Investment Leader s Supporting Regional Economic Integration in Africa The Opportunity: Regional economic integration is the single most important priority for business and governments seeking growth opportunities. Foreign direct investment (FDI) has consistently increased to the African continent, as has investor confidence. The challenge remains to increase and sustain this positive investor sentiment.
It is upon this basis that dialogue between the public and private sectors is necessary and important. Mobilising intra-african investment flows has also become a vital source of finance for job creation and economic development.
The Means: To bridge the mutual goals of investors seeking growth across a more integrated African continent and the African Union s (AU) commitment to boosting regional integration and investment flows, Africa investor, with the support of the United Nations Global Compact and the UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa has established the Africa investor Advisory Council to facilitate dialogue between investment and business leaders with AU Heads of State.
The Africa investor (Ai) Advisory Council is a unique CEO to African Heads of State peer-to-peer, business-led, public-private, multi-sector platform supporting the implementation of the African Union s regional economic integration agenda and policy, promoting Africa s intra-regional investment flows. The Ai Council will engage members through high-level dialogues in association with African Heads of State. These dialogues will occur alongside the UN General Assembly and AU Heads of State Summits.
The Outcomes: Each meeting will be tasked with investigating concrete investment projects capable of deepening intra-regional trade and investment across the continent. The conclusions to these meetings will be tabled as practical and achievable policy recommendations that will be presented to the relevant Heads of State for implementation with the support of business where practical. Focus issues for the Council are developed and facilitated through themed working groups. Council outputs and policy recommendations take the form of project case studies and CEO recommendations/white papers. Recommendations are supported by Africa investor. Chairperson Ping (Chairperson, African Union) emphasized; I see the launching of the Africa Investor Advisory Council as one major way through which the African Union will continue its engagement with the African private sector in order to realize our objective of creating a vibrant private sector on the continent. I wish the Africa Investor Advisory Council success in its endeavors.
Catalyzing Investment for Growth In the past seven years, foreign direct engagement and dialogue between private investment (FDI) to the African continent and public leaders. As a consequence of this has risen from US$18 billion to what Africa interest and potential capital influx, mobilising investor research projects will be $159bn domestic and intra-african investment flows in Indeed, under the stewardship of has become a vital source of finance for job the AU, FDI to the continent has increased creation and economic development key by 87% over the past ten years while goals of the African Union (AU). official development assistance (ODA) has exceeded $50bn.
However, with regional There is a seminal confluence between private integration at less than 15%, increasing investment and public goals. It is upon this growth levels to that of SADC or COMESA nexus that the Africa investor Council advises (which stands at over 50%) requires a serious development organisations and the AU. Cheick Diarra, UN Under Secretary-General for LDCs, UN Office of the Special Adviser for Africa; Over the past decade a lot of positive changes have taken place in Africa the continent is home to six out of 10 fastest growing economies in the world.
This performance was underpinned by sound macro-economic and structural reforms within a context of a more stable political environment. We believe the Ai Advisory Council will play an important role to deepen relations with the investment community and increase investment flows to and across the continent FDI and ODA flows to Africa (billion USD, current) USD billion ODA to Africa (net total) FDI to Africa Source: OECD/DAC for ODA, UNCTAG for FDI To bridge the mutual goals of investors seeking growth across a more integrated and competitive African continent and the AU s commitment to boosting regional integration and investment flows, Africa investor (Ai), with the support of the United Nations Global Compact and the UN office of the Special Advisor on Africa, established the Africa investor Advisory Council to facilitate dialogue between investment and business leaders with AU Heads of State.
The Ai Advisory Council: Driving Investment Flows Hubert Danso, CEO and Vice Chairman, Africa investor; The private sector has established itself as a long-term growth and development partner to the continent. The Ai Council offers an important opportunity for investment leaders to work with the African Union and the United Nations to build a prosperous Africa. The Ai Advisory Council is a unique CEO to African Heads of State peer-topeer, business-led, public-private, multisector dialogue platform supporting the implementation of the African Union s regional economic integration agenda and policy, promoting Africa s intra-regional investment flows.
