02 October 2014, Lagos – Global institutional investors drawn from across the world have rated African markets high and showed increased interest at investing in markets on the continent. The new enthusiasm at doing business in markets on the continent emerged at the just concluded seventh Africa investor (Ai) CEO Institutional Investment, which held on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
The summit, which was billed as the institutional investor community follow-up to the recent President Obama-led US-Africa Leaders’ Summit, focused on facilitating co-investments between select African and US institutional investors, including sovereign wealth and pension funds, to invest in Africa’s fastest growing sectors and capital markets.
Africa investor provided additional thought leadership at the Summit with the launch of its new BizClim-supported report, The African Sovereign Wealth and Pension Funds Summit Report, on mobilising domestic African capital as a tool to leverage global institutional capital.
The report was launched during the 2014 Ai Heads of State Investment Advisory Council Dialogue, held in partnership with world bodies. The Heads of State and Ministerial dialogue featured Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama; CEO and Vice Chairman, Africa investor, Hubert Danso; Deputy Chairperson, African Union, Erastus Mwencha, among other African leaders.
The panel saw a further commitment from Africa’s leaders on developing conducive environment for improving the participation and regulatory environment for African pension and sovereign wealth funds, based on the recommendations from the Ai BizClim-supported report on facilitating co-investments with African pension and sovereign wealth fund capital for infrastructure investment on the continent.
Commenting on the summit, CEO and Vice Chairman of Africa investor, Hubert Danso, said: “We are delighted with the level of the participation of African and global institutional investors, and the realisation that Ai’s co-investment platform not only benefits Africa’s growth, but the global economy also, through reciprocal international allocations and the creation of new markets.”
Ai also announced its $1bn Africa investor Sovereign Infrastructure Investment Platform, for African pension and sovereign wealth funds, continually developed in close partnership with African pension and sovereign wealth funds.
The new Ai Platform is uniquely designed to increase intra-African investment, which is currently at a mere 5 per cent compared to intra-European investment levels in excess of 70 per cent. The Ai Platform will achieve this through its co-investment programme, designed to extend and increase the level of co-investment between not only African pension and sovereign wealth funds.
The 2014 Ai Index Series Awards were also announced and presented during the summit
The summit formed part of Ai’s annual US roadshow for African business and investment leaders, which will be moving to the World Bank annual meetings on the 9th of October 2014 in association with the World Bank Group.
– This Day
