Commonwealth Business Council eNewsletter
September 2008
“I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the Commonwealth Business Council and its Director General, Dr. Mohan Kaul, for this timely initiative… This Kenya investment conference has come at a time when our country is in dire need of foreign investments to enhance economic growth and social development” - Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta, Deputy Prime Minister of Kenya
Microsoft
For more than 20 years, Microsoft has been operating in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), enabling people and businesses throughout the region to realise their potential by helping to foster a thriving information technology sector. It's products act as an engine of economic growth, driving opportunity for companies that develop, support and distribute technology and provide IT-related services. The Microsoft EMEA organisation encompasses 61 local offices and delivers products and services in 139 countries across the region. The company's 13,000 regional employees engage in a wide range of functions including research, product development and distribution, sales and marketing, customer service and support, and partner support.
Bill Gates, Chairman, Microsoft
First City Monument Bank
The history of First City Monument Group is synonymous with, and showcases the interesting growth of Nigeria’s financial services industry. As an indigenous financial services firm, the Bank ventured very early into the domain of investment banking, a niche area hitherto occupied by foreign firms operating in the Nigerian environment. In view of the Bank’s recent remarkable growth, strong future prospects as well as Nigeria’s rising profile and reputation as a destination for foreign portfolio and direct investment, FCMB has continued to elicit considerable interest from a number of foreign institutional investors. The Bank has, in the year, attracted well over $300 million in direct investment as well as on-lending facilities from leading international institutions such as HSBC, CDC, OPIC and the IFC amongst others.
Dr. Jonathan A.D. Long, Chairman, First City Monument Bank
Axience
Axience is a specialized provider of services to the financial services industry combining high-end financial analytics, modeling and data services with high quality business intelligence. Our client includes major investment banks, asset managers, hedge funds, private equity, rating agencies and issuers of securitizable products. Axience is the only firm with capabilities in both business intelligence and modeling/analytics and aims to provide comprehensive bespoke solutions to client problems rather than migration of vanilla processes.
Hemant Jain, CEO, Axience
CBC Mourns the Death of a Good Leader and a Good Friend
On behalf of the Commonwealth Business Council, I would like to express our condolences to the government and people of Zambia following the passing of President Mwanawasa.
We had the honour of working closely with the President and his colleagues over the past years through the Zambia International Business Advisory Council and we will remember him fondly for his leadership and commitment to achieve growth and development for the nation. We would like to convey our sympathy at this difficult time and express our continued support to the government and private sector in Zambia for the future.
Dr Mohan Kaul, Director General, CBC
The Commonwealth Business Council is delighted to present the first comprehensive UK-India Trade and Investment Flows Report. A compilation and analysis of data from many different sources, covering trade in goods; trade in services; direct investments and other alternative investment flows. The Report will be debuted at an event in India on the 8th of September, and will be on sale globally though the CBC website, subsequently. The Report is currently available for pre-order by clicking here.
Members may request a complimentary copy from Sam Goonetillake
Left to Right: Lord Bilimoria, Rahul Bajaj, Andrew Cahn, Dr Mohan Kaul and Sanmit Ahuja, launching the report earlier this year in London
President Mwanawasa at ABF 2007
Rahul Bajaj addressing launch event
CBC Technology is made up from a group of highly experienced IT consultants who have many years experience across various sectors. CBC technology is a subsidiary of CBC, its main objective is to promote innovation in high technology sectors and enable governments, industry, academies and investors to venture into new green field programmes.
The focus of this year’s programme are Africa Outsourcing and Green Oorja (Clean Technology), both initiatives are designed to introduce new ideas and new opportunities. Africa outsourcing offers a tremendous platform for Africa as an emerging market and is expected to be of real interest in the current financial climate. The Green Oorja programme, devised with assistance from the Government of India and Industry specialists, is designed to investigate and collaborate on new energy technologies and fulfil business potential.
CBC Technology aims to introducing fresh ideas and programmes that will help countries leapfrog to 21st century solutions and simultaneously introduce industry to the latest technology.
For Further information please contact Vijay Amliwala
Vijay Amliwala
Managing Director,
CBC Technologies
The CBC is now stepping up its work related to the ‘global food crisis’ in view of the unprecedented difficulties that currently exist. The price of staple foods has never been higher this has been caused by a wide range of issues which include, reduced investment, increased costs, higher demand, diet change, poor harvests and the use of food crops for bio-fuels.
