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African FBs

One family office’s approach to conservation finance in Africa

December 16, 2021

Kathaka is a single-family office deploying capital and strategic resources into investment and philanthropic endeavours, but Caroline Rupert, its founder and chairwoman, says the name has a deeper meaning—Kathaka in Sanskrit means, ‘One who tells a story’.

10 family offices owned by Africa’s wealthiest people

October 1, 2021

The population of ultra-high net worth individuals in Africa is growing at a faster pace than any other region in the world, except Asia. According to the 2021 Knight Frank Wealth Report, Africa is expected to see a five-year ultra-wealth growth rate of 33% to reach close to 4,400 individuals by 2026. A lot of that wealth will be created by entrepreneurs.

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.

Family of Mohammed Dewji offer $437,000 reward after abduction

October 15, 2018

The family of Africa’s youngest billionaire, Mohammed Dewji, who was kidnapped last week outside a luxury hotel in Tanzania’s capital city, have offered a reward for any information on his whereabouts.

On Thursday, Mohammed “Mo” Dewji, the 43-year-old owner and president of multi-billion dollar family business MeTL Group, was bundled into a car by armed men waiting outside the Colosseum Hotel Oyster Bay as he arrived for a routine morning workout.

Mantis powers growth in 50% stake sale to Accor

April 12, 2018

The family-run South African luxury travel group Mantis has sold a 50% stake to Europe’s largest hotelier in a bid to ensure future growth in the competitive global hospitality market.

The family-run South African luxury travel group Mantis has sold a 50% stake to Europe’s largest hotelier in a bid to ensure future growth in the competitive global hospitality market.

The Mantis deal with AccorHotels, for an undisclosed sum, is the latest instance of a major family business financing expansion by releasing significant equity to capital providers, a growing trend revealed in a 2017 Campden Research report.

On a silver platter

July 17, 2015

Africa is set to become a powerhouse of luxury goods and fashion, now that the global narrative on its social and economic wellbeing is beginning to change. Michael Finnigan reports on one Zimbabwean family business looking to capitalise on the growing interest in the continent

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.

One Thousand & One Voices' "patient capitalism"

August 12, 2014

Harnessing the collective power of family capital is not a new concept. But One Thousand & One Voices is adding a twist: calling on families’ sector expertise and intellectual firepower to super-charge emerging market SMEs. Just don’t call it impact investing.

For more than 20 years, McKay Belk, in his role as president and chief merchandising officer at his family’s third-generation family business Belk, has spent hundreds of hours every year crisscrossing the globe with his team.

He travelled widely to source products from across southeast Asia, China, India and Africa to stock its 300 plus stores - Belk is the largest privately-owned department store chain in the US generating $4 billion (€3 billion) in revenue in 2013.

Sol Kerzner gives up family empire eight years after death of heir apparent

April 14, 2014

South African hotelier Sol Kerzner, 78, has announced his retirement from the hotel industry and the sale of a stake in his eponymous company, eight years after the death of his son and heir apparent.

South African hotelier Sol Kerzner, 78, has announced his retirement from the hotel industry and the sale of a stake in his eponymous company, eight years after the death of his son and heir apparent.

Last week the Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD), an arm of the United Arab Emirates government, confirmed it had bought a “significant” equity interest in the hotel group, which includes the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas and the One&Only resort chain.

Africa's billionaire boom

October 8, 2013

Africa is home to more than triple the number of billionaires than previously thought, according to a new rich list produced by a local business publication, putting it on par with Latin America in terms of its billionaire population.