November 29, 2017: Emerging Capital Partners (ECP) is pleased to have been selected as the winner for the award of “Best Private Equity Investor 2017” at the inaugural Africa Investments Forum & Awards (AIFA) 2017. At the same awards program, Compagnie Ivoirienne de Production d’Electricité (CIPREL), a subsidiary of ECP portfolio company Eranove, received the award for “Best Energy Project 2017,” and ECP portfolio company Oragroup was honored with a silver award for “Best Bank in Africa 2017.”
ECP was recognized for its investment strategy focusing on the growth of Africa’s domestic economies. ECP’s networks, operating from six offices located in Africa’s hub economies, facilitate strong on-the-ground relationships and deep market insights to build sustainable, scalable businesses that, in turn, create tangible social and commercial benefits.
Eranove’s subsidiary company CIPREL is illustrative of how ECP works with companies to develop environmentally sustainable businesses. CIPREL’s new facility, CIPREL IV, a combined gas and steam cycle facility, was recognized for contributing to a 70% increase in CIPREL’s total power capacity to 543 MW, solidifying the plant’s position as a leading independent energy provider in Côte d’Ivoire. The steam turbine avoids 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually compared to an equivalent gas-fired turbine.
Oragroup was recognized for its robust growth and contribution to Africa’s banking industry thanks to implementation of best-in-class fiduciary standards and deployment of an innovative mobile Point-of-Service (mPOS) payment technology. ECP worked with Oragroup to identify acquisition opportunities to successfully expand the bank from five West and Central African countries to twelve.
Andrew Brown, ECP’s Chief Investment Officer, spoke at the conference and collected the award on ECP’s behalf. He later commented, “ECP is honored to receive the award for “Best Private Equity Investor” in recognition for its effective deployment of capital on a genuinely Pan-African basis, and its support to its portfolio companies to create transformative growth in multiple sectors. We look forward to the expansion of our portfolio companies as they address the needs of the emerging African consumer class and continue to fuel Africa’s domestic growth.”
