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African Investment Forum: Africa Remains Attractive to Investors, Despite Occasionally Complex Local and Geopolitical Situations

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African Investment Forum

Africa is facing external shocks that negatively impact its growth and socioeconomic development

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, November 6, 2022/APO Group/ — 

The African continent has enormous potential and remains an attractive destination for investors, despite complex national contexts and geopolitical changes, say experts attending the Africa Investment Forum 2022 Market Days.

Africa is facing external shocks that negatively impact its growth and socioeconomic development. The Covid-19 pandemic has compromised the sustained growth that the continent has enjoyed for the last 25 years, and the Russian-Ukraine war is threatening populations with a severe food crisis.

Panelists raised these points on Thursday, 3 November 2022, during the Forum held from 2-4 November in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

During the session titled “Trade and Investment: How can Africa be more competitive in the world context?” Souleymane Diarrassouba, Ivorian minister for Trade, Crafts, and Small and Medium Enterprises; Benedict Okey Oramah, African Import-Export Bank (Afreximbank) President; and  Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, made opening remarks.    

Other speakers were Admassu Tadesse, President of the Eastern and Southern Africa Trade and Development Bank; Rajakumari Jandhyala, President of YAATRA Ventures (a platform offering investors a specific approach for deploying capital in energy, infrastructure and added-value opportunities in Africa and emerging markets); Mohan Vivekanandan, Director of the Development Bank of Southern Africa; and Bernard Ayitée, President and Director General of Obara Capital (an investment fund offering solutions and alternative financing to enterprises and African countries).

Africa’s potential in the world economy is growing. Most of its population is young people; a quarter of the world’s population is likely to live in Africa between now and 2050, and the African Free Trade Zone is making progress. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of unused arable land is found in Africa, which is also rich in minerals (including cobalt, lithium that are essential for producing batters, and Africa is the world leader in such agricultural products as cacao, coffee, cotton, essential oils, mahogany).

Investors from the continent and elsewhere ought to seize its enormous investment opportunities

Minister Diarrassouba emphasized Africa’s relatively low production costs: “Africa is the world’s most profitable region, according to the OECD.  Investors from the continent and elsewhere ought to seize its enormous investment opportunities”.    

Benedict Oramah called on African countries to redouble their efforts to make the free-trade zone fully operational so that Africa no longer lags behind other regions in regional integration.   

Wamkele Mene argued that the free-trade zone, representing a market of 1.3 billion consumers, will increase Africa’s global competitiveness for direct foreign investments and free up commercial flows.

He said certain transaction costs had already dropped since the agreement took effect and urged countries to develop their value chains in productive sectors, including agriculture, mines, and energy. Mene also announced the Third Inter-African Trade Fair this November in Abidjan.

The session outlined ways the continent can take advantage of ambitious trade policies and innovations in financial services to facilitate capital flows toward development projects. Delegates pointed to the significant progress banking institutions have made in infrastructure investment.   

 “We can be hopeful. The levels of collaboration and co-financing are high,” Tadesse said, citing investments in gas projects in Mozambique and thermal energy in Tanzania. 

YAATRA Ventures gave the example of its investments in energy security in Uganda, emphasizing that African investors’ perception of risk differs from that of Western investors. 

Panelists agreed that if African financial institutions have a fundamental role to play for long-term investors in the continent, it’s up to the African countries to create an environment that is promising for attracting national and international investors. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

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Ministers among hundreds of energy-sector leaders to attend AOW event

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Sinclair

The event kicks off with an invitation-only ministerial symposium focused on the theme of “Fostering innovation, attracting investment, and promoting sustainable growth in the oil, gas, and energy sectors”

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, October 4, 2024/APO Group/ — 

AOW: Investing in African Energy (https://AOWEnergy.com) – Africa’s leading oil, gas and energy event – has confirmed attendance for more than 80 ministers and senior officials, representing African governments, energy departments and regulators at next month’s event.

These influential stakeholders will be among the more than 1 600 senior delegates and industry leaders who will be attending the event to develop policy, share discoveries, secure investment, and shape Africa’s energy future.

The event kicks off with an invitation-only ministerial symposium focused on the theme of “Fostering innovation, attracting investment, and promoting sustainable growth in the oil, gas, and energy sectors.”

Given the recent major oil-and-gas discoveries across Africa, the energy transition and major geopolitical events, it is clear that the energy sector needs positive intervention

Among the officials and government ministers attending will be energy leaders from South Africa, Nigeria, Namibia, Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique, DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Eswatini, Uganda, CAR, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Gabon, Malawi, Morocco, Zanzibar, Liberia, Senegal, Congo Brazzaville and Sierra Leone.

