Archive for July 3rd, 2010

US Commits $455 Million For Five MENA Startup Investment Funds

Published by Mohamed Marwen Meddah on July 3, 2010 under Accelerator Technology Holdings, Citadel Capital, Innovation Capital Partners, KIPCO Opportunity Fund, OPIC, Overseas Private Investment Corporation, President Barack Obama, Riyada Enterprise Development Growth Capital Fund, Siraj Palestine Fund, investment, news |

OPICThe Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), an agency of the US government that invests in businesses in emerging markets, has approved a total of $455 million in financing to support the establishment of five private equity investment funds designed to invest in companies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), in response to an announcement made by President Obama last year. The five funds combined could potentially catalyze more than $2 billion of investment in the MENA region.

At a speech in Cairo in June 2009, President Obama announced that the United States would launch an investment fund to support technological development in Muslim-majority countries. OPIC responded last October by issuing a call for proposals to manage a Global Technology and Innovation Fund, intended to catalyze private sector investments that promote technological growth in OPIC-eligible countries Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The five funds approved were among 87 responses to the call.

The investment funds approved by the Board were:

Riyada Enterprise Development Growth Capital Fund
$150 million in financing have been approved to support the fund, which will invest in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) throughout the MENA region, particularly companies which stand to benefit from investment in technology.

Target countries for the fund include Egypt, Turkey, Palestinian Territories, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Oman, Algeria and Morocco.

Abraaj Capital Group; which was formed in 2002 and with offices in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates; was selected as fund manager. Abraaj is often credited with establishing one of the first private equity funds based in the MENA region and has raised $7.0 billion since inception.

The fund has a target capitalization of $500 million.

Accelerator Technology and Innovation Capital Partners
 Up to $25 million have been approved to support the fund, which will provide growth-stage financing to MENA companies in the digital content, internet services, mobile applications, mobile financial services, technology services and platforms, next generation media, entertainment and software development sectors. Target countries for the fund include Jordan, Lebanon, Palestinian Territories, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia among other Arab and Islamic countries.

AcceleratorTech Capital Partners; which is owned by Accelerator Technology Holdings, a Jordan-based company widely credited for creating a venture capital industry in the region; was selected as fund manager.

The fund has a target capitalization of $75 million.

KIPCO Opportunity Fund
 Up to $150 million in financing have been approved to support the fund, which expects to invest primarily in companies which are positioned to benefit from rapid economic growth, developing infrastructure and maturing financial markets in the MENA region, including in the financial services, media, infrastructure and information technology sectors.

Target countries for the fund are Jordan, Lebanon, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia, although the fund may also invest in other countries in the MENA region.

KIPCO Private Equity; which is owned by Kuwait Projects Company (Holding) K.S.C. (Closed), a Kuwait-based company which to date has made over 60 investments valued at approximately $23 billion; was selected as fund manager.

The fund has a target capitalization of $1 billion.

Citadel Capital Joint Investment Fund
 Up to $100 million in financing have been approved to support the fund, which will invest in companies in various stages of maturity, including traditional buyouts, growth capital investments, turnaround situations and greenfield projects. Sectors of interest include waste management, transportation and logistics, manufacturing, and production of building materials and alternative energy.

The fund will invest a significant amount of its capital in Egyptian companies which will be used as platform investments to expand throughout the region, although the fund is designed to invest throughout the MENA region, as well as East Africa and the Persian Gulf.

Citadel Capital Management Limited; a wholly owned subsidiary of Citadel Capital SAE, an Egypt-based company which is one of the leading private equity investment firms in the MENA region; was selected as fund manager. Citadel Capital currently manages a total of $3.7 billion in equity and has completed investments in 19 platform ompanies.

The new fund has a target capitalization of $500 million.

Siraj Palestine Fund I
 Up to $30 million in financing have been approved to support the fund, which will invest in start-ups and SMEs in the Palestinian Territories, and potentially in larger companies with growth potential. The fund will focus on companies with the potential to become market leaders in the Palestinian Territories or expand their operations internationally, primarily in the MENA region.

Sectors of interest to the fund include information and communication technology services, agriculture, clean technology, healthcare, education, manufacturing and financial services.

Siraj Fund Management Company; a Ramallah-based company owned by Massar International, another Palestinian company that manages a network of 15 subsidiaries operating in real estate development, financial services, and corporate business development; was selected as fund manager.

The fund has a target capitalization of $80 million.


