News

News

PROPARCO supports the agro-industry sector in Egypt

31/01/2012

Cairo, 31st January 2012. PROPARCO announces the signing of a $US 15m senior loan in favour of WADI Holdings, an Egyptian agro-industry company, to finance its business growth. This transaction, combined with a convertible loan of $US 5m, will help support the company in its vertical and horizontal integration. The signing ceremony was held, today, in the presence of Musa Freiji, Chairman of the Board of WADI and Marie-Hélène Loison, Deputy CEO of PROPARCO. 

WADI is primarily active in the production of poultry and poultry feed. Since 2009, the group has diversified significantly based on synergies with its core business activities. Accordingly, the group moved into container glass manufacturing, olive growing and agriculture. This project will help WADI continue its expansion, notably through the construction of a tomato concentrate production plant, the development of its agricultural business and the construction of a second poultry feed plant.

This operation consolidates an existing partnership between WADI and PROPARCO, initiated by a $US 3m stake in WADI equity in 2009. The senior loan will enable the group to diversify its long-term sources of financing, not adequately available on the local market.

"In the current political and economic climate, investment needs in Egypt and more particularly in the agro-industry sector, are huge. PROPARCO is proud to support a major agro-industry player supplying top-quality food products to the local market. Its exemplary management of health, environmental and social issues makes it a partner of choice", explains Marie-Hélène Loison, Deputy CEO of PROPARCO. WADI contributes to disseminating high standards in food safety, especially with regard to limiting the spread of bird flu, by supplying healthy chicks to farmers and providing veterinary support.

For us, this loan is a real vote of confidence from PROPARCO in light of our performance and expansion plans. It will endorse our desire to pursue our growth strategies in agriculture, poultry and other industries. PROPARCO’s financing will enable us to implement new production projects that will help uplift the Egyptian economy as it will help us create more job opportunities for Egyptian people », states Musa Freiji, Chairman of the Board of WADI. The group, which employs more than 3,700 people, has a considerable impact on local employment. Its expansion plan should help create further 2,000 jobs by 2014.

ABOUT

PROPARCO is a Development Finance Institution jointly held by Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and public and private shareholders from the North and South. Its mission is to catalyze private investment in emerging and developing countries with the aim of supporting growth, sustainable development and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). PROPARCO finances investments that are economically viable, socially equitable, environmentally sustainable and financially profitable. PROPARCO is one of the main bilateral development finance institutions in the world. It invests on four continents encompassing the major emerging countries and the poorest countries, particularly in Africa, and has a high level of requirements in terms of social and environmental responsibility.
www.proparco.fr

WADI GROUP is the fruitful outcome of a long success story started in Egypt in 1984. Wadi Group is currently structured into two core activities: agro-business (Mazareh) and industry (Sina’at). Under Mazareh, Wadi Group combines all of its agro-business activities including poultry and fish farming, feeds and food produce. For the industry arm (Sina’at), Wadi Group manufactures glass products for food and beverages industries, cooling pads, ingredients for animal, poultry and fish nutrition, fertilizers and also, covers the handling and transportation of merchandise. Each entity, whether in agro-business or industry, is headed by its own structure in order to provide the expertise required in each field.
www.wadigroup.com
 

PROPARCO supports reconstruction of post-crisis sub-Saharan countries

17/01/2012

Paris , 17 January 2012. PROPARCO has allocated a US$150,000 grant to the technical assistance facility of the venture capital group Maris Capital Advisors via the Investment and Support Fund for Businesses in Africa (FISEA). The aim of this financing is to help strengthen the capacities of companies in its first investment vehicle, Maris Africa Fund.

The Maris Africa Fund takes majority stakes in SMEs in the upstream phase of development in sub-Saharan African post-conflict countries and border economies. The average size of its investments ranges between US$0.25M and US$1.5M. They target a wide range of activities, including the transport, infrastructure, telecoms and hotel sectors. PROPARCO joined the investment round in 2010 with a US$3.5M equity investment.

The private sector in the target countries has come out of years of conflict severely weakened and highly decapitalized. SMEs are engines of growth and sources of employment, yet they are particularly hard hit by limited access to financing, organizational weaknesses and a limited knowledge of good industrial, environmental and social practices.
 
The technical assistance facility aims to build the technical and institutional capacities of companies in the portfolio, help these players launch innovative operations and develop knowledge production on post-conflict and border economies. “The combination between investment and technical assistance is a particularly relevant approach for SMEs that are directly or indirectly affected by conflicts. The managerial, operational and technical support will rebuild these companies’ capacities and make them more viable and stronger”, points out Marie-Hélène Loison, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of PROPARCO.
 
