Calendar

African Resilience in A New World Order

2020 PROGRAMME

VENUE

08:00   Registration

09.00   Welcome and Opening Remarks

09:30  Economist Overview

10:00   Debate: African Resilience, New World Order

The disruption to international trade caused by Covid-19 presents some key opportunities for Africa as well as the incentive to invest in building more resilient economies. As many countries seek to diversify their supply chains away from China, African countries are well placed to re-position themselves in the global market. Meanwhile, the security offered by manufacturing closer to home could spell a period of growth for African industry while innovative financial solutions will be needed to guide the continent out of the crisis?

  • How can Africa position itself as a key link in global supply chains?

  • What financial solutions exist to build more resilience to external shocks into African markets?

  • How can investment drive diversification and innovation across the continent?

11:00 Networking Break

11:30 Keynote Address

11:45 Debate: Infrastructure Development Finance – A Key to AfCFTA

With the African Continental Free Trade Agreement having been pushed back from July to January next year, a concerted effort will be needed if the continent’s leaders are to deliver on their promises to boost trade and drive growth. Sustainable investment into infrastructure will have an essential role to play not only in Africa’s post-Covid recovery but also in its long-term prosperity.

  • What infrastructure investments are needed to ensure AfCFTA can be implemented in a postCovid world?

  • How can investment be driven toward catalytic infrastructure projects?

  • With global disruption to the flow of goods and services, can the AfCFTA deliver on its ambitious promises?

12:45 Networking Lunch

14:00  Keynote Interview

14:30 Debate: Mobilising Sustainable Investments post COVID-19

Africa faces challenges which demand long-term solutions and, crucially, long-term finance. This remains true in the wake of Covid-19 and will form an essential part of the Continent’s long-term recovery. Momentum had been building towards increasingly outcome oriented investments and robust ESG policies and measurement were becoming an ever more important part of fundraising. Will this direction of travel continue in a destabilised world economy?

  • With ESG on the rise in private equity globally, will Covid-19 shift priorities?

  • Is sustainable finance the best pathway to growth and recovery for African economies?

  • Which blended finance and de-risking instruments work for investors and DFIs?

15:30 Networking Break

16:00   Debate: ‘Tech Enablers’: Africa Leading the Way

Africa has long been a hub for innovation and Covid-19 has accelerated the uptake of tech-driven solutions. A health tech and entrepreneurial ecosystem will have a key role to play in ensuring that the economies Africa builds post-Covid-19 are driven by diversification and provide inclusive pathways to prosperity.

  • What impact has Covid-19 had on the fundraising ecosystem for African tech companies?

  • How can traditional providers and new market entrants implement modern solutions that take advantage of the deep penetration of modern technology and fulfil previously unmet consumer demand?

  • Can technology fill gaps infrastructure and basic services across finance, logistics, healthcare, energy solutions and education challenges?

17:00  The Dealmakers – Fight or Flight?

The latest predictions from UNCTAD estimate that FDI flows into Africa will fall by 15% as a result of Covid-19. Meanwhile, the impact on private equity and venture capital remains uncertain with 29% of respondents in a recent AVCA survey saying that they have terminated deals as a result of Covid-19. These figures mask significant variation across markets and sectors with energy and primary products struggling in the current climate while some tech-driven sectors thrive.

  • Where do opportunities for growth lie in the Covid-19 landscape?

  • How can the investment ecosystem maintain FDI flows into key projects?

  • What challenges are PE firms in Africa facing in the wake of Covid-19?

18:00   Closing Remarks

 

Source: https://theafricadebate.com/programme-2020

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