نصوص عامية لم تنشر لجمال الصليعي

Published by أرابيـكا on July 3, 2010 under blog |

الرّوم..Le Rhum

Published by 24Faubourg on July 3, 2010 under blog |

مهموم لا نرقد النّـومْ *** فراقْ حبابي ذبلـنيردّيت غـشّي علْ الرّومْ *** لا فـادني لا قـتـلْـني

Rubrique nécrologique des rêves de la semaine

Published by 24Faubourg on July 3, 2010 under censure, coupe du monde, divagation |




On est au début du mois de juillet, le mercure avoisine les 50° au soleil sur Tunis et les régions avoisinantes.
La misère n’est pas moins pénible au soleil. Je le sais maintenant.
Les plages sont surpeuplées. Les terrasses des cafés sont bondés. Où que tu ailles, tu devras demander la permission à ton prochain avant d'inspirer un bon coup. 

Que tu aies une connexion internet à haut débit ou qu’elle soit de la troisième génération, la lenteur d’accès à certains sites te surprendra toujours.

Mon compte Facebook a été piraté plusieurs fois. Je ne sais quelle « organisation » maléfique se cache derrière ces manœuvres… (Etant quelque peu paranoïaque de nature)
Je songe sérieusement à déserter ce réseau social. J’en ai marre de ces cons qui nous mènent la vie dure.
Il n’y a presque plus de plateformes vidéo disponibles sur le net, ici bas.
La censure arbitraire bat son plein.
Aucune logique, aucune ligne directrice. On censure au feeling. 
C’est à te dégouter de cette vie virtuelle et de ses délices que beaucoup ne soupçonnent même pas. 

La Tunisie se fait corriger dans son (ex) fief d’el Menzah face à un inconnu du football africain, j’ai cité le Botswana.
1.800.000 habitants. Un pays avec 30% de prévalence du VIH. Une espérance de vie de moins de 40 ans. Mais une économie florissante grâce notamment aux ressources naturelles de ce pays.
On tombe bien bas.
On croit avoir touché le fond de la piscine mais on est très forts, nous autres tunisiens, on a toujours cette capacité de se surprendre et de creuser encore plus profondément le sol.
A ce rythme là, dans quelques dizaines d’années nous aurons un pont tout fait (nous qui vénérons les ponts et les échangeurs) qui nous mènera directement de notre chère pays vers l’antipode.

Pendant ce temps là, des gens d’une autre dimension, des personnes ayant une tout autre envergure jouent la coupe du monde en Afrique du Sud.
Le Brésil, mené par un Kakà qui aura toujours été, sauf rares exceptions, égal à son patronyme, se fait éliminer par les oranges pressées (d'en finir avec la malédiction de la CM). Mais on s’en fout, je l’avoue. 
Ce sont deux pays aux traditions footballistiques bien ancrées.

Par contre, le Ghana, un pays démocratique, un pays jeune, un pays qui sent l’espoir et la réussite sur tous les plans, perd une qualification historique pour la demi-finale après un match fou et un rendement exemplaire.
Nous y avons cru. En l’espace d’un moment, je me suis vu ghanéen. L’Afrique se révoltait.
Depuis toujours surexploitée par l’occident, cette terre mère de toute l’humanité et aux richesses naturelles inestimables spoliées impunément par « l’homme blanc »…  Peinant aussi, comme si ce n’était pas suffisant, à se frayer un chemin dans le monde du football.
Le Ghana rentre bredouille, le Botswana fait la fête.
C’est ainsi que va la vie. Au même moment un homme bien meurt et un bébé nait derrière les mûrs du même hôpital. Sous le soleil d'un même continent.

L’histoire suit son cours naturel. Inutile de regretter ou de se morfondre et encore moins de pleurer les coups du destin. Savoir vivre c’est savoir laisser des plumes tout en arborant le même sourire figé dans sa splendeur.

Alerte orange … à Hammamet !

Published by JPG47 on July 3, 2010 under MA PETITE GAZETTE D'HAMMAMET ... |

AO2Depuis quelques jours les commentateurs Météo annoncent régulièrement des "alertes orange" en France suite à la vague de chaleur qui a envahit plusieurs régions.

Ici aussi à Hammamet aussi la canicule a fait son apparition estivale et il faut bien évidemment se protéger du soleil à certaines heures de la journée en alternant bains de mer et repos à l'ombre puisque les températures atteignent en ce moment les 35°C .

Mais comme le montre nos deux compères avec humour ... les alertes "orange" en Tunisie consistent tout simplement à boire beaucoup de jus de fruits pour éviter la déshydratation, comme ici à la terrasse du Canari ou dans tout autre établissement de la ville.