The private sector, particularly SMEs, has a key role to play in rebuilding conflict-affected sub-Saharan countries. Maris Capital Advisors’ facility will help stabilize these economies that continue to be neglected by investors.
 
ABOUT

PROPARCO is a Development Finance Institution jointly held by Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and public and private shareholders from the North and South. Its mission is to catalyze private investment in emerging and developing countries with the aim of supporting growth, sustainable development and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). PROPARCO finances investments that are economically viable, socially equitable, environmentally sustainable and financially profitable. PROPARCO is one of the main bilateral development finance institutions in the world. It invests on four continents encompassing the major emerging countries and the poorest countries, particularly in Africa, and has a high level of requirements in terms of social and environmental responsibility.
www.proparco.fr

Two French players invest in an Indian Food Fund.

16/01/2012

Paris, 16 January 2012. PROPARCO and UNIGRAINS invest US$ 7,5m and US$ 2m respectively in the SEAF India Agribusiness International Fund at second closing. This fund will co-invest along with SEAF India Agribusiness Fund, a domestically established fund, which has renowned Indian investors like Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).

These two funds, created in 2010 on SEAF’s initiative, plan to co-invest up to US$ 75m in the Indian agro-food and agro-industry sector over the next 9 years.The investments, averaging from US$ 2 to 7m, target high potential agricultural SMEs, present throughout India and notably in remote rural areas. The Fund, managed by SEAF India Management Company, positions itself on a broad spectrum of activities relating to the food value chain. Apart from plant and animal processing activities, SEAF plans to invest in companies operating in the areas of equipment and logistics - all with the objective of accelerating the value of Indian agribusiness.

The two French players have chosen to unite their skills to support this innovative initiative. PROPARCO brings its experience in financial and legal structuring in emerging markets whilst Unigrains provides its expertise in the agro-food and agro-industry sector. « We are very pleased to participate in this investment in a fund dedicated to the agribusiness in a country with strong growth and to collaborate with a high-qualified team with whom we now exchange regularly regarding business opportunities contacts in our portfolio », says Jean-François Laurain, CEO of Unigrains.
 
India has one of the world’s foremost agricultural potential with the second largest arable surface area and the greatest irrigated surface area. Its food market is estimated at US$ 500 bn by 2020, that is, an annual increase of 8, 5%. « PROPARCO is proud to support the financing of a key sector for the Indian economy. The investment needs of the Indian agricultural industry are estimated at almost US$ 30 bn between now and 2015. This effort will be reached thanks to the private sector which already represents 82% of investment in the agro-industrial sector» explains Marie-Hélène Loison, Deputy CEO of PROPARCO.
 
This SEAF initiative contributes to the revenue increase of small players in the Indian food business. « The specificity of the SEAF India Agribusiness International Fund is to target small and medium size farmers and entrepreneurs who suffer limited access to finance. The Fund investments are largely intended to support the productivity growth of these SMEs and to encourage the decrease of commodity prices for the end consumer, while achieving strong returns for our investors» adds Hubertus van der Vaart, CEO of SEAF.

ABOUT
PROPARCO, institution financière de développement, est détenue par l’Agence Française de Développement (AFD) et des actionnaires privés du Nord et du Sud. Sa mission est de catalyser l’investissement privé dans les pays émergents et en développement en faveur de la croissance, du développement durable et de l’atteinte des Objectifs du Millénaire pour le Développement. PROPARCO compte parmi les principales institutions financières bilatérales de développement dans le monde. Elle intervient sur quatre continents, allant des grands pays émergents aux pays les plus pauvres, en particulier en Afrique, avec un haut niveau d’exigence en matière de responsabilité sociale et environnementale.
www.proparco.fr
 
UNIGRAINS, a financial company specialised in the food and agro-industry, majority owned by the grain industry, which has accompanied for 40 years more than 200 businesses at different stages of development by proposing a wide range of financial solutions: equity or quasi-equity support, strategic advice and analysis. UNIGRAINS and its subsidiaries manage more than €1B and intervene at key moments of a corporation’s life cycle, at specific points of corporate life, particularly in connection with investments, acquisitions or capital reorganisations.
www.unigrains.fr
 
SEAF is a global fund management group specializing in providing growth capital and business support to growth-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging markets. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., SEAF manages private equity funds in these markets through a network of 21 offices around the world. For over two decades, SEAF has supported the growth of SMEs through structured debt and equity risk capital and extensive post-investment business assistance. SEAF’s experience making more than 380 investments in small businesses has allowed it to identify and invest in promising companies that deliver positive financial returns for its investors. With more than USD 650 million in committed capital since inception and 28 funds and investment vehicles historically, SEAF is a leader in SME investment in emerging markets.
www.seaf.com
 
SEAF India Agribusiness Fund  targets investment in fast-growing agribusiness focused companies in India. With the world’s second largest amount of arable land and a rapidly growing economy, India represents a tremendous opportunity for investment in the agribusiness sector.  Recognizing the technological talents in India, and relying on a team with extensive experience in Indian agribusiness, the Fund focuses on companies in the food value chain with strong management, with a demonstrated track record, and innovative and superior technology for productivity improvement and value addition.  The Fund commenced investment operations in June 2010.

