Africa’s private investment firm Helios Investment Partners has announced the acquisition of Fertilizers and Inputs Holding BV, aiming to improve agricultural yield in the country to contribute to Africa’s economic development
The Fertilizers and Input Holding BV holds Africa-based fertilisers and inputs operations Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC).
Commenting on the acquisition, Alykhan Nathoo, partner at Helios, said, “Louis Dreyfus Company has been successful at expanding its fertilisers and inputs distribution network in Africa, which stands to benefit from the growing size and sophistication of the continent’s agriculture and industry. We look forward to providing expansion capital and working with management and key stakeholders to accelerate the growth of the business.”
Established in 2004 and led by co-founding partners Tope Lawani and Babatunde Soyoye, Helios is one of the largest investment firms focusing on both French and English-speaking African countries and is an independent pan-African private equity investment firms managed by Africans.
Fertilizers and Input Holding BV aims to enhance the region’s crop input access by encouraging local manufacturing through the supply of chemical ingredients. This includes the water purification industry, which is vital for the continent.
In addition, the company educates and trains farmers and rural communities on agricultural practices, focusing on facilitating the increase of farm productivity and rural incomes.
Gonzalo Ramírez Martiarena, CEO of LDC, commented, “This transaction is fully in line with our strategy of concentrating on businesses in which we enjoy closer ties to product origination and farmer relationships. It will also allow us to strengthen our focus on forging partnerships in other geographies outside Africa.”
“Through our Macrofertil brand, we can continue to deliver a diversified range of fertilisers and inputs products and high-quality services to our customers in the rest of the world,” Martiarena added.
“We are looking forward to using our experience in successfully growing other multi-country distribution platforms in this key sector, ultimately helping increase yields and incomes for African farmers,” Souleymane Ba, partner at Helios, concluded.
