March 26-27, 2009
The Table Bay Hotel At the Waterfront, Cape Town
Cape Town, South Africa

Standard Rate per Delegate: $999.00 USD

Day One – Thursday, March 26, 2009

08.15    
Registration and coffee

09.00    
Chairman’s opening remarks 
Mr Edenezer Essoka, Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered Bank

09.05
Keynote speech
Jean Louis Ekra, President, Afreximbank

• Overview of growth in both quantity and quality of deals          
• Benefits of decoupling and self sufficiency in these turbulent time
• Some recent examples of bankable deals
• Localised initiatives available to assist with export-driven growth to Bric economies
• Forecast for the future      

10.00   
Liquidity panel: discovering untapped sources of funding

Moderator: Konrad Reuss, Head, South Africa & Sub-Sahara, Standard & Poor’s
J Mawuli Ababio, Managing Director, Venture Capitalists Association
Taiwo Adeniji, Chief Risk Officer, African Finance Corporation
B O Oramah, Executive Vice-President, Afreximbank
Avril Stassen, Investment Advisor, Agrivie

• Impact of the credit crunch on FDI. How has Africa managed to weather the storm?
• Local vs foreign banks: which are better partners in a downturn?
• How resilient is their risk appetite in times of tight liquidity?
• The effect of government reforms on sovereign risk and the resulting access to credit
• Outlook for the short-to-medium term

10.45   
Networking break
                                    
11.15   
Investing for value in the agribusiness sector in Sub-Saharan Africa
Avril Stassen, Investment Advisor, Agrivie

• The case for direct (private equity) investment in agribusiness in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Direct investment activities and related developments in the sector
• Investment opportunity areas
• Investment risks to manage
• Medium-term investment outlook

11.45   
Financing the commodity supply chain through collateral control
Andre Soumah, Chairman, Ace Audit Control & Expertise Global

• Identifying operational risk bottlenecks: practical tips for management
• Structuring solutions for releasing liquidity at key trigger points
• Creating bespoke strategies for different sectors
• Challenges to overcome as more markets open up     

12.15
Deal Financing Panel: What now for the structured trade deals in Africa?

Moderator: Andreas Rusch, Consultant, Bongani Consulting
Zhann Meyer, Director of Agriculture, Commodity Traders and Agribusiness, Standard Chartered Bank
Andre Soumah, Chairman, Ace Audit Control and Expertise Global
Werner Tappen, Director, Trade & Export Finance, Sub-Saharan Region, WestLB
Sekete Mokgehle, Head, Structured Trade & Commodity Finance, Nedbank

•  What is the fallout from the current economic crisis likely to be for financing trade deals in the continent?
• What structures could or should be used for trade finance transactions in the current market: can longer tenors be considered?
• The involvement of multilateral agencies, development banks, export credit agencies and the like in co-financings with commercial lenders and how to achieve this
• What to do if a financing transaction runs into problems: how and what action to enforce or not
• Evaluating the new laws and regulations designed to introduce a common market within Africa
• What is the medium-term outlook for the industry? Where will the next big story arise?

13.00   
Lunch

14.30
ECA panel: Underwriting trade and investment to the region

Moderated by Charles Carlson, Global Head, Structured Export Finance, Standard Chartered Bank
Michael Creighton, Head of Sace, South Africa 
Susanne With, Senior Advisor, EKN
Ray Ellis, Vice President & Manager, Strategic Initiatives Division, Export-Import Bank of the U.S. 

• What is the role of multilateral insurers in the region, what projects do they get involved in, and is it a big part of their global exposure?
• What is the appetite for risk in the region, is it project/ sector specific?
• Which territories are particularly problematic?
• What challenges do agencies face when setting credit limits for local companies looking to expand?
• What initiatives are being planned to support future exports within the region?
   

15.20   
A new template for African development: incorporating CSR at the financing stage
Susanne With, Senior Advisor, EKN

• What is corporate social responsibility (CSR)?
• Why should you consider it?
• How does it affect the financing of projects?
• Recent examples

15.45   
Networking break

16.15   
Legal protection for your international sales, loans and investments

Tony George, Partner, Political & Trade Credit Risks, Ince & Co
Carol Searle, Partner, Political & Trade Credit Risks, Ince & Co

• The contract
• The international treaty
• The insurance policy
• Arbitration, litigation and alternative dispute resolution
• Security, enforcement and recovery

17.15   
Chairman’s concluding remarks and close of Day One

17.30   
Wine Tasting & Networking Drinks Reception
An unrivalled opportunity to network while tasting and learning about a variety of wines from the Cape region

Day Two –  Friday,  March 27, 2009

08.30   
Registration and coffee

09.10   
Chairman’s opening remarks

Forging new trading relationships and practices

09.15
Keynote speech: The growth of south-south trade between Africa and other emerging markets
Capital investment + free trade = sustainable growth: how African governments can guarantee the formula for success!

Hon James Omingo Magara, MP, Asst Minister for Trade, Government of Kenya

• Ensuring a secure and transparent legal framework for inward investment
• Promoting regional initiatives to simplify cross-border transactions
• Building infrastructure and a skilled workforce to provide a viable alternative to Asia
• Actively campaign to remove historical influences and anti-competitive practices
   

10.00
Panel discussion: Trade corridors - connecting markets
Sabrina Borlini, Trade Specialist, Africa, IFC
Vinod Goel, Chief Representative, India Ex-Im Bank
Zubair Suliman, Senior Investment Manager, DEG SA

• Forging new trade links and routes, using SA best practice
• Obtaining multilateral support: challenges and benefits
• Managing without the usual security of a developed trade services infrastructure: redefining risk transfer models and mitigation methods
• Emphasis on Comesa trade
• Regional trade facilitation reform and infrastructure investment
• Using PPP to promote sustainable long term growth
• Understanding the local financial infrastructure and credit environment in the emerging markets

10.45   
Networking break

11.00
A corporate perspective on financing African transactions
Suresh Vaidyanathan, Group CFO, Platinum Corporation

• Trade finance scenario and challenges for corporates in the current meltdown
• Financing trade transactions in the African context
• Corporate expectations from financial institutions
• Criticality of corporate-FI partnership in economic revival

11.45
Insurance case study: Trade credit and risk mitigation in Southern Africa
Martin Edge, Ececutive Director, First Africa

12.30   
Chairman’s concluding remarks and close of conference

12.45   
Networking lunch

• Key risks faced by exporters within Africa
• Credit insurance: availability and practice within Sub-Saharan Africa
• Risk mitigation practices in region
• The application of international credit management disciplines in volatile markets such as Zimbabwe and Somalia