DealMakers AFRICA

Australian mining company Askari Metals has entered into a binding agreement to acquire an 80% interest Earth Dimensions Consulting, owner of lithium project EPL 8535 located near the town of Uis in Namibia. In terms of the agreement Askari will pay $1,6 million, payable in AS2 consideration shares at an estimated issue price of A$0.40 plus a Net Smelter Royalty of 1.5% payable by Earth Dimensions.

InfraCo Africa, a UK head officed firm providing funding and expertise to infrastructure projects, has invested US$2 million in Mobility for Africa to scale the business. The Zimbabwe-based electric mobility company delivers affordable, cargo-carrying e-tricycles and solar-powered battery charging solutions to the underserved communities in rural Zimbabwe.

Host Africa, the hosting business leading in Cloud Server solutions in South Africa, has acquired Kenyan hosting company EAC directory. Financial details were not disclosed.

Financial services company Lipa Later has acquired Sky.Garden for an undisclosed sum. Sky.Garden is a mobile first SaaS e-commerce platform for African retailers. The acquisition is in line with Lipa’s aim to build an end-to-end service connecting merchants to customers.

ShEquity, a Mauritius-based impact investment firm has made an undisclosed investment in Owoafara, a Nigerian women-owned financial inclusion startup. Through Owoafara’s digital platform and card services, member businesses are verified and provided with a variety of financial services including credit not normally provided by the banks.

Nigerian proptech startup VENCO has secured US$670,000 in a pre-seed funding round led by Zrosk Investment Management with participation from Voltron Capital, Decimal Point Ventures and Fast Forward fund, among others. The technology platform which provides solutions to enhance living experiences in residential and commercial communities, will use the funds to scale its platform with more features such as credit delivery infrastructure for household spending. VENCO has set its sights on growing its presence in Kenya and expanding into Ghana and South Africa.

East African a fintech startup Watu Credit has received an investment from BluePeak Private Capital, the funds of which will be used to further improve mass-market mobility and promote financial inclusion.

SIDEUP, the Egypt-based logistics platform previously branded as Voo, has raised US$1,2 million in a seed round from investors which include Launch Africa VC, 500 Global, Riyadh Angels and Alex Angels, among others. The funds will be used to scale its presence in Egypt and expand into Saudi Arabia.

OneOrder, the technology enabled supplier and wholesale distributor solutions provider for restaurants, has raised US$3 million in seed funding led by Nclude with participation from A15 and Delivery Hero Ventures. The funding will be used to scale its market share in Egypt with a view to exploring opportunities across the rest of Africa.

Kenyan re-commerce startup Badili has raised US$2,1 million in pre-seed funding. The second-hand phone commerce platform will use the funds raised to scale the business in Kenya and increase its footprint in other markets. Investors participating in the round included, among others, Venture Catalysts, V&R Africa, Grenfell Holdings, SOSV and Artha India Ventures.

Uncover, a Kenyan skincare startup has raised US$1 million in seed funding from FirstCheck Africa, Samata Capital, Future Africa, IgniteXL and angel investors. The funds will be used to grow operations in Kenya with the aim of expanding into Nigeria.

Brito, a Cairo-based startup operating a series of smartly distributed, and fully operated Cloud Kitchens all over Egypt helping international brands to expand their presence and delivery to the Egyptian market, has raised US$1,25 million in a pre-seed round. The startup will use the funds to further develop its technology, grow its delivery fleet and expand its presence.

DealMakers AFRICA is the Continent’s M&A publication
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