Hi there and welcome to Daba’s weekly Next Frontier newsletter.

Here’s a quick preview of today’s newsletter: DHL bets big on Africa’s healthcare logistics, Silverbacks cashes out of OmniRetail, Egypt privatization accelerates, and Mediterrania Cap closes record fund to back African mid-caps.

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Now, let’s dive in.

Markets Snapshot

Daba indexes track curated stock collections—all available to invest in directly on the app.

The best-performing BRVM stocks of the week by share price increase—all available to invest in directly on the app.

Data as of 06/13/2025 market close

Global equities pulled back sharply last week, but African markets continue to attract inflows from regional investors seeking yield amid global uncertainty. Next week’s market tone hinges on the fallout from the escalating Israel-Iran conflict. Read our weekly markets recap here.

Four Things You Need to Know

Health bet: DHL will invest $575M to boost healthcare logistics across Africa and the Middle East, targeting cold-chain storage and vaccine transport. The move reflects rising demand for chronic disease treatment, local manufacturing, and China's growing footprint in African health infrastructure.

E-commerce windfall: VC firm Silverbacks partially exited OmniRetail with a 5x return after the Nigerian startup raised $20M, one month after securing a 29x return from its Lemfi exit. The profitable secondary sale reflects a maturing African VC market as liquidity grows scarce and investors prioritize timely exits from high-performing ventures like OmniRetail.

Privatization pivot: Egypt plans to list stakes in 11 state-owned firms, including five military-linked entities, to attract private capital and meet IMF goals. The move signals a structural shift toward transparency and private-sector-led growth, with TSFE leading governance reforms.

Private capital: Mediterrania Capital raised $686M for its fourth fund, targeting mid-cap firms across North and West Africa. Backed by major DFIs, the private equity fund will scale regional champions in healthcare, logistics, and finance, with 25% allocated to West Africa.

Headline Roundup

Markets & Finance

• Greencoat Renewables Lists on Johannesburg Stock Exchange

• Fitch Downgrades Afreximbank Rating With Outlook Negative

• Khayah Cement Delisted from Zimbabwe Stock Exchange

Economy & Macro

• Sierra Leone Launches First Renewable-Powered 5G Network

• Zimbabwe Eyes Pilot Project After First Commercial Gas Discovery

• Ivory Coast Gets $3M for Cocoa Waste-to-Energy Plant in Divo

• Egypt’s Annual Inflation Rises to 16.5% in May on Food, Utilities

Corporate & M&A

• Telkom Posts 10% Mobile Revenue Growth as Subscribers Hit 23M

• Access Bank Completes Acquisition of National Bank of Kenya

• Netflix Hikes Prices in Nigeria for Third Time in Two Years

VC, Startups & Tech

• South African Agritech Nile Raises $11.3M to Expand Across Region

• Senegal’s KERA Bags $10M from IFC to Scale E-Health Platform

• Zero Carbon Charge Gets $5.6M to Expand EV Charging Network

• Impact Investor Vital Capital Backs South Africa's Vastpoint

Must-Reads on Daba

• What To Do When Your Stock Portfolio Is Suffering a Loss

• A Comprehensive Guide to Mutual Funds for Beginners

• How to Invest in African Bonds: A Guide for Investors

• Investing in African IPOs: A Beginner’s Manual on How it Works

Chart of the Week

It’s easy to overlook the French-speaking part of Africa when the fintech spotlight and capital tend to focus on Nigeria, Kenya, or South Africa.

But quietly, steadily, francophone Africa is becoming the next big thing in African fintech.

The group comprises 29 French-speaking countries—21 of them known as francophone, which use French as their official language or as one of their languages.

Most people in the region don’t have traditional bank accounts, with banking penetration below 30% in several countries, while only 1 in 10 adults in the Western part has access to formal credit.

Now, that’s starting to change thanks to the emergence of mobile-first startups, rising digital demand, and evolving regulation.

In our latest Pulse54 newsletter, we dive into why francophone Africa is fast becoming the continent’s next fintech growth zone. Visit our Substack to read more.

That’s it for today.

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Catch you next week!