British International Investment

Ezdehar Egypt Mid-Cap Fund

EgyptThailandNorth AfricaConsumer - HealthConsumer - other servicesFinancial servicesFood & AgricultureInfrastructureManufacturing

The Egypt Mid-Cap Fund was established by Ezdehar Management in 2014 in response to unmet demand for investment in Egypt following the Arab Spring, particularly in the less penetrated SME segment.

The fund manager team comprises Egyptian nationals who have a mix of investment and operational experience both in Egypt and internationally.

The fund has a target size of $100 million with a hard cap of $120 million.

This investment was made when British International Investment was named CDC Group.

Our investment

Description of the investment.

In 2016, CDC invested $15 million in Ezdehar. In 2017, the European Investment Bank (EIB) also invested $15 million in the fund, which was the first investment in an Egyptian fund since 2011.

Other investors include the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Dutch DFI FMO, alongside local investors.

The fund looks for a typical investment of between $5 million and $15 million.

Expected impact

Expected impact of investments made between 2012 and 2018. From 2019 onwards, we have published a fuller set of impact information, assessing each investment against six dimensions of impact.

The fund will target SMEs and family businesses, which are currently overlooked by most investors. It will invest in sectors that take advantage of Egypt’s large consumer base, such as FMCG, manufacturing and healthcare. The Ezdehar team will also work closely with investee company management teams to help scale up operations.

By providing growth finance and know-how to small and medium-sized businesses, the fund will contribute to local job creation and economic growth. This is especially important given the aftermath of the Arab Spring, which exacerbated high youth unemployment rates and led to a flight of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country.

Environmental and social information

  • Environmental and social summary

    A high-level description of the environmental and social aspects of the investment. This may include a summary of key environmental and social risks identified during environmental and social due diligence (ESDD); key elements of an environmental and social action plan (ESAP); or ways in which we plan to support the investee improve environmental and social standards, such as through their environmental and social management system (ESMS); as well as any other priority areas agreed with the investee.

  • Environmental and social risk

    A risk category rating, which indicates the level of environmental and social risk associated with an investment. For an explanation of the categorisations used, see here. We consistently provide an environmental and social risk category for all investments screened from 2023 onwards.

Environmental and social summary

We will work closely with the fund manager to develop and implement an ESMS.

Reporting and Complaints Mechanism

The Reporting and Complaints Mechanism allows anyone outside BII to report alleged breaches of the business integrity or environmental and social provisions of BII’s Policy on Responsible Investing. This includes breaches made by BII, a BII investee, or a portfolio company of a fund in which BII has invested. The Reporting and Complaints Mechanism Rules are available here. Reports and complaints can be submitted by email to reportsandcomplaints@bii.co.uk or by mail. See more details on our Reporting and Complaints Mechanism here.

For any other general enquiries contact us at enquiries@bii.co.uk

  • Key facts

    Last updated

    When the last quarterly update of the website database occurred.

    :
    June 2024
    Project number

    An identifier number shared by investments in the same project.

    :
    D179
    Status

    The current status of the investment (green flag for active and red flag for exited).

    :
    Active
    Region

    The geographical region where the country is located. We currently invest in Africa, South Asia, South East Asia and the Caribbean. In 2023, BII’s investment mandate was extended allowing it to invest in regional funds linked to Ukraine, with the majority of activity expected to begin post-war. Investments outside these regions were made prior to 2012 under previous investment mandates.

    :
    North Africa
    Sector

    We prioritise those sectors that facilitate development and need our capital the most. Our priority sectors contribute towards many of the Sustainable Development Goals. They range from investing in the power infrastructure that will provide people with better access to electricity, to investing in financial institutions that direct capital to the individuals and businesses that need it the most.

    :
    Consumer - Health, Consumer - other services, Financial services, Food & Agriculture, Infrastructure, Manufacturing

    We provide capital in the following ways: directly – through direct equity, direct debt, guarantees and other non-intermediated financial instruments; and indirectly – principally through investment funds.

    For direct investments and fund investments, this is the date BII committed capital to the investments. This is typically the date on which legal agreements are signed by all parties.

    For the portfolio companies of our fund investments, this is the date (either the month or the quarter) on which the fund committed capital to the portfolio company.

    For direct equity investments, this is the date at which British International Investment exited the investment.

    For debt investments, this is the date at which the final debt repayment was made.

    For funds, this is the date at which the fund was terminated.

    For underlying fund investments, this is the date at which the fund manager exited the investment.

    The total amount committed, per financial instrument, per investment, on the date BII becomes subject to a binding legal obligation to provide funding or assume a contingent liability. This information is provided in US dollars.

    For direct investments, this is the amount that BII has committed to the business or project. For fund investments, this is the amount BII has committed to the fund.

    The currency in which the investment was made.

    Investment type :
    Fund
    Start date :
    September 2016
    Amount :
    $15m
    Currency of investment :
    USD
    Fund Manager:
    Ezdehar Management B.V.
    Domicile

    The company or investment fund’s place of incorporation.

    :
    Netherlands

Investments made by this fund into companies:

For further information about these companies, visit http://www.ezdehar.com/

Investment name Country Region Sector Start date Status
Al Tayseer HC Group Egypt North Africa Consumer - Health August 2020 Active
Dsquares Egypt North Africa Consumer - other services May 2018 Exited
Eagle Chemical Group Ltd Egypt North Africa Manufacturing May 2021 Active
Family Group Egypt North Africa Infrastructure October 2019 Active
Global Leasing Co Ltd Thailand Rest of the World Financial services February 2018 Exited
Nile Aluminum & Metals Company S.A.E. (AluNile) Egypt North Africa Manufacturing February 2017 Active
Rich Foods Industries Egypt North Africa Food & Agriculture December 2019 Active

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