PROPARCO finances the energy sector in Cameroon

13/01/2012

Douala, 12 January 2012. PROPARCO announced an investment of € 10m to the Kribi Power Development Company to support the development, construction and operation of a new natural gas-fired power plant and transmission line. The Kribi power project, located in the southern province of Cameroon, consists of a 216 MW natural gas-fired power plant and a 100km double circuit transmission line of 225 KV.

The Kribi power project, located in the southern province of Cameroon, consists of a 216 MW natural gas-fired power plant and a 100km double circuit transmission line of 225 KV. It is to be implemented as a public-private-partnership between the Government of Cameroon and the AES Corporation (USA), who own 44 and 56 % of the company respectively. The project will run on natural gas supplied from the offshore Sanaga South gas field, triggering the first commercial development of Cameroon’s substantial gas reserves. Those reserves have the potential to complement the country’s oil supplies and the development of its vast hydropower resources.

PROPARCO’s financing has been implemented within the framework of a debt facility led by IFC and consisting of a syndicate of Development Finance Institutions, including the African Development Bank (AfDB), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO), and the Central African Development Bank (BDEAC). Together with IFC, these institutions will provide €138 million or 70% of the total project debt through parallel loans. IDA will provide a Partial Risk Guarantee to facilitate Cameroon’s first long-term, local currency loan for infrastructure. A local bank syndicate, led by Standard Chartered bank, will be providing €60 million equivalent to the project. 
 
The development of Kribi will help meet the growing domestic demand for electricity and contribute directly to the development of Cameroon’s electric power infrastructure. We appreciate the support of institutions that share our commitment to responding to Cameroon’s critical infrastructure needs” said Jean David Bile, CEO of AES Africa.

IFC has a long-standing involvement in Cameroon’s power sector, first as an advisor to the Government in the privatization of the country’s integrated electric utility, and subsequently as the lead lender in two power transactions. As only the second Independent Power Project (IPP) in Cameroon, and one of the few IPPs in Africa, the Kribi project will serve as a successful example of Public-Private Partnerships in the region” explained Thierry Tanoh, IFC Vice President for Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Western Europe.

The electricity consumption in Cameroon is expected to triple during the next ten years, through committed industrial investments and growing demand from semi-industrial and household loads. The Kribi project will help boost Cameroon energy supply and improve energy security, diversifying the national energy mix" added Marie-Hélène Loison, Deputy CEO of PROPARCO.

Power shortages are estimated to currently cost the economy 2% of GDP growth and 5% of lost enterprise revenues. Increasing power generation capacity, efficiency and sustainability is at the heart of the Government of Cameroon’s Vision 2035 and Growth and Employment Strategy to transform Cameroon into an industrialized emerging economy.
 
ABOUT
 
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector. We help developing countries achieve sustainable growth by financing investment, providing advisory services to businesses and governments, and mobilizing capital in the international financial markets. In fiscal 2011, amid economic uncertainty across the globe, we helped our clients create jobs, strengthen environmental performance, and contribute to their local communities—all while driving our investments to an all-time high of nearly $19 billion.
 
PROPARCO is a Development Finance Institution jointly held by Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and public and private shareholders from the North and South. Its mission is to catalyze private investment in emerging and developing countries with the aim of supporting growth, sustainable development and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). PROPARCO finances investments that are economically viable, socially equitable, environmentally sustainable and financially profitable. PROPARCO is one of the main bilateral development finance institutions in the world. It invests on four continents encompassing the major emerging countries and the poorest countries, particularly in Africa, and has a high level of requirements in terms of social and environmental responsibility.

A large-scale solar photovoltaic energy project in Peru

09/01/2012

Paris, 9 January 2012. PROPARCO announces the signing of a 15-year loan of US $ 7,15 m to T-Solar group to finance two photovoltaic power plants in Peru. These two centrals, with an aggregate capacity of 44 MW, will be the first large-scale solar photovoltaic energy projects in Latin America. 113,600 thin-film amorphous hydrogenated-silicon modules produced by T-Solar’s Spain factory will be deployed over 206 hectares of land in the Arequipa region in southern Peru.

The two solar plants are expected to produce 80 GWh a year, enough electricity to supply 80,000 people.(1) Project construction will generate over 160 direct jobs amongst the local population. The plants are expected to be connected to the national grid by the second semester of 2012.

