2020 has been a detrimental year for businesses all over the globe, to say the least. With lockdown measures, border shutdowns and a generally repressed economy, businesses are still counting losses from the past few months. However, the COVID-19 era has also opened up new sources of funding and brought interest costs even lower.
Tune into our webinar below where our expert panel will unravel the changