Firm acquisition to bolster health sector
15 May 2025
Africa Lighthouse Capital, a private equity firm, has acquired 76 per cent equity stake in Medlane Holdings, becoming a majority shareholder in the country’s leading day hospital.
Speaking during a signing ceremony held in Gaborone on Tuesday, Africa Lighthouse Capital founder and CEO, Mr Bame Pule said the transaction would help the company grow and expand access to quality primary healthcare across Botswana.
He said following the signing of the partnership agreement, they would work with the co-founders of Medlane, Mr Warren Lane and Dr Tyler Lane to implement the new strategy for the company.
Mr Pule said his company had undertaken financial due diligence, legal diligence tax diligence and found opportunities to help the company reach its full potential, and would be working with management to take the company to its full potential.
“Africa Lighthouse Capital views the investment in human capital in Botswana as the single most important catalytic investment we can make to improve our economy,” he said. Mr Pule said they want Medlane to expand beyond eye surgeries into other forms of surgeries adding there was still a lot to be done in the country as gaps remained.
Mr Pule further said there were under serviced areas in the country and they were focused on growing beyond Gaborone.
He said there were arrays of surgeries where patients could do and go home same day. Mr Pule said through innovation of the day hospital concept, they were expanding and accelerating growth in Botswana, giving people great access to quicker surgeries with short waiting periods time.
He said the investment would also benefit the seven pension funds in their portfolio; one being Botswana Public Officers Pension Fund (BPOPF). Mr Pule said they were also looking into making an investment with a viable social impact on Botswana and Batswana by increasing access to health care and reducing costs.
Batswana will no longer have to travel long distances, incurring high transportation costs to access primary health care he said. Mr Pule said surgeons at Medlane Day Hospital facilities were the best in the country, trained at the best international universities and Africa Lighthouse Capital would ensure knowledge and technology transfer from world class surgeons to Batswana.
“We will have many Batswana expert surgeons who have learnt from the best surgeons,” Mr Pule could not rule out the possibility of Medlane Holdings move from a private to a public company listed in the stock exchange when time comes for Africa Lighthouse Capital to disinvest. This however, will come after Medlane reaches its full potential.
For his part, Mr Lane said that as a primary health care facility, Medlane did not offer services such as overnight care, emergency services and ICU services.
He explained that 60 per cent of surgeries could be operated in a day hospital adding that they had fully fledged operation theatres, were fully licensed and had undergone rigorous licensing process and had high standards equal to other hospitals. BOPA
Source : BOPA
Author : Tebagano Ntshole
Location : Gaborone
Event : Signing ceremony
Date : 15 May 2025