Mergers and acquisition (M&A) transactions totalled $25.7-billion in 2020 in sub-Saharan Africa, according to Refinitiv’s investment banking analysis for the region. Refinitiv is a global provider of financial market data and infrastructure.
The value of announced M&A transactions was 62% less than that recorded during the previous year, when Naspers’s $35.9-billion internet assets Prosus spin-off boosted merger activity to an all-time high.
The value of deals recorded during 2020 was the lowest annually since 2012, according to the report, with the number of deals declining by 5% from the previous year to a seven-year low.
Furthermore, the value of deals with a sub-Saharan African target declined by 39% to a 16-year low of $12.5-billion as domestic M&As in the region declined by 44% from 2020 and the combined value of inbound deals reached just $7.1-billion, the lowest annual total since 2009.