Africa Private Markets Specialists

Mbuyu Capital brings the unique investment opportunities offered by African private markets to institutional investors.  Africa is a market neglected by commercial investors where we invest in exceptional, profitable and uncorrelated opportunities in private equity and credit.  We bring 50+ years' experience in developed market and African investing, local networks in all investable African countries and a thoughtful, analytical and risk-aware approach to our investments.  We have the confidence of one of the UK's leading pension funds, for whom we manage  a large discretionary portfolio focused on Africa.  Any well-managed African investment creates meaningful ESG impact and advances the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.  Africa also presents an exceptional opportunity to create real impact-led portfolios.  Our impact strategies focus on delivering targeted impact with attractive financial returns.

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Return-focused private equity and credit investments

Mbuyu Capital's strategy for delivering a differentiated source of globally competitive private market returns with high regard for ESG:​
  • Many of Africa's investable economies are among the fastest-growing globally.  Focus away from extractive sectors reduces business and political risk and reduces correlation to global markets.
  • Sectors such as non-bank financial services, logistics & distribution, healthcare and agribusiness present high-growth, domestically-driven opportunities with tech-enabled businesses becoming increasingly attractive for meaningful investment.
  • Improvements in companies’ governance, social and environmental standards often represent the low-hanging fruit in creating value.
  • Opportunities are sourced from our country and sector knowledge, and our network of fund managers, investors and intermediaries.
  • We benefit from a dearth of decisive, flexible capital creating attractive commercial opportunities for investment.


Development impact with attractive financial returns

Mbuyu Capital's impact strategies focus on attractive returns while targeting measurable impact outcomes at scale.  
  • We focus on sectors such as non-bank financial services, renewable energy, healthcare and agribusiness which can touch every African's life and where delivery through technology plays an increasingly important role.
  • Creating and delivering innovative products and services for the more affluent but underserved consumer in Africa creates impact and can offer attractive financial returns.
  • Transformative impact at scale can be created by addressing the needs of the bottom of the pyramid, especially in rural and semi-rural populations, but is likely to result in more balanced returns and impact.
  • We apply our operational, sector and investment experience to avoid the crowd and reality-check what impact and financial returns are achievable.​
Mbuyu Capital focuses on co-investments, which reduces lead time and cost to our clients, although we will selectively lead investments and also invest in specialist funds.​  We manage bespoke mandates and funds.
WINNERS OF THE SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD AT THE 2019 PRIVATE EQUITY AFRICA AWARDS
Photo: Baobab ("Mbuyu" in Swahili) tree near Arusha, Tanzania.  The baobab absorbs and stores water in its vast trunk during the rainy season, enabling it to produce a nutrient-dense fruit in the dry season when all around is dry and arid.  It is a symbol of power, strength and grace.