The total capital expenditure for the two centrals is over $165m. The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), a US government agency promoting sustainable US investment abroad, will provide up to $131m in senior debt, partially guaranteed by Assured Guarantee, a US credit insurance company. The Netherlands’ FMO and France’s PROPARCO will lend up to $14.3m in mezzanine debt.

« This solar photovoltaic project will contribute to diversify the energy mix in Peru and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40000 teq C02 per year. PROPARCO is proud to participate to this large-scale initiative, alongside OPIC and FMO, in a region with a growing energy demand ” explains Marie-Hélène Loison, Deputy CEO of PROPARCO.

Latin America is an important target market for T-Solar. Given the region’s high level of solar irraditaion and in the context of an increasing focus on energy transition and renewable energy, T-Solar expects the continent’s strongest economies to provide interesting oportunities in the photovoltaic sector in the next 5 years.

ABOUT

PROPARCO is a Development Finance Institution jointly held by Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and public and private shareholders from the North and South. Its mission is to catalyze private investment in emerging and developing countries with the aim of supporting growth, sustainable development and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). PROPARCO finances investments that are economically viable, socially equitable, environmentally sustainable and financially profitable. PROPARCO is one of the main bilateral development finance institutions in the world. It invests on four continents encompassing the major emerging countries and the poorest countries, particularly in Africa, and has a high level of requirements in terms of social and environmental responsibility.
www.proparco.fr

T-Solar is a major independent producer of photovoltaic solar energy world-wide. A subsidiary of the Isolux Corsan Group, it has 173 MWp installed capacity already online in 43 plants located in Spain (34), Italy (8) and India (1), plus a further 55 MW under construction in India and Peru. Its solar photovoltaic plants generate over 250 GWh a year. This is equivalent to the average electricity consumption of a town with 51,000 households. T-Solar earned revenues of €110.2m in 2010. The company's 2010 business plan had a total capex of €1.16 bn. Its factory in Orense (Galicia, Spain) produces the largest PV modules in the market (5.7m2) using amorphous hydrogenated silicon thin-film technology to reduce costs and boost performance ratios. The factory is fully automated and fitted out with leading-edge technology. It has an output capacity of 50 MW a year, equivalent to 700,000 m2 of solar panels. 
www.tsolar.com

PROPARCO supports the financing of Brazilian agroindustry

23/12/2011

PROPARCO has signed a USD25M credit line with the Brazilian bank Banco Pine earmarked to finance upper-middle sized and large businesses in the agribusiness sector. Brazil is one of the global leaders in the agribusiness sector and has seen sharp growth in its agribusiness exports since the beginning of the 2000s.

The agribusiness sector is an engine of growth, thanks to the country’s abundant natural resources, combined with its sound public policies and favorable business climate. This sector accounts for over a third of national GDP and almost 40% of employment. It also provides essential functions for food and energy supply through its ethanol production.

Banco Pine is specialized in financing upper-middle sized and large businesses and is particularly active in the agribusiness segment. Almost 30% of its portfolio is earmarked to finance agribusinesses, with a focus on sugar/ethanol production (29%) and the production and processing of agricultural products.
 
PROPARCO is very proud to be supporting a player like Banco Pine, which has a proven track record of know-how in financing agricultural and agribusiness projects. This financing is strengthening a partnership with Banco Pine which began in 2007 with an operation cofinanced with FMO”, says Amélie July, Head of the Banks and Financial Markets Department at PROPARCO.
 
"This transaction is very positive for PINE, since it strengthens our relationship with Proparco. It will also enable PINE to offer our agribusiness clients with longer-term financing than usually available in the local market." said Norberto Zaiet Junior, Banco Pine's CFO and Investor Relations Officer.
 
This project is the second credit line to Banco Pine. It will contribute to increasing the availability of long-term financial resources in USD and to providing a tailored response to the growing needs of agribusinesses in Brazil.
 
ABOUT

PROPARCO
is a Development Finance Institution jointly held by Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and public and private shareholders from the North and South. Its mission is to catalyze private investment in emerging and developing countries with the aim of supporting growth, sustainable development and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). PROPARCO finances investments that are economically viable, socially equitable, environmentally sustainable and financially profitable. PROPARCO is one of the main bilateral development finance institutions in the world. It invests on four continents encompassing the major emerging countries and the poorest countries, particularly in Africa, and has a high level of requirements in terms of social and environmental responsibility. www.proparco.fr
 
Banco Pine is a Brazilian mid size bank focused in credit for small and mid size companies. Banco Pine specializes in offering a broad range of credit products in both local and foreign currency for Brazilian companies. The bank also provides financial and strategic advisory services, treasury and investment products, including FX hedging instruments, as a strategy to differentiate itself from other mid-cap Brazilian banks.
 
 
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