The inaugural African forum from PEI, the emerging market specialist, dedicated to investment opportunities for private equity and other alternative assets across the continent.
Government reforms, burgeoning middle classes, population growth and a developing, dynamic financial industry have created a compelling argument for investing in Africa. Delegates at the forum benefited from the experiences of leading institutions on the ground as they demonstrated why the pan-African investment landscape is so exciting.
Programme highlights included in depth discussions on leading asset classes and strategies for success in the region:
- Private equity – seizing opportunities in telecoms, financial services, energy and agribusiness
- Infrastructure – meeting the demands of developing economies
- International development – understanding the role of government finances in the growth of African economies
- Investment patterns – tracking and securing capital flowing into the continent
- Fundraising, risk analysis, valuations and exits – are they different in Africa?
From the forum...
Hear Coco Ferguson, partner at Maris Capital, Tom Cairnes, founder and director of ManoCap, Piers Cumberlege, president of advisory firm Straightview and Alexander Dixon, vice president of Africa for Small Enterprise Investment Funds (SEAF) discuss whether funds targeting Africa’s ‘missing middle’ – businesses whose funding needs are too large for microfinance but too small for other institutions – are just development projects in disguise or an investment opportunity not to be missed.
Coco Ferguson, partner at Maris Capital, describes how these smaller funds can be considered the “truffle pigs”, sourcing tomorrow’s deal flow for the more established funds. Maris operates in post-conflict and frontier African markets, such as South Sudan and Mozambique;
Tom Cairnes, founder and director of ManoCap, which also invests in post-conflict and emerging African nations, such as Sierra Leone;
Piers Cumberlege, president of advisory firm Straightview, which is currently helping establish a SME-focused fund for Lundin for Africa, the philanthropic arm of the Lundin Group of Companies;
Alexander Dixon, vice president of Africa for Small Enterprise Investment Funds (SEAF), a global private equity and mezzanine fund management firm focused on the emerging markets.
Feedback from the forum:
“The Forum was a great opportunity to get many of the African players in one place - finally!”
- Greg Durst, Principal, Horizon Equity Partners
“Successfully investing in Africa is no different than other emerging markets; it is all about aligning interests with like-minded people. The PEI Africa Forum is not be missed as it brings together the best managers and the smartest investors for the ultimate in senior-level networking.”
- Tom Gibian, Chief Executive Officer, Emerging Capital Partners
“For anyone trying to understand the managers, the issues and the opportunities in African private equity the PEI Africa Forum offers a detailed picture and perfect networking.”
- Hela Cheikhrouhou, Manager, Infrastructure Finance, Private Sector Department, African Development Bank
“It was certainly the most impressive collection of African private equity practitioners of any conference I have attended.”
- Razia Khan, Regional Head of Research, Africa, Standard Chartered Bank
“The PEI Africa Forum was certainly very interesting from the perspective that it had attracted all the significant players from both sides, the GP and LP side, which I hadn’t expected considering many of the participants had travelled long distance to get here. So from that perspective the networking was excellent and certainly enjoyed the strong program where the speakers were truly leaders in their respective field.”
- Sev Vettivetpillai, Chief Executive Officer, Aureos Capital