PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT
DATABANK RECOGNISED AT THE THIRD PRIVATE EQUITY AFRICA SUMMIT & AWARDS
30 July 2014
Databank Agrifund Manager Limited (DAFML), the private equity affiliate of Databank Group,
reaffirmed its leadership in the SME investment space by being recognized at the Private Equity Africa
(PEA) Summit and Awards in London, UK. The event, which was held on 5 June 2014, highlighted the
growing emergence of private equity as an asset class in African investments and the attraction of
reputable companies that can improve their capital structures via private equity investments.
The “Small Cap Deal of the Year” award went to DAFML, Databank for its investment in Guanomad, an
organic-fertiliser processor in Madagascar and the “Special Recognition Entrepreneur” award, the first
of its kind, co-sponsored by Private Equity Africa and Forbes Africa, was awarded to Tosan Jemide,
CEO of Topcrust, a food-processing company and an AAF SME Fund portfolio company, based in
Nigeria.
Brian Frimpong, Managing Partner - DAFML, received the Databank award. He emphasised the quality
of teamwork that has driven the core success of the AAF SME Fund, which was launched in February
2012.
Brian asserted that “…it takes a high calibre of talented individuals in a team to select high-quality
transactions that have a ripple effect of supplying sufficient amount of capital, building sustainable
enterprises and carving out measurable impact for the communities in which these businesses
operate.” Brian also praised Tosan Jemide, CEO of Topcrust, for “…his passion and dedication to
growing Topcrust and reflecting the examples of sound leadership that encourages a partnership with a
private equity firm such as Databank.”
Dennis Matangira, Senior Managing Partner - DAFML, affirmed “…Erick Rajaonary of Guanomad and
Tosan Jemide of Topcrust are excellent examples of pioneers in their respective niches that deserved
recognition. Databank shares in their success and believes that from its interaction with entrepreneurs,
the future looks promising.”
Since AAF SME Fund’s investment in Guanomad in July 2013, the portfolio company has received
various recognitions. This PEA award attributed to Guanomad comes on the heels of the company
winning the “Outstanding Small and Growing Business” award at the 2013 Africa Awards for
Entrepreneurship, sponsored by the African Leadership Network.
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The AAF SME Fund is a sub-fund of the Africa Agriculture Fund (AAF), managed by Phatisa.
The AAF TAF is primarily funded by the EU, managed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD) and implemented by TechnoServe. The project received additional donations from the Alliance for a
Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Italian Development Cooperation and the United Nations Industrial
Development Organization (UNIDO).
www.dafml.com
Press contact detail: Brian Frimpong, Managing Partner, Tel. +233 (0) 248 162 803 and [email protected]