The Central Africa SME Fund (CASF) invests in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Democratic Republic Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR). The Fund is based on the belief that encouraging entrepreneurship in these growing markets leads to achieving sustainable economic development.
Currently, many opportunities in CAR and DRC remain unexploited due to the lack of risk capital and support. The Central Africa SME Fund is a USD 19 million fund, which has been mostly invested in DRC with some investments in CAR
Results:
- Risk capital – typically a combination of debt and equity – was provided in the period 2011-2015 to over 30 companies with an investment size in between USD 200k to max USD 1 million.
- Some 960 direct jobs have been created at portfolio companies since investment by CASF
- CASF became fully invested in 2015
- The fund has so far realised three Equity exits and, as per Q1 2019 has returned some 63% of capital invested to investors
