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The AfriCAN Do! Podcast | Episode 69
Featuring Charles Omanga, CEO & Co-founder, Horizon Africa Capital Ltd
The Deal Maker: Financing Africa's Boldest Business Ambitions
Behind many of East Africa's biggest acquisitions, mergers and capital raises stands an advisor the public rarely sees. On Episode 69 of The AfriCAN Do! Podcast, host Leonard Mudachi sits down with Charles Omanga, CEO and Co-founder of Horizon Africa Capital Ltd, the boutique M&A and capital raising firm based in Nairobi, Kenya. 💼🇰🇪
Charles co-founded Horizon Africa Capital in January 2010, after a corporate and investment banking career spanning over 25 years at institutions including Citi, Barclays Bank of Kenya and CFC Stanbic Bank. Horizon was the first African partner of Global M&A, covering seven sub-Saharan countries, and has grown into one of East Africa's top-ranked advisory firms, having executed equity transactions in excess of USD 400 million and debt transactions in excess of USD 1 billion across the region. 📈
Bold, innovative and dynamic, Horizon Africa advises across mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and advisory services: from deal strategy, transaction structuring and capital raising to due diligence, valuation and post-transaction support. Charles has personally led and closed complex acquisitions, capital raisings and mergers in financial services, healthcare, energy and manufacturing, and is regularly called upon by large private firms and NSE-listed companies to independently lead the thinking on their expansion and financial plans. ✨
His leadership extends beyond the deal table. Charles served on the Board of Directors of the Kenya Revenue Authority, where he chaired the Board Audit and Risk Committee, and has served on various boards in banking and stock brokerage. He holds an MBA from the University of Leicester and is a member of the Institute of Certified Investment and Financial Analysts (ICIFA). 🌍
In this conversation we explore: 🎙️ Charles' journey from corporate and investment banking to founding his own firm 🎙️ Building Horizon Africa Capital into a top East African advisory house from Nairobi 🎙️ What it takes to close complex deals in African markets, and the stories behind them 🎙️ How African entrepreneurs should prepare for capital raising, M&A and investor scrutiny 🎙️ Governance lessons from boardrooms, including the Kenya Revenue Authority 🎙️ The future of capital markets, deal making and enterprise growth in East Africa