The Council was launched at the New York Stock Exchange during the UN General Assembly on the 26th of September The Council engages African and global business and investment leaders in a substantive dialogue tasked with providing critical counsel on progress and opportunities to African Union Heads of State to boost FDI and mobilise African investment flows. The Ai Advisory Council is commited to the following goals To foster greater cohesion amongst investment partners and African Heads of State.
Create a credible and inclusive structure that can:
- Accommodate the investment community in a private-public nexus through annual dialogues;
- Advise the African Union and RECs on an integration programme and prioritisation for business growth, trade and responsible investment. Illustrate private sector commitment and leadership on regional investment and economic integration solutions. An Engaging Business-Led Solution The Ai Advisory Council directly contributes to a better understanding of foreign and intra-african investment flows. The Council facilitates a working relationship between the AU, development partners and policy makers to draw on investment leader s expertise and experience to boost investment flows to the continent
Our Approach: Dialogue, Follow-Up, Review The Ai Advisory Council dialogues occur alongside the UN General Assembly and AU Summits. Meetings are tasked with presenting concrete investment projects and policy recommendations capable of deepening intraregional trade and investment flows across the continent. Meeting conclusions are tabled as Council policy recommendations. These are presented to the relevant Heads of State and followed up between meetings and reviewed at future Council meetings.
CEO and Investment Leaders The Council’s work is supported by a secratariat and guided by a comprehensive Regional Investment Roadmap developed in consultation with the AU, development partners and investment leaders. Conclusions to the Council s policy engagements and consequent research are shared with key stakeholders and represent the basis for bilateral follow-up activities both during and beyond the high-level council meetings with AU Heads of State.
Georg Kell, Executive Director, UN Global Compact; The AI Advisory Council is an important partnership between Africa investor and the UN Global Compact to establish a Forum to bring together most influential African and global investors. The UN Global Compact is proud to be a partner for this important initiative, and stands ready to work with business leaders and investors committed for economic growth and strong investment to pursue an inclusive and sustainable global market place. UN Office of Partnerships UN Global Compact UN OSAA African Union: RECs Heads of State
The Ai Council: Membership Criteria The Ai Advisory Council membership is comprised of a unique and focused group of African and international public and private sector leaders responsible for multi-billion dollar investment programmes and portfolios across Africa.
Private Sector
- Group Chief Executives who have decision-making authority over investment decisions in Africa;
- Institutions with significant investment portfolios across the continent;
- Institutions that plan to significantly increase their investment portfolios across the continent;
- Pension fund CEOs responsible for cross border investments.
Public Sector
- The African Union Chairperson;
- Sitting African Union Heads of State with real commitments to Regional Economic Integration and investment;
- Heads of State Chairing Regional Economic Communities (RECs);
- Heads of sovereign wealth funds investing across Africa. A Knowledge Partnership Focus issues for the Council are developed and facilitated through coordinated working groups aligned to the Council s priority work programme themes. Council outputs and policy recommendations take the form of project case studies and CEO recommendations/white papers.
Council recommendations will be supported by industry-leading research. Ai Council Focus Areas Job creation; Trade, Regional economic integration and competitiveness; Financial market integration; To form a basis for constructive dialogue, the Council s focus is closely aligned to the published work programmes of the African Union Commissions. Work programme priorities are determined collectively by Council members and guided by the Investment Roadmap.
Improving Africa s investment profile; Infrastructure development; Agribusiness investment; Less restrictive pension fund investment regimes. General Olesugun Obasanjo, 12th President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; Greater integration will enhance returns on investment on the continent. I encourage business leaders to work with us to positively improve the investment climate in Africa.
We cannot make collective progress unless we have collective and central means of addressing most of the issues that affect us. The Ai Advisory Council is playing an important convening and leadership role in this respect.
For more information on the Council, please contact:
Simon Howell Africa investor Advisory Council Secretariat
Protea Road, Chislehurston, Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa
Africa investor
Africa investor is a specialist investment communications firm advising governments, international organisations and businesses on communication strategies for capital market and foreign direct investments in Africa. Africa investor publishes Africa investor, the leading international newsstand magazine for Africa s investment decision makers; maintains the Africa investor 40 Investors Index, hosts the Ai Index Series Summit & Awards and the Africa investor Infrastructure Projects Summit & Awards, amongst other events.
