Acquiring a business in Africa can be an exceptional opportunity, but it is not a casual process. The diligence burden is heavier, the documentation quality varies by market and seller profile, and closing risk is often driven by issues that do not appear in an information memorandum. Buy-side execution requires disciplined sourcing, hard-nosed underwriting, and a financing plan that is credible from day one.
Financely provides full-scope buy-side M&A advisory for African business acquisitions. We originate opportunities, run diligence and valuation, structure transactions to protect downside, coordinate legal and tax workstreams through local counsel, and arrange acquisition financing and private capital where required to close.
IPPs, distributed energy, services businesses, and contracted cash flow operators with defendable offtake or regulated revenues.
Scalable processors, exporters, and logistics-adjacent businesses where procurement controls and buyer quality can be documented.
Licensed operators and platforms with compliance discipline, measurable unit economics, and clean governance suitable for institutional review.
Clinics, diagnostics, and B2B service providers where recurring demand and operating controls support lender and investor underwriting.
B2B distributors and service businesses with repeat purchase cycles, defensible margins, and verifiable receivables and payables behavior.
Many acquisitions fail because the capital stack is treated as an afterthought. We integrate private capital advisory into the buy-side process so your offer is backed by a credible funding plan. Depending on the transaction, this can include senior debt, structured private credit, seller participation, preferred equity, or sponsor equity syndication. Where regulated steps are required, we coordinate with appropriately licensed counterparties to execute them.
| Capital Component | How It Is Used in Acquisitions |
|---|---|
| Senior Debt | Acquisition financing sized to documented cash flow, collateral, and covenant tolerance. |
| Private Credit | Higher-flexibility structures where banks are constrained by policy, timing, or collateral profile. |
| Preferred Equity | Equity gap coverage with defined returns and governance terms, aligned to senior lender requirements. |
| Seller Participation | Earnouts, notes, and holdbacks that reduce cash at close while maintaining enforceable protections. |
| Equity Syndication | Co-investor coordination for independent sponsors and platforms seeking repeat acquisition capacity. |
We charge engagement fees. Buy-side work is resource intensive and requires continuous diligence management, negotiation support, and capital coordination. Most mandates include an upfront retainer and a success fee aligned to transaction complexity and closing profile. Exact terms are confirmed in the engagement letter.
This service is buy-side advisory. Where conflicts exist, we apply conflicts checks and will decline or ring-fence work in line with our policies.
No. Outcomes depend on seller cooperation, diligence findings, financing approvals, legal execution, and regulatory requirements. Our role is to run a disciplined process and reduce preventable failure points.
We can coordinate capital raising in parallel with the acquisition process where the file is financeable and the buyer is credible. Buyers with deliverable equity and clean documentation move faster and receive better terms.
Yes. Scope depends on the industry, deal structure, and the availability of reliable legal and diligence counterparties in the relevant country. We coordinate local execution through qualified professionals.
Submit your acquisition mandate with target countries, industry focus, deal size, and capital plan. We will revert with an execution workplan, engagement terms, and the documentation checklist required to begin.
Request A QuoteDisclaimer: This page is for general information only. It does not constitute legal, tax, regulatory, investment, or credit advice and it is not an offer or commitment by Financely or any third party to provide any financing or to arrange any securities issuance. Financely is not a bank, lender, insurer, surety, broker-dealer, or investment adviser. Any financing, underwriting, or securities issuance is provided or executed solely by regulated counterparties under their own licenses, approvals, policies, and documentation. All transactions are subject to eligibility, diligence, KYC and AML review, sanctions screening, credit approval, and execution of definitive agreements.
Financely advises growth-focused businesses on accessing capital by introducing their opportunities to professional investors. Financely is not a securities broker or dealer. Where appropriate, engagements are coordinated with regulated broker-dealers, investment banks, legal counsel, and other specialists.
Financely does not solicit, offer, or accept orders to buy or sell securities and makes no assurance regarding capital-raising outcomes.
Services are strictly business-to-business. Financely does not provide personal finance, consumer credit, or retail advisory services.
Advisory services are reserved for post-revenue companies that recognize the time and resources required for professional underwriting.
All mandates start with an RFQ. We review submissions, issue a brief Go/No-Go memo, and where bankable, release a Term Sheet that leads to funding. We arrange capital across Senior Secured, Unitranche, Second Lien/Mezzanine, Preferred Equity, and Gap Solutions. We do not process deals by email or chat.
Letters of Credit, Standby LCs, Confirmations, Receivables Finance, and Inventory Lines with control.
Funding arranged for trade flows with instruments sized to your cycle and aligned to delivery and settlement.
Move forward to secure working capital and keep goods moving. Submit the RFQ to start underwriting for funding.
Limited or non-recourse structures for energy and infrastructure with lender-ready materials.
Funding solutions aligned to project cash flows with credible covenants and conditions to reach notice to proceed.
Advance the file to termable status. Submit the RFQ so we can underwrite and secure funding.
Debt and Preferred solutions anchored on cash flow, Quality of Earnings, and clear closing mechanics.
Funding across senior, unitranche, and preferred to match stable cash flows and acquisition timelines.
Get financed on workable terms for closing. Submit the RFQ to start underwriting.
Acquisition, development, bridge, and refinance with lender-ready packs and third-party reports managed.
Funding calibrated to DSCR, leverage, and tenancy with terms designed to close.
Move to a financeable package. Submit the RFQ to initiate underwriting for funding.
KYC and Source of Funds required. Engagements are best-efforts and subject to underwriting. Preference for operating companies with meaningful revenue. See our FAQ and Procedure.
Financely Inc. (“Financely”) provides corporate-finance advice and is wholly owned by Aurora Bay Trust, a trust formed under Bahamian law, together with its authorized affiliates. Depending on deal structure, jurisdiction, and local rules, engagements may be carried out through Financely Group LLC, a non-deposit-taking, non-banking financial company; Ashford Capital Advisory LLC; or another related entity.
Financely and its affiliates are not registered as securities broker-dealers and do not execute securities transactions or hold client funds or securities. When a mandate involves the purchase or sale of securities and a registered intermediary is required, any orders are introduced to and executed by one or more independent U.S. broker-dealers registered with the SEC and FINRA. Those broker-dealers are solely responsible for trade execution, custody, and related regulatory obligations. Nothing in this material constitutes an offer, solicitation, or recommendation to buy or sell any security or to engage in any specific transaction. Before engaging Financely Group LLC, Ashford Capital Advisory LLC, or any affiliate, you are responsible for confirming that such engagement complies with your own legal, regulatory, tax, and other requirements. In the United States, certain advisory activities may be conducted in reliance on exemptions available under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, including the “foreign private adviser” exemption where applicable. Our services and regulatory status may vary by jurisdiction and by transaction type.
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