Africa has been caught in the whirlwind of the global financial crisis. As international banks retreat to domestic markets, producers and exporters across sectors are left searching for liquidity that is not easily forthcoming. On the horizon lies a new world, with more sensible practices and participation by a wider range of players. Export credit agencies, multilaterals and development banks are taking a more active role in facilitating trade and providing liquidity to cash-starved producers and exporters. As these organisations engage the practical knowledge of banks for disbursements, we recognize a trend towards a more cooperative approach to trade finance going forward.
Managing Africa’s double burden of limited liquidity and depressed commodity prices requires changes to the way Trade Finance is viewed in Africa. It is now more important than ever to debate the developments that are emerging from the crisis. Structures are being tightened significantly, risk management is taking on increased importance, logistical efficiencies must be reduced and the appetite for insurance is changing in the face of uncertainty. These topics must be debated to determine what the future of Trade Finance in Africa will hold. The 2nd Annual Structured Trade & Export Finance in Africa Conference, a gathering of the leading industry players in Africa, provides a forum for the debate that will shape the outcome of Trade Finance in Africa.
Key Topics of Debate this year include:
- Africa and the global economic crisis: How has it been impacted and what role will it play in the unfolding economic order?
- Filling the gap: Examining the capacity & willingness of Export Credit Agencies to finance African trade
- Enhancing trade by uplifting producers: Focusing on small producers to improve African trade
- Supporting a vital industry: New trends in financing the African agricultural sector
- The increasing importance and appeal of fertilizer in Africa
- The changing role of traders in Africa: Has the financial crisis sparked a movement into upstream and downstream operations?
- Strengthening the defences: A review of the tighter structures and more comprehensive documentation emerging from the crisis
- Evaluating energy sector developments: Trade Finance as a tool for boosting African refining capacity
- In practice or perception: Evaluating the real benefits of insurance in African trade deals
- Logistical challenges in Africa: Understanding the impacts of inefficiencies and how they can be resolved
Testimonials from 2008 delegates:
“I managed to gain valuable insight into current opportunities and challenges in trade finance”
-Desire Chafa, African Export-Import Bank
“The conference provided an excellent networking platform for banks with an appetite for innovative financing”
-Sibonginkosi Moyo, Kingdom Bank Africa
“The seminar was quite interactive and in opening a new chapter in the direction of the need for banks to do more in the development agenda of Africa”
-Kori Boateng Gyasi, Ghana Commercial Bank
“Great event to improve knowledge and understanding of all aspects covered in the conference”
-P Molina Navajas, FR Waring Ltd
“A very important event to assess how things are evolving in the African continent”
-Marc Murcia, Coface