Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P), through its dedicated program I&P Development (IPDEV 2), is proud to take part in the launch of Inua Capital, a gender-lens and impact-focused investor that provides patient growth capital to small- and medium-sized enterprises in Uganda.
Inua Capital has just reached the close of its flagship evergreen fund, Inua Impact Fund, with over US$8 million of commitments. The Fund is sponsored by IPDEV2, a fund sponsoring vehicle managed by Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P) and backed by renowned impact investors, including the EU-funded Agriculture Financing Initiative (EDFI AgriFI).
The first Ugandan gender lens fund dedicated to SMEs
Inua Capital is dedicated to financing small and medium-sized enterprises in Uganda. It started its activities in 2021 and is led by Kim Kamarebe, who has significant experience in Investment Banking and Finance, Business Management Strategy Consulting and Private Equity garnered in Europe, the U.S. and Africa.
Its flagship fund Inua Impact Fund will invest equity capital in over 30 SMEs over the next decade, with financing needs of $100,000 to $500,000. The Fund will invest with a gender lens by seeking to build a gender-balanced portfolio with at least 30% of its investee companies owned or led by women. It will also seek to embed gender-inclusive practices in all its investees and to ensure gender parity in its own management and governance bodies, and those of its investees. Read Inua Capital Press Release
A new fund sponsored by I&P
Inua Capital is sponsored by I&P Development (also known as IPDEV 2), which launches new African impact funds on the continent, and commits capital to Inua Capital.
Launched in 2015, IPDEV 2 is a unique program designed to build investment capacity in Africa. It aims to create, develop and sponsor a network of impact funds in several sub-Saharan African countries that share the same objective: providing finance and support to small growing businesses and boosting job creation.
With the newly launched Inua Capital in Uganda, the network now includes seven funds: Comoé Capital (Côte d’Ivoire), Miarakap (Madagascar), Sinergi (Niger), Sinergi Burkina (Burkina Faso), Teranga Capital (Senegal), Zira Capital (Mali).
![Canon (www.Canon-CNA.com) today announces the Colorado XL-series, a new platform of 3.4m printers that extends the proven advantages of Canon's UVgel technology to the 3.2m graphics market. Available in hybrid and roll-to-roll configurations, the modular, field upgradable platform powered by UVgel technology delivers great versatility and exceptional productivity for both flexible and rigid media applications from signage and décor to point of sale and packaging. The Colorado XL-series comprises two easy-to-operate models: the Colorado XL7 roll-to-roll printer and Colorado XL7 hybrid printer. The new series brings the benefits of UVgel to a new market segment with exceptional application versatility across a comprehensive range of media – from banner, paper, vinyl and films to soft signage, heat-sensitive materials, foam board, fluted polypropylene, acrylic, aluminium composite boards and cardboard – providing the flexibility to tackle diverse customer requirements. With print speeds of 70m² per hour in quality mode, 106m² per hour in production mode and up to 211m² per hour in express mode, the system delivers the productivity needed for demanding production environments while accommodating substrates up to 52mm/2 inches thick for rigid applications. The new platform includes multiple technology innovations, such as the UVgel 860 ink set, which has been optimised to cover a wide variety of both rigid and flexible applications. It also provides the proven benefits of UVgel: odourless and instant-dry prints, high mechanical and chemical robustness, dimensional stability due to low-temperature curing, excellent colour consistency, TPO [1] - and VCL [2] -free, and matte and gloss finish without the need of a separate varnish. The Colorado XL-series also incorporates new UVgel 850 PrintHeads. Each printhead has 4,544 nozzles and features automated built-in nozzle performance monitoring and compensation. A single printhead supports two colours simultaneously, so that only two printheads are required to print CMYK, plus an optional third if white is configured. Additionally, the Colorado XL-series has an agile and precise printhead carriage that features UVgel DynamicMotion Control to ensure exceptional print quality even with challenging media. Taking the UV LED curing process to the next level, the Colorado XL-series introduces UVgel FullBeam Curing. This technology uses a unique 3.4-metre-wide LED curing array that, combined with an ingenious mirror system, delivers consistent UV light dosing across the entire print width, guaranteeing exceptional print uniformity over large surfaces and enabling a wider colour gamut. Media handling is optimised by the new UVgel TRIdrive vacuum belt system, which features three interactive rollers and multiple powerful vacuum zones that reduce wrinkling and skewing by automatically detecting and correcting the media positioning. This results in highly repeatable media transport through the printer, ensuring accurate positioning both longitudinally and laterally and enabling razor-sharp applications. Optional features for the Colorado XL-series, which are already available on the highly successful and modular Colorado M-series, include: UVgel White for hassle-free white printing, FLXfinish+ for creative effects using matte or gloss or mixed matte and gloss on the same print without additional varnish, and FLXture for textured finishes that mimic materials like leather, wood or fabric. Mathew Faulkner, Director, Marketing & Innovation, Wide Format Printing Group, Canon EMEA, comments: "For the past decade, Canon has been at the forefront of the inkjet evolution in large format, with market-leading technologies including the Colorado roll-to-roll printer series powered by UVgel technology and the Arizona flatbed printers. Large format print providers are looking for systems that deliver high productivity, versatile applications and reliable quality while addressing the challenge of finding skilled operators – which is why Canon is launching our new, breakthrough Colorado XL-series, an addition to our portfolio that will set a new standard in productivity and versatility. “This innovative solution brings the proven advantages of our unique UVgel technology to the 3.2m market for the first time, combining it with extensive automation and a modular design that will enable customers to extend their application possibilities into markets such as packaging and décor. Print service providers already producing high-value signage and graphics can now leverage UVgel's distinctive finishes, including mixed gloss and matte effects and textured printing, at scale to stand out in these new markets. And with its hybrid capabilities, users can print both roll-to-roll and rigid applications on the same device, using the same ink, the same colour profiles and the same unique features and finishes. For brands, for example, this translates to seamless campaigns that span the full spectrum of applications, ensuring perfect consistency across campaign assets whether they're roll-fed graphics, rigid signage, packaging, or décor elements. This is particularly valuable when these different applications appear side by side in-store, where maintaining that consistent quality and finish elevates the entire brand experience that today's brands demand." The Colorado XL-series will be available from the beginning of 2026 via Canon’s direct sales organisations as well as from accredited partners. For more information about the Colorado XL-series, please visit: https://apo-opa.co/3WltKtM](https://businessinsights.africa/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/canon_prograf-218x150.png "Canon expands large format graphics production portfolio with new 3.4m Colorado XL-series")
