The 15th Annual African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (AVCA) Conference kicked off today with speakers, panellists and renowned investors. The conference welcomes the 600 leading private equity leaders, representing more than $ 13 trillion in assets, to discuss key trends that impact investment on the African continent in 2018 and beyond. of the.
The fourth annual GP-LP Summit on Sunday, co-chaired by Hurley Doddy, Managing Director and Founding Partner at Emerging Capital Partners and Murray Grant, Managing Director, Head of CDC Group’s Intermediate Equity, served as a platform for managers funds and investors to discuss relevant issues facing the African private equity and venture capital industry.
Lamia Boutaleb, Secretary of State to the Minister of Tourism, Air Transport, Handicrafts and Social Economy of Morocco, opened the conference with a speech on opportunities for risk capital investment in the tourism sector, before participating in a conversation during which she praised the progress of Morocco and highlighted the positive prospects for investment in the country. Brahim Benjelloun-Touimi, Executive Director and Executive Director at BMCE Bank of Africa also noted that “there are opportunities in sectors such as education or health, which were less visible before”. A panel with Albert Alsina, founder and CEO of Mediterrania Capital Partners and Ziad Oueslati, CEO and co-founder of AfricInvest, was behind a debate on the growing stability of North Africa, during which Mr Oueslati emphasized that “the region has had turbulent years but investor confidence has been restored and North Africa has become increasingly attractive.”
In an interview with Nigel Wellings, a partner at Clifford Chance, Murray Grant, Managing Director, Head of CDC Group’s Intermediate Equity, highlighted DCC’s mission to support commercially successful companies and a growing global market. significant impact in terms of job creation. He also noted that “job creation and sustainability must be at the heart of investment in Africa”.
In a roundtable discussion focused on the energy sector, Wale Shonibare, director for financial solutions for energy, policy and regulation at the African Development Bank (AfDB), said Africans “must be able to to exchange energy between their countries and to give priority to building connections and energy pools “. This discussion served as a prelude to the AfDB’s next in-camera roundtable on the Facility for Energy Inclusion (FEI) program. The EIF aims to finance small-scale energy projects with the aim of aggregating capital, structuring viable projects and accelerating their construction to increase access to clean energy across Africa.
A panel with Patrice Backer, Director of Investments at AFIG Funds, and John Opubor, Managing Director at Coronation Capital, discussed the best strategies for finding high-potential companies while a discussion with Sebastien Boyé, Investment Director at Investisseurs & Partners, focused on private equity in fragile and conflict areas.
Dr. Boutheina Ben Yaghlane Ben Slimane, General Manager of Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, recalled in an interview that “African deposit funds are essential to support SMEs, which are a key driver of growth in Tunisia”. This led to a discussion about the importance of pension funds in Africa and how other deposit funds like CDC Tunisia take advantage of long-term investment opportunities by diversifying their assets and generating attractive returns. .
Michelle Kathryn Essomé, Chief Executive Officer of AVCA, added, “ACVA’s annual global gathering is in a period of buoyant business for African private equity and demonstrates that there is great confidence in African private equity the challenges encountered in recent years. We believe in the power of private capital, and we will continue to serve as a catalyst and spokesperson for private equity in Africa. Africa is the most dynamic and attractive frontier and emerging market in the world. ”
The event is sponsored by investors and industry players from many countries, including: Adenia Partners, ǼLEX, AFIG Funds, African Capital Alliance, African Development Bank, Africa Finance Corporation, Africa Investment Managers, Africa Legal Network, AfricInvest, Amethis, Asoko Insight, Capital Money Management, Casablanca Finance Authority, CDC Group, Clifford Chance, Coronation Capital, Development Partners International, DLA Piper; FMO, Goodwell Investments, International Finance Corporation, L.E.K Consulting, Mediterrania Capital, TNP, Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie, and Verod Capital.