Agritech: Scottish Africa Business Association and Scottish Development International Join Forces to Unlock Global Opportunities for Scottish Companies

 

ABERDEEN, Scotland, May 12, 2025/ -- The Scottish Africa Business Association (SABA) (www.AfricaScot.com) is delighted to announce its upcoming event, “SABA Briefing: Unlocking Global Opportunities with SDI,” taking place on 29th May, 2025.

This important online briefing, delivered in partnership with Scottish Development International (SDI), will offer Scottish businesses practical insights into accessing and expanding in African markets — some of the fastest-growing and most dynamic economies in the world.

With increasing demand across sectors such as renewable energy, infrastructure, agritech and maritime, Africa represents a major opportunity for Scottish companies with the ambition and capability to expand globally. From its growing middle class to its thriving innovation hubs, the continent offers diverse commercial prospects that align closely with Scotland’s world-class strengths.

The briefing will provide expert guidance on market entry, highlight real-world success stories and offer networking opportunities with peers and industry specialists.

Frazer Lang, CEO of SABA, commented: “At SABA, we believe that partnerships are at the heart of meaningful and sustainable international growth. We’re proud to work alongside Scottish Development International and other valued partners to deliver our SABA Briefings, which give Scottish companies the insights, connections and confidence they need to succeed in African markets. Africa is full of opportunity, but success comes from understanding local contexts, building trusted relationships and collaborating with the right partners. This event is the perfect starting point for companies looking to explore these dynamic markets.”

Scottish businesses of all sizes and sectors are encouraged to sign up for this free event to better understand the commercial potential across Africa and how to navigate opportunities effectively.

Register here:  https://apo-opa.co/4jNIfAD
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Scottish Africa Business Association (SABA).
About the Scottish Africa Business Association (SABA):
SABA is the preeminent non-political, Africa focussed, members trade organisation with an unrivalled board of experienced directors which promotes trade, investment and knowledge sharing between Scotland’s world class expertise and Africa’s priority sectors including energy, agriculture, the blue economy, healthcare, skills training and education by leveraging extensive commercial, trade, political and government contacts across Scotland and Africa.
 

International Food Exhibitions and Wine & Spirits Show 2024 start on 13 November

 

Five specialised business exhibitions for food, beverage, packaging, machinery and technology exhibitions for the food industry in the Balkans and South-Eastern Europe

  WHY TO VISIT THE EXHIBITIONS?

  Meatmania – new technologies in the meat processing industry
  Dairy Expo Sofia - novelties and trends in dairy processing
  Bulpek - everything starts with the grain and bread
  Interfood & Drink - international product presentations
  Wine & Spirits Show – wines, spirits, craft drinks and beer from all around the world
  For the third year, BoulevArt of Tastes touches the senses with surprising, traditional and impressive offerings
  7th International Pizza Championship
  Professional conferences, seminars and presentations


Wine & Spirits Show presents Bulgarian and international brands from the production of vodka, whiskey, cognac, wine, beer, gin to craft and art products in each category.

 

The Agricultural Machinery Summit

The SOMMET is far more than just animals! It also features hundreds of booths dedicated to agricultural equipment of all kinds: tractors, tillage, seeding, spreading, crop treatment, forage harvesting, lifting and handling, trailers, animal feed distribution, animal transport, irrigation, spare parts, tires, and more.

Easybalance and Dragogt, the 2 winners of the Sommets d’Or Awards in the "agricultural machinery" category
12 innovations were distinguished by the very selective
"Sommets d’Or Awards" 2024 competition, including two in the agricultural machinery category.
On the one hand, EASYBALANCE is a unique telescopic load transfer system that allows the wide-width EasyCut R 450 mower to be automatically balanced as soon as it switches to field mode.
 
On the other hand, the DRAGOGT corn picker with a windrower from Olimac SRL, which collects corn and creates a windrow to ensure easy harvesting of residues. The objective: to add value to corn cultivation, by integrating biomethane production with harvest residues.
 