In addition, the event will feature high-level delegations from numerous national oil companies, as well as multilateral bodies including the African Union, (AU), African Energy Commission (AFREC), African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO) and the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).

AOW will see these energy leaders networking with C-suite executives and decision-makers from more than 760 top energy companies at daily networking events, to discuss insights, forge new relationships, and negotiate major energy deals.

“We are so excited to see the calibre of delegates at this year’s AOW event,” says Chief Executive Officer of Sankofa Events, Paul Sinclair. “Given the recent major oil-and-gas discoveries across Africa, the energy transition and major geopolitical events, it is clear that the energy sector needs positive intervention. The high-powered attendance proves AOW is a key platform to enable this intervention.”

Key themes to be discussed at this year’s AOW will be sustainable upstream development; expanding gas value chains; renewables and new energies; adoption of best-in-class technologies; and access to finance.

AOW: Investing in African Energy will culminate in a special anniversary party at Groot Constantia Vineyard to celebrate 30 years of the AOW event.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of AOW: Investing in African Energy.

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Afreximbank approves US$20.8 million for Starlink Global’s cashew factory project in Lagos

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The facility is expected to promote value addition which will guarantee increased earnings to the company while also fostering the creation of about 400 new jobs

CAIRO, Egypt, October 4, 2024/APO Group/ — 

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) has approved a US$20.8 million financing facility for Nigeria-based Starlink Global & Ideal Limited to enable the company construct and operate a 30,000-metric tonne per annum cashew processing factory in Lagos.

We are delighted at this partnership which promises to deliver significant impact on employment in Nigeria

According to the facility agreement signed in on July 22, 2024, Afreximbank will provide the funds in two tranches with the first tranche of US$7.48M going toward capital expenditure for the construction of the factory and the second, totalling US$13.25M to be deployed as working capital for the operations of the factory.

The facility is expected to promote value addition which will guarantee increased earnings to the company while also fostering the creation of about 400 new jobs once the factory becomes operational. It is also expected to support about 40 small and medium-sized enterprises.

Commenting on the transaction, Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra Africa Trade and Export Development, Afreximbank, said that by supporting Starlink Global to establish a modern processing facility, Afreximbank is making it possible for Africa to add value to its agro-commodities, thereby facilitating exports and subsequent inflow of much-needed foreign exchange into the continent.

“We are delighted at this partnership which promises to deliver significant impact on employment in Nigeria. It will contribute to value creation and to the development of the local community while also improving the lots of smallholder farmers and small business suppliers that will work with Starlink across the value chain,” Mrs. Awani added.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

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Sonangol to Lead Decarbonized Oil & Gas (O&G) Development, Says Angolan National Oil Company (NOC) Head

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Sonangol

Participating in an on-stage interview at Angola Oil & Gas 2024, Sonangol CEO Sebastião Gaspar Martins emphasized that oil and gas remains a core focus for the national oil company

LUANDA, Angola, October 3, 2024/APO Group/ — 

Angola’s national oil company Sonangol reiterated its commitment to driving sustainable hydrocarbon development during the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) conference this week. Speaking during an “In-Conversation with” session, Sonangol CEO Sebastião Gaspar Martins stated that the company will not abandon oil and gas, but rather advance decarbonized oil and gas development.

We are looking at opportunities in the gas sector and have identified the right partner to develop non-associated gas

By investing in upstream oil and gas production while prioritizing low-carbon projects, Sonangol aims to boost national crude output, while diversifying and decarbonizing the industry. The NOC is focusing efforts on non-associated gas development, as well as alternative energy sources such as solar.

“We are looking at opportunities in the gas sector and have identified the right partner to develop non-associated gas. Gas produced from Angola LNG will be used for the production of fertilizer and we are evaluating the utilization of gas in the south of the country, linking gas with steel industries. We also have a blue carbon project, linked to the reduction of carbon through the plantation of mangroves. We have one area in Luanda and have identified four additional areas for this,” stated Gaspar Martins.

Sonangol has undergone transformation in recent years: following the creation of the National Oil, Gas & Biofuels Agency (ANPG) in 2019, Sonangol transferred its role as national concessionaire and regulator. This transformation has aimed to make Sonangol more competitive and strengthen its capacity as an upstream operator. Concurrently, the government is partially privatizing the NOC, with privatization set to be complete in 2026. This process will enhance financial capacity, allowing Sonangol to drive new upstream projects forward.

“The transformation of Sonangol started several years ago, when we passed the regulatory, concessionaire role to the ANPG. At the time, we transferred almost 600 employees to the ANPG. After that, Sonangol underwent a restructuring program where we created five core business units from 36 different entities – starting with exploration and production. We want to go public, but we want to do it properly. So, we are currently going through all the processes to do this,” stated Gaspar Martins.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

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