Signature(s)
Summary sheet
- Services - Financial and insurance activities
Equity participation of up to USD 20 million in East Lane Partners North Africa and Levant Fund I, a generalist private equity fund targeting growth capital investments in small and medium-sized private companies operating in North Africa and Levant.
The fund will aim to invest in a diversified portfolio of small and mid-sized companies seeking to grow their activities. The fund manager will proactively support the corporate and operational development of underlying investee companies.
Through this operation, the EIB will be able to support the creation of an independent, local fund manager investing in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan. Furthermore, the EIB will provide much needed equity risk capital to local enterprises that operate across various economic sectors. Access to finance - in particular equity finance - and managerial advice are among the most prevalent barriers for the growth of small- and mid-sized companies. The provision of growth capital and managerial support through private equity funds has proven an effective strategy to overcome this market failure. By providing growth capital and managerial advice to local companies, the operation will contribute considerably to boosting enterprise capabilities and competitiveness through access to finance and improved skills.
Additionally, the EIB is expecting to provide guidance to the fund manager on best market practice for international private equity firms and thus contribute to its institutionalisation. In due course, the EIB will initiate the legal negotiations and work closely with other potential investors.
Thus, the EIB's involvement is expected to be catalytic in a difficult fund raising environment that has been exacerbated by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The fund will operate in line with the EIB's environmental and social standards.
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