AVCA Conference

22 - 26 April 2024
Johannesburg, South Africa

Formats

PE Conference

Registration 8:00 am - 11:00 am

8:30 am - 10:00 am

Raising a Fund in Today's Climate

Roundtable discussion topics include A-Z of raising a private equity fund in Africa today, challenges, pitfalls and success stories, sources of capital for African PE – usual suspects & unexpected players and navigating fund terms in detail.

Runa Alam Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Development Partners International (DPI)

Albert Alsina Mediterrania Capital Partners

Olawunmi Abiodun Vice President, Legal, Verod Capital Management

Geoffrey Kittredge Partner and Chair, Debevoise & Plimpton (moderator)

Matthew Dickman Partner, Debevoise & Plimpton (moderator)

10:00 am - 10:25 am

Network Network Network!!!

10:25 am - 10:30 am

Morning Chair Introduction

10:30 am - 10:40 am

Keynote Address

Mahen Kumar Seeruttun Minister of Financial Services and Good Governance, Mauritius

10:40 am - 11:25 am

Panel 8: Diversity, Equality & Inclusion in Private Capital

This panel builds a case for the mainstreaming of Diversity, Equality & Inclusion (DEI) in Africa’s private capital industry. While DEI is now recognised as a strategic objective in private capital globally, its active practice by investors outside those with a specific gender-lens mandate remains inconsistent. This panel focuses on the avenues for generalist fund managers to improve their performance from an inclusivity perspective, discussing the benefits and barriers to a more comprehensive integration of DEI at the fund and portfolio levels.

Nieros Oyegun Soerensen Partner and Chief Operating Officer, Verod Capital Management

Vymala Thuron Deputy Chief of Party, Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund

Brendan Mullen Managing Director, Secha Capital

Sarah Ngamau Managing Director, Kuramo Capital Management

Elena Haba Programme Manager, 2X Ignite (moderator)

11:25 am - 11:40 am

60 Seconds With RayLab

Tamer Said Chief Executive Officer, RayLab

Noha El Ghazaly Managing Director, Egypt, Mediterrania Capital Partners (moderator)

11:40 am - 12:25 pm

Panel 9: Leveraging Private Credit to support growth in Africa

On the back of tenfold growth in the past decade, growth forecasts for global private debt assets are estimated to reach nearly US$2.7 trillion by 2026, surpassing real estate to become the second-largest private capital asset class. Reflecting on the rise of private debt strategies globally, this panel discusses the growth drivers for the asset class in Africa and the upward trend of private debt funds raising capital on the continent. More specifically, this panel examines the particularities of private credit as an engine for growth in Africa including its different best-use cases, its varying utility as an instrument throughout a company’s development lifecycle, and its complementarity with other asset classes in Africa’s private capital ecosystem.

Hani Ibrahim Chief Investment Officer, Lendable

Joe Mate Investment Director, British International Investment

Orli Arav Managing Director, Lion's Head Global Partners

Nathaniel Nyika Chief Investment Officer, Norsad Capital

Ashvin Deena Head, Global and International Corporates, Mauritius Commercial Bank (moderator)

12:25 pm - 1:10 pm

Networking Lunch

1:10 pm - 1:15 pm

Afternoon Chair Introduction

1:10 pm - 1:15 pm

Afternoon Chair Introduction

1:15 pm - 2:00 pm

Stream 1: Maximising Return on Investment in Healthcare

This stream takes a deep dive into healthcare in Africa, discussing emerging investment opportunities in the sector and the role of private capital in supporting dynamic, innovative businesses working to improve access to affordable healthcare on the continent. In particular, the scope for commercial return in healthcare service provision will be discussed, including where on the health value chain these opportunities are presenting themselves.

Afsane Jetha Managing Partner & Chief Executive Officer, Alta Semper Capital

Quinton Zunga Founding Partner and Chief Executive Officer, RH Managers

Foluso Ogunwale Chief Executive Officer, i-Fitness

Biju Mohandas Partner, Leapfrog Investments

Angela Simpson Partner, Baker McKenzie (moderator)

1:15 pm - 2:00 pm

Stream 2: Impact & Profit: Mutually Exclusive?

The topic of debate in this stream is the relationship between impact and profit, in growth investing. Patient, risk-tolerant, concessionary, and flexible capital are essential tools to support impact-driven businesses that lack financing on suitable terms through the conventional marketplace. In view of the funding gap faced by these companies, where and how can various capital sources plug the gap for catalytic capital critically needed by some companies on the continent?

