Mauritius

From Mauritius to Nigeria, 25 family businesses to look out for in Africa

September 9, 2021

Family businesses play a critical role internationally and in the context of African economies. However, due to a lack of reliable data their significance and contributions are not fully appreciated or understood. One thing is clear, however—family-owned businesses are the backbone of the African economy.

Scrambling for Africa: Riaz Currimjee's private equity firm

July 8, 2015

When Riaz Currimjee, a member of one of the oldest and largest industrial family conglomerates in Mauritius, returned home for Christmas wearing a t-shirt with “Africa is the Future” emblazoned across the chest, many of his family thought he’d lost the plot. So when the 42-year-old announced he was going to focus his new private equity firm Surya Capital on the birthplace of mankind he got more than a few odd looks.

It’s actually a little difficult to describe Surya Capital because in many ways my partners and I are trying to do something innovative and different, more akin to the 19th-century merchant bank, but in east Africa. Surya is a deal-by-deal principal investment firm, backed by a group of family offices and institutions. It is focused on high-growth markets in east Africa, including Ethiopia.