In the past few years, foreign investment has equaled or exceeded the amount foreign aid to Africa. But barriers still remain to opening the floodgates of business on the continent.
Now is the time to invest in Africa, a panel of industry experts concluded at a July 28 discussion in Washington hosted by Devex and Joint Aid Management, the South Africa-based NGO.
After Devex President Raj Kumar welcomed participants, Dave Blackwell, former vice president for strategy at Walmart Corp., offered introductory remarks. Then, a panel of international development experts, moderated by Net Impact board member Michael Fields, discussed investment strategies that would spur economic growth and development in Africa. The panel included:
- Isak Pretorius, CEO, Joint Aid Management - USA.
- Tracy Mathieu, vice president for business development, Partnership International.
- Deirdre White, president and chief operating officer, CDC Development Solutions.
- Keith Amonlirdviman,strategic planning manager - Coffee Initiative,TechnoServe.
The event, titled ”Investment in Africa: Current Initiatives and a New Way Forward,” was followed by a networking reception.
About the author
Oliver Subasinghe@subavision
Oliver joined Devex in late 2008 as an international development correspondent and researcher. He previously served as a microfinance fellow for Kiva in Kenya and Uganda. During his tenure, he worked with Kiva’s field partners to improve their operations and governance. Oliver holds a master's in business from the College of William & Mary.