FundraiseJun 30, 2026, 09:28 UTC

AfricInvest Europe backs French detection firm HTDS to fuel African expansion

What's the deal? AfricInvest Europe has made the first investment from its French-African Fund 3 in Hi-Tech Detection Systems Group (HTDS), a French distributor of high-tech detection and safety equipment.

The round was backed by Trocadero Capital Partners, Bpifrance, and Société Générale Capital Partenaires, with existing shareholder Abenex reinvesting.

The deal — the group's second leveraged buyout — lets the founding Moudarres family and management increase their stake in the business.

Why now? HTDS is riding strong momentum, with revenue up more than 50% between 2022 and 2025.

Founded in 2002 by Louaye Moudarres, it passed to his sons Farice and Etienne in a 2021 transition carried out with Abenex. The new capital funds geographic expansion and a broader product range.

The company supplies X-ray scanners, walkthrough detectors, and explosive and radiation-monitoring equipment to airports, ports, and industrial groups in food processing, pharmaceuticals, nuclear energy, and defence. Manufacturing partners include Rapiscan Systems, PerkinElmer, and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

The signal: Africa is central to the strategy. The continent already generates over half of HTDS's revenue.

HTDS runs eight African subsidiaries — in Algeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, and Tunisia — plus five offices in Cameroon, Libya, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tanzania, employing more than 230 people on the continent.

It maintains a direct presence in 14 countries and reaches roughly 50 through agents.

"With the support of our eight offices across Africa, we are pleased to support the HTDS team in their international expansion strategy, particularly across the African continent," said Stéphane Colin and Khaled Ben Jennet, managing partners of AfricInvest Europe.