Africa-focused private investment fund Amethis Finance has held a first close with US$140 million in equity commitments. Shareholders in the fund include the Edmond de Rothschild group, other banks and financial institutions, corporates and family offices from the United States, Europe and the Mediterranean. Additionally, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the development finance institution of the U.S. government, has approved a US$150 million credit facility, which will finance Amethis’s lending activity. The fund, which is targeting a total of US$300 million in equity commitments and US$200 million in debt commitments, will invest in African companies across a variety of sectors.