LEARN MORE
 
 
The figure: 29%
This is the percentage of exhibitors in the agricultural machinery sector
present at the SOMMET.
 
 
 
Zoom on... « Equipment Tour »
For the first time, the SOMMET is organizing an "Equipment Tour", a visit to agricultural equipment in operation on a farm to highlight technology and all associated innovations in a real-life situation.
 
For this first edition, visit a biomethane installation
commissioned by AgriKomp!
 
 

Vantage Capital concludes a €14.0m deal with Société de Production Maraîchère Samir S.A. (SPMS) SPMS has ambitions to expand further and will utilise Vantage Capital's investment to finance its development strategy and triple its cultivated area to 300+ h

 

AGADIR, Morocco, September 23, 2024/ -- Vantage Capital (www.VantageCapital.co.za), Africa’s largest mezzanine fund manager, announced today that it closed a €14 million mezzanine investment in Société de Production Maraîchère Samir S.A. (“SPMS”) to part-fund the company’s investment programme.

SPMS was founded by Mr. Samir Jbali and Mr. Samir Belhouari, two Moroccan agronomists with a shared entrepreneurial vision, and the company has since grown into a leading agricultural player. Headquartered in Agadir, Morocco, it has specialised in cherry tomato production since 1992 and then expanded into red fruits (raspberries, blueberries and blackberries) in 2014 through a partnership with the US-based group Driscoll’s, a leading global seller of fresh berries. The company currently manages a planted area of 101 hectares and employs over 2,000 people, mostly farm workers that it trains in modern agricultural practices.

SPMS is a high-performing grower, achieving some of the highest yields in the region. It is constantly seeking new berry varieties and optimising processes to enhance product quality and yield, while minimising its environmental impact. This includes the use of dual-irrigation systems and desalinated water for farming to address water scarcity issues, digital solutions to monitor temperature, humidity and other parameters in its greenhouses, and following best-in-class prevention measures against biological threats. SPMS’s commitment to supporting local communities is seen through its vibrant Corporate Social Responsibility programme. In addition to providing employment and training opportunities, the company actively undertakes various initiatives to uplift the surrounding villages, such as supplying drinking water or rehabilitating local schools.

SPMS has ambitions to expand further and will utilise Vantage Capital's investment to finance its development strategy and triple its cultivated area to 300+ hectares.

Mr. Samir Jbali, CEO of SPMS, commented, “We are very pleased to have the support of Vantage Capital. This transaction marks a significant milestone for our company and will enable us to execute our long-term strategic vision of expanding our market presence.”

Mr. Luc Albinski, Executive Chairman at Vantage Capital, added, “We are proud to support SPMS in its next phase of growth. The agricultural sector is very dynamic in Morocco and SPMS has consistently demonstrated strong leadership. This transaction represents our fourth deal in the country, and we are thrilled to provide a tailored mezzanine solution to this fast-growing management-owned business.”

Mr. Driss Benabdeslam, Partner at Vantage Capital, concluded, “Investing in SPMS reflects our confidence in management’s strategic vision and operational excellence within the agricultural industry. We welcome the opportunity to partner with a company that continues to innovate and lead in the cultivation of high-quality produce. We are confident that this transaction will unlock significant value for all stakeholders.”

This transaction represents Vantage Capital’s 38th investment across four generations of funds with its portfolio of investments spread across eleven African countries.

Vantage Capital was advised by Clifford Chance (in Morocco) who acted as its legal counsel. Deloitte (in Morocco) and Backer McKenzie (in Luxembourg) provided tax advice, Deloitte (in Morocco) was the financial advisor, Emerton (in France) provided commercial advice, and Ibis Consulting (in Morocco) reviewed the environmental impact.

SPMS was advised by Mouttaki & Partners (in Morocco) who acted as their legal counsel and Majorelle Capital (in Morocco) who acted as financial advisor.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Vantage Capital Group. 

