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Unlocking Opportunities: Swedfund, African Development Bank Advance Collaboration on Private Sector Growth, Climate Action

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The meeting built on earlier talks to strengthen collaboration between the two institutions to accelerate private sector development and climate action across Africa

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, February 21, 2024/APO Group/ — 

An African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) team, led by Senior Vice President Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala, on 15 February 2024, met with a delegation from Swedfund – the Swedish state development finance institution – led by its CEO, Maria Hakansson.

The meeting built on earlier talks to strengthen collaboration between the two institutions to accelerate private sector development and climate action across Africa. Hakaanson headed a mission to the Bank in September 2023 to explore potential synergies around increasing energy access, financial inclusion, and resilient infrastructure investment.

Previously, in 2022, SwedFund and the African Development Bank agreed to commit financing to independent power transmission line projects, using project preparation and advisory support to promote enabling environments for public-private partnerships across sub-Saharan Africa.

The Swedfund delegation, on a three-day tour of Côte d’Ivoire, comprised deputy board chair Torgny Holmgren, directors Catrina Ingelstam, Caroline AF Kleen, Anna Stellinger and Josefine Ekros Roth, and Swedfund’s Chief Legal Officer Jacob Hageman and Regional Director Kitanha Toure.

Hakansson said the visit allowed Swedfund to learn more about the country and the broader West African region. “It is one way for us to show that we are really serious about making more investments and working within Africa.”  Swedfund’s investments in West Africa have trailed those of other regions, and to expand its presence, it recently opened an Abidjan office.

It is one way for us to show that we are really serious about making more investments and working within Africa

Welcoming the delegation, Tshabalala said that the Bank Group was just finalizing a new 10-year strategy that remained focused on the High 5s and mainstreaming gender and climate. She stressed the importance of attracting private capital. “At the sovereign level, public investment is not sufficient. We emphasize syndications and co-financing, providing more guarantees and tools to increase private sector participation.” 

The Bank’s CFO and Vice President for Finance Hassatou N’Sele, noted the mutual alignment in priorities such as sustainability, job creation, climate, women, and small and medium enterprises.

“We’re very proud of the hybrid capital transaction that we’ve done, which enabled the Bank to crowd in a different segment of the private sector,” she added. “We were able to attract $6 billion of interest for some $750 million transaction that we did… It was sustainable hybrid capital, so this will be leveraged 3 to 4 times, and the idea would be to invest in green and sustainable projects.”  

Ousmane Fall, Bank Group Director of Non-Sovereign Operations and Private Sector, expressed satisfaction with the existing Swedfund collaboration. “We’ve financed $400 million across 11 deals in 15 years,” he said.

Touching on the support for the African Continental Free Trade Area, Fall cited integrated special agro-industrial zone initiatives, saying the Bank backs the Afreximbank’s Pan-African Payment and Settlement System, adopted by 19 central banks to facilitate trade.

Hakaanson said Swedfund would welcome more syndications in partnership with the Bank. “These instruments are important for the SwedFund portfolio and meet a demand from the market.” Hakaanson also expressed interest in participating in the Africa Investment Forum platform.    

Aida Ngom, the Bank Group’s Director of Private Sector Development, welcomed Swedfund’s interest in doing more co-financing. “Twenty percent of our portfolio is in the private sector. We’ve collaborated with Swedfund on private equity. To scale up our private sector engagement, we offer guarantees, vanilla loans and sub loans, and we always try to develop new instruments.”

“As MDBs, we are vital to private sector development to mitigate risk, ” Tshabalala said. 

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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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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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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