DUBAI, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Egypt's EFG Hermes Holdings said its private equity arm bought a 49 percent stake in wind power firm EDPR France for $208 million, according to a statement on Wednesday, its first investment outside the Middle East and Africa.

The buyout consists of the equity in the firm as well as paying back loans made by previous shareholders. About half of the cost will be funded through an acquisition finance facility secured from European banks, the Egyptian investment bank said.

EFG will provide seed capital of about $5 million for the equity component of the transaction, with the remainder raised from the Gulf, it added without providing details.

Completion of the transaction, which EFG said marked the launch of its "direct investment strategy", is subject to regulatory approval and other conditions.

EDPR France has a portfolio of 33 operational wind farms with a combined gross capacity of 334 megawatts and is a subsidiary of Portugal's EDP Renewables, according to the statement.

It will retain operational control of the wind farms, while EFG will manage the investment vehicle. (Reporting by Nadia Saleem; Editing by David French)