Vice President Quaynor leads African Development Bank mission to India to strengthen business ties The delegation participated in a roundtable with 15 Indian pharmaceutical and healthcare infrastructure companies, co-hosted by the Bank and India Exim Bank

 
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, September 17, 2024/ -- An African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) delegation led by Vice President Solomon Quaynor has concluded a four-day official visit to India to explore investment and trade opportunities and partnerships between Africa and India in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and technology.
 
During the mission, which took in the cities of New Delhi, Gurgaon and Faridabad, Quaynor, the Bank’s Vice President for Private Sector, Infrastructure, and Industrialisation positioned the Bank as a potential partner to India’s private sector in the areas of project financing and de-risking initiatives, among others. He also promoted the Africa Investment Forum as a platform offering access to unparalleled investments across the continent.
 
The delegation participated in a roundtable with 15 Indian pharmaceutical and healthcare infrastructure companies, co-hosted by the Bank and India Exim Bank. Discussions centred on the opportunities and challenges presented by developing local production and robust infrastructure in Africa’s pharmaceutical markets, which face an estimated $111 billion investment gap through 2030.
 
The African Development Bank has developed a pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing strategy (https://apo-opa.co/47xpdte) and plans to invest up to $3.1 billion through 2030 to support its implementation.
 
Quaynor said, “We have partnered with the India Exim Bank to support Indian private sector participation in Africa’s growth story. This includes India’s private sector participating in government projects that the African Development Bank finances with India Exim export credit financing. An example is the Noor Ouarzazate solar power plant in Morocco, which was funded by an AfDB loan to the Moroccan government; the EPC involved two Indian companies Sterling & Wilson and Shapoorji Pallonji.”
 
During a meeting with Ms. Manisha Sinha, Additional Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Finance and the Bank's Group’s Alternate Governor, Vice President Quaynor commended India's long-standing support to the Bank Group, and highlighted potential areas of collaboration in youth training, digital financial inclusion, and the digitisation of health infrastructure.
 
Quaynor also participated in the 19th India-Africa Business Conclave, an annual event organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), in partnership with Indian Ministries of Commerce and Industry, and External Affairs. The Vice President stressed that Africa remains the second-fastest growing region globally, with average real GDP growth expected to reach 4.3 percent in 2025, up from 3.7 percent in 2024. According to African Development Bank forecasts, seventeen African economies are projected to grow by more than 5 percent in 2024.
 
During a panel session on critical minerals, Quaynor emphasised that African countries are seeking partners that can help them move up EV and battery supply chains, as Africa pursues industrialisation. He added that the African Development Bank helps finance projects by offering long-term debt and guarantees, as well as indirect equity through private equity and venture capital fund investments.
 
The Bank’s team also visited the premises of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) to discuss potential collaboration on extension models, public seed systems, and training. The IARI played a key role in driving India’s green revolution, during which the country’s agriculture underwent transformation into a modern industrial system through adoption of high yielding variety seeds, mechanisation, irrigation and other inputs.
 
India recently contributed $6 million towards a new trust fund to be managed by the Bank, under a bilateral Technical Cooperation Agreement signed in March 2024. The Indian government has also provided $2 million to the Africa Digital Financial Inclusion Facility (ADFI) (www.ADFI.org), managed by the African Development Bank.
 
"As we look forward, there are key sectors of growth that Indian companies could have a competitive advantage over other global markets, thereby facilitating south-south cooperation,” Quaynor said. “This requires industrialisation in Africa – so moving up the production value chain in Africa to take advantage of the AfCFTA, which is a single continental market of 1.4 billion people and a GDP of over $3.4 trillion."
 
The Vice president was joined by Mr. Osamu Kawanishi, Director of the Asia External Representation Office, Ms. Yuna Choi, Chief External Relations and Communications Officer and Mr. O’Neil Rane, Principal Resource Mobilisation and Partnerships Officer. The mission took place from August 20-23. 
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
 
About the African Development Bank Group:
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 34 African countries with an external office in Japan, the AfDB contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its fifty-four regional member states. For more information: www.AfDB.org

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