Mi Vida Homes Limited has announced the signing of a share purchase agreement for a management-led buyout of the business from Actis, the global sustainable infrastructure investor, subject to regulatory approval.
The valuation of the transaction was not disclosed. The deal marks a key milestone in Mi Vida’s evolution, which began in 2018 as a green affordable and mid-market housing developer, and is presented as evidence that institutional residential developers can be incubated, scaled, and developed to investment-grade standards, enabling participation in local capital markets.
Samuel Kariuki, CEO of Mi Vida Homes, described the transaction as the first of its kind in the market for a residential development platform.
He said the milestone marks a new chapter for Mi Vida and reinforces the viability of institutional home builders in Africa, showing that such platforms can scale while adhering to high ESG standards and strong financial discipline.
Since inception, Mi Vida’s aim has been to deliver high-quality, sustainable housing tailored to local needs, governed by rigorous governance and financial discipline. Kariuki noted that the platform can meet pressing local housing demand while offering attractive, investment-grade opportunities for global capital.
With a solid balance sheet, a diversified capital base, and a healthy project pipeline, Mi Vida believes it is well positioned to scale further and deepen its impact as it enters the next phase, and it expressed gratitude for Actis’ pivotal role in building a solid, investment-grade platform anchored in sustainability and governance.
Actis’ Louis Deppe highlighted the transaction’s implication for long-term capital formation in African real estate and validated a model where global investors incubate, institutionalize, and eventually transition platforms to local ownership.
He said Actis’ Africa Real Estate business has been a pioneer in evolving from investor-developers to platform builders and investors across Africa, and Mi Vida’s outcome demonstrates both the scalability and invest-ability of the continent’s residential sector, supported by robust demand fundamentals and deeper local capital markets.
Deppe emphasized that Africa’s growth trajectory remains robust, with disciplined capital allocation, strong governance, and institutional-grade operating models delivering attractive risk-adjusted returns, and expressed confidence in the Mi Vida management team to drive continued growth.
Ravi Rughani, Principal at Actis, expressed pride in the partnership with Mi Vida and the journey since inception. He described the transaction as a validation of the 2018 vision and a clear demonstration of the institutionalisation of Africa’s residential real estate sector.
Over the past six years, Mi Vida has evolved into a platform with investment-grade governance, a robust balance sheet, and a well-diversified funding base—qualities appealing to both international and domestic capital providers. Importantly, the platform has addressed urgent local housing needs while delivering strong USD returns to investors.
The move to a management-led consortium, according to Rughani, underscores the platform’s strength and durability, and Actis remains confident in Mi Vida’s continued growth and impact in the next chapter.
Industry observers note that the deal signals the ongoing maturation of Africa’s residential development sector, with increasing access to institutional funding and a path toward more localized ownership and capital market participation. Regulatory approval and customary closing conditions remain the next steps before the transaction is completed.
