By Dipo Olowookere
Organisers of the 2017 edition of the Private Equity Africa Awards have announced winners of the annual event.
In its sixth edition, over 120 self-entries, complemented by recommendations from the PEA editorial team and supported by industry data were received.
The awards saw 22 firms collect much coveted accolades at the 6th Annual PEA Awards Gala Dinner hosted at London’s prestigious Savoy hotel on June 1, which attracted about 250 industry professionals.
The recipient of this year’s Outstanding Leadership Award was Ziad Oueslati, co-founding Partner at AfricInvest, for his contributions to the growth of the industry. This is the only award given to an individual and voted on by industry peers.
One of the evening’s highlights was the LP Award that went to CDC for its work in developing the private equity industry in Africa. This is the first time an LP Investor has been recognised at the awards.
The much coveted Sub-Saharan Africa House of the Year was picked up by Development Partners International (DPI) – which also had a win in the Portfolio Company category, for its social impact in HomeChoice, a consumer retailer based in South Africa.
In the house category Investec Asset Management held on to its crown as Credit Investor of the Year, also taking the Credit Deal of the Year for IHS Nigeria.
Helios continued its reign as lead dealer in the transactions category, walking away with the Large Cap Deal of the Year for Oando Gas & Power. The Mid Cap Deal of the Year went to 8 Miles for Beloxxi, while Apis Partners took Small Cap Deal of the Year for Direct Pay Online. This is the first time Apis wins a PEA award.
In the Advisory category, Clifford Chance continued to reign as king in the legal space, winning the much contested Overall Legal Advisor of the Year, covering aggregated advisor work across funds and deals. Clifford Chance also scooped the Deals Legal Advisor of the Year, while Funds Legal Advisor of the Year went to Webber Wentzel.
KPMG won special recognition with Global Financial Advisor of the Year, while, Abax Securities was awarded Fund Administrator of the Year, a first-time win for the firm.
Of special note was the newly introduced Venture Philanthropy Africa Award that went to Helios Investment Partners for its corporate social work in the continent.
The 2017 PEA Awards winners were chosen by an independent panel of leading industry participants with representation from CDC, HarbourVest, IFC, LPEQ, Hamilton Lane, Rede Partners, Aon Hewitt, Swedfund, Sarona Asset Management and Cebile Capital.
Award shortlists were compiled in partnership with the London Business School Private Equity Institute.
Commenting on the awards, Gail Mwamba, the Awards Chair and Managing Editor at Private Equity Africa, said: “The 2017 Awards reflect the continuing dynamism of the private equity market in Africa, showcasing some of the continent’s most transformative private equity investment deals and advisory work over the past year. We were hugely impressed by the calibre of all the entries this year, a remarkable achievement against challenging conditions across the continent.”
“Congratulations to the winners. The awards were a fitting sequel to the LP-GP Summit, a day of debate and discussion around what lies ahead for the next decade in Africa. We can certainly look forward to gathering again next year.”
Adedapo Adesanya 
Modupe Gbadeyanka