Africa and the Middle East M&A Overview Report
Q1 2019

In Q1 2019, the number of deals in Africa and the Middle East dropped by 2% y/y but their aggregate value surged 87%.

The financial sector ranked first by number of transactions (28 in total for both regions), around a quarter of which attracted PE interest. The spotlight was on Middle Eastern big banks, as mega-deals for Ahli and UNB in Bahrain and United Arab Emirates, respectively, ranked as the largest for the whole region.

African M&A activity during the first quarter was lower in Egypt (7 deals total, 4 less y/y) and South Africa (69 deals, 5 less) but higher in Nigeria (9 deals, 2 more y/y) and Kenya (22 deals, 7 more).

From the Middle Eastern countries, Saudi Arabia (13 deals, 6 more y/y) and Kuwait (2 deals, 2 more) registered increased deal flow. United Arab Emirates (27 deals, 4 less y/y) and Oman (1 deal, 4 less) both saw a decline, while Qatar had no inbound or domestic deals in Q1.

This report provides an in-depth overview of the M&A deal activity across 31 countries in Africa and 15 countries in the Middle East. Besides the overall regions, individual country focus is put on South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria. Our reports are presented in a consistent format from quarter to quarter, enabling users to analyse and compare data, and follow the latest developments in M&A.

What this report enables you to do:

• Follow overall mergers and acquisitions trends across Africa and the Middle East region, and in key countries South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria
• See what major deals were announced and who was involved
• Identify the hottest industries and the top foreign investors
• Observe how valuations changed from quarter to quarter
• View Private Equity activity and the top entries and exits
• Find out who the best performing M&A advisors were

See below for a complete table of report contents: