million, respectively.
There was also dynamic rule as firms managing assets above N100 billion must hold at least 10 per cent of assets under management as capital.
“Digital asset firms, previously in a regulatory grey area, are now fully covered: digital exchanges and custodians must maintain N2 billion each, while tokenisation platforms and intermediaries face thresholds of N500 million to N1 billion. Robo-advisers must hold N100 million.
“Other segments are also affected: issuing houses offering full underwriting services must hold N7 billion, advisory-only firms N2 billion, registrars N2.5 billion, trustees N2 billion, underwriters N5 billion, and individual investment advisers N10 million. Market infrastructure providers carry some of the highest obligations, with composite exchanges and central counterparties required to maintain N10 billion each, and clearinghouses N5 billion,” the SEC added.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The founder and chief executive of Austin Laz and Company Plc, Mr Asimonye Austin Lazarus Azubuike, has sold off about 52.24 million shares of the organisation.
The stocks were offloaded in 11 tranches at an average price of N4.36 per unit, amounting to about N227.8 million.
The transactions occurred between December 2025 and January 2026, according to a notice filed by the company to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited on Friday.
Business Post reports that Austin Laz is known for producing ice block machines, aluminium roofing, thermoplastics coolers, PVC windows and doors, ice cream machines, and disposable plates.
The firm evolved from refrigeration sales to diverse manufacturing since its incorporation in 1982 in Benin City, Edo State, though facing recent operational halts.
According to the statement signed by company secretary, Ifeanyi Offor & Associates, Mr Azubuike first sold 1.5 million units of the equities at N2.42, and then offloaded 2.4 million units at N2.65, and 2.0 million units at N2.65.
In another tranche, he sold another 2.0 million units at a unit price of N2.91, and then 5.0 million units at N3.52, as well as about 4.5 million at N3.87 per share.
It was further disclosed that the owner of the company also sold 9.0 million shares at N4.25, and offloaded another 368,411 units at N4.66, then in another transaction sold about 6.9 million units at N4.67.
In the last two transactions he carried out, Mr Azubuike first traded 10.0 million units equities at N5.13, with the last being 8.5 million stocks sold at N5.64 per unit.
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