Hazem Elwassimy Advisor to AfDB Vice President, Head of Private Sector Strategy & Investment Transactions Structuring, African Development Bank (AfDB)

David Moore Principal, Funds & Co-Investments, Blue Earth Capital

Conor Brosnan Chief Executive Officer, Small Foundation

Dieynaba Kamara Chief Operating Officer & Head, Investor Relations, Joliba Capital

Jack Malhotra‑Mulloy Head, Impact Investing, Acre Resources (moderator)

2:00 pm - 2:45 pm

Stream 3: Feeding the Pipeline: Emerging Managers

The perspectives and experiences of emerging managers are the focus of this stream. Drawing on the empirical knowledge of first-time private capital fund managers on the continent, we discuss the unique challenges they encountered and their best-practice suggestions for how to secure capital commitments in a competitive environment. What changes could, and should, be made to fund terms and fundraising practices to support the growth of private capital markets in Africa? Finally, this panel discusses how managers should think through their team composition, investment thesis and strategy to differentiate themselves in a sea of others chasing the same pools of capital.

Lisa G. Thomas Partner and Managing Director, Samata Capital

Rui Oliveira Chief Executive Officer, BFA Asset Management

Franklin Olakunle Amoo Managing Partner & Chief Executive Officer, Baylis Emerging Markets

Maria Angeles Leon Lopez Co-Founder and President, Global Social Impact Investments

Alexandre Alfonsi Founding Partner, Axonia Partners (moderator)

2:00 pm - 2:45 pm

Stream 4: Accelerating Sustainable Private Capital in Renewable Energy

The necessity for clean and renewable energy solutions in Africa is at an all-time high. The demand for reliable and affordable energy has grown concomitantly to the continent’s economic growth, industrialisation, increasing urbanisation and rapid population growth in recent years. The already compelling case for the adoption of modern renewable energy in Africa is compounded given the sheer breadth of Africa’s renewable resources. The final stream discusses the regions prime for investing in renewables, the advancements in CleanTech and ClimateTech reducing the productive costs of renewable energy, and the full spectrum of investment opportunity for clean energy beyond solar in Africa, spanning bioenergy, hydropower, wind and geothermal sources.

Gbenga Hassan Managing Partner, Àrgentil Capital Management

Ennis Rimawi Founder and Managing Director, Catalyst MENA Climate Funds

Olusola Lawson Managing Director & Co-Head, African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM)

Seison Reddy Head of Transacting: SA & International (SOE, Corporate & Sovereign), Development Bank of Southern Africa

Angela Mwenda Associate Director, IBIS Consulting (moderator)

2:45 pm - 3:30 pm

Stream 5: Investing for a Secure and Sustainable Food Future

Investing in a secure and a sustainable food future is therefore essential for a thriving global economy - according to the Global Report on Food Crisis 2022 Mid-year Update, up to 205 million people are expected to face acute food insecurity and to be in need of urgent assistance in 45 countries. This panel will explore the opportunities within and effective strategies for leveraging capital and integrating innovative solutions to achieve a more secure food system on the continent. The panellists will discuss the opportunities and challenges in investing in this sector of the economy, the risks and how these are mitigated, finance structures that are fit for purpose and potential for scaling solutions.

Brian Frimpong Managing Partner, Zebu Investments

Wanjohi Ndagu Co-Managing Partner, Pearl Capital Partners

Tamer El-Raghy Managing Director, Acumen Resilient Agriculture Fund (ARAF)

Jerry Parkes Chief Executive Officer, Injaro Investments

Nadia Kouassi Coulibaly Head of Research, AVCA (moderator)

2:45 pm - 3:30 pm

Stream 6: Creativity and Capital: Investment Opportunities in Africa’s Creative Economy

Often overlooked and underestimated, the creative economy presents a lucrative opportunity for private capital investment. In Nigeria alone, creative industries contributed approximately US$18 billion to GDP in 2020, according to the World Bank 2020. This panel goes beyond the conventional to examine how creative industries such as fashion, film, music, design and sport can be sources of growth, job creation, and commercial return for private investors, as well as the innovators and changemakers advancing creativity and culture across the continent.

Victor Williams Chief Executive Officer, NBA Africa

Laureen Kouassi-Olsson Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Birimian

Lethabo Sithole Partner and Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), Impact Fund for African Creatives (IFFAC)

Ozwald Boateng, OBE British Fashion Designer

Ibrahim Sagna Chairman , Silverbacks Holdings (moderator)

3:30 pm - 4:00 pm

Network Network Network!!!

4:00 pm - 4:45 pm

Closing Session: Straight From the Source: LP Perspectives on Private Capital in Africa

Hassane Muhieddine Chief Executive Officer, AXIAN Financial Services

Richard Okello Co-Founder & Partner, Sango Capital

Abdalla Elebiary Chief Investment Officer, The Sovereign Fund of Egypt (TSFE)

Mantuka Maisela Chair, Motor Industry Retirement Funds

Jurgen Heppe Executive Vice President, Standard Bank Group (moderator)

4:45 pm - 4:50 pm

Closing Remarks

Apply for a complimentary qualified FREE LP* pass

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*The AVCA Conference is complimentary for qualified Limited Partners (LPs), classified as non-retail investors in private equity funds, limited to 3 complimentary passes per organisation. This includes full-time employees of development finance institutions (DFIs), endowments, single-family offices, insurance companies, public and private pension funds, and sovereign wealth funds.