The CBC is now actively involved in a number of initiatives:
- On behalf of DFID we are undertaking a number of business roundtables to establish the business perspectives of the food crisis in three regions. The first roundtables were held during the African Business Forum and covered nutrition and food production separately.
- The CBC is starting a project with CRU Investment – Africa Invest, which will invest in farm production in around 20 developing countries in Africa.
- To enhance this work on the food crisis the CBC will be working closely with a coalition of companies active in agriculture and agricultural support in Africa, to deliver increased production, productivity and nutrition on a sustainable basis.
- The CBC plans to focus its work on trade facilitation to assist and invigorate intra-Africa trade in Agricultural Goods and equipment. This work will be conducted under the auspices of the Boksburg Group of developing countries which has expertise in this area but currently has a broader remit.
For further information please contact David Wakeford
Malawi Investor Mission - Malawi
The CBC in collaboration with the Malawi Ministry of Industry & Trade, the Malawi High Commission (London) and Standard Bank organised an Investor Mission to Malawi in July this year. The mission, attended by over 200 people, was a follow-up to the hugely successful Malawi Investment Forum held on April 3 rd 2008 in London and was aimed at turning the interest generated during the initial forum into actual investment.
The Investor Mission took place in Lilongwe and Blantyre and was structured to provide stakeholders with an overview of several sectors in the Malawian economy and showcase twenty-five major projects. It was agreed that in order to finance the projects showcased during the mission; investment cells will be commissioned in Malawi, UK, India and the USA to attract foreign investment and resources into Malawi. The Mission generated a huge amount of regional press coverage, which in tern has lead to an increased interest in Investing in Malawi, consequently the CBC feels that the Mission was a great success and looks forward to taking follow up missions in specific sectors.
For further information on the event please click here
Jeff Rodwell - Director, Investments and Ventures
Jeff Rodwell, originally from Australia, is an experienced commercial and corporate lawyer. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, securities and corporate finance, fund formation, corporate governance and corporate transactional matters. He is experienced in working with companies in all stages of the corporate growth cycle, from early stage private companies to large publicly traded companies. He has lived and worked in 3 different jurisdictions and most of his work involves international transactions. He routinely works with senior management and with private equity firms and their portfolio companies in reaching strategic goals. He previously worked providing policy analysis for a government department and as a national sales manager for a large multi-national corporate
To contact Jeff please email jeff.rodwell@cbcglobal.org
Click here to view all upcoming CBC Events
Members Lunch for Hon. Prof. G.L Peiris MP, London
The CBC is honoured to be holding an exclusive members’ lunch with Hon. Prof. G.L Peiris MP Minister of Export Development & International Trade, for the Republic of Sri Lanka, on the 2nd September 2008. The Minister will deliver an address, to guests, on Sri Lanka's Export Economy and Access to the EU Market.
For all enquiries please contact: Sam Goonetillake
Members Lunch for Gareth Thomas MP, London
On 17th September the CBC will hold the first VIP dinner of the Autumn programme, for The Hon Gareth Thomas MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and The Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BURR), at the Reform Club, London.
For all enquiries please contact: Nicole Nwasike
East Africa International Business Forum, Rwanda
On the 29th and 30th October 2008 in Kigali, Rwanda, the CBC, in association with the Government of Rwanda, Rwanda Investment and Export Promoting Agency and the East African Business Council, is proud to host the first annual East Africa International Business Forum . The theme of the event, hosted by the President of Rwanda, is ‘Trade and Investment Opportunities: Growth through Global Partnerships’.
Click here to register online and receive a 10% discount..
Africa Investment Forum, South Africa
The CBC is delighted to be hosting its Flagship Africa Investment Forum, taking place on 19th- 20th November 2008, in Johannesburg, South Africa. This year’s Forum will focus on generating investment in Africa, and will feature Investment Promotion Agencies from 12 African nations. Break out session will cover a number of topics including, mining, access to finance and ICT & telecommunications.
Click here to register online and receive a 10% discount
Africa Outsourcing Summit, London
Commonwealth Technologies, the technology & outsourcing arm of the CBC, is delighted to present the first ever Africa Outsourcing Summit on December 1-2, 2008 in London United Kingdom. This Summit, will offer a platform for many African nations to showcase their attractiveness to European companies that are currently looking to expand their outsourcing options.
For further infomation please Click Here
Click images below
For comments and further info please contact sean.leno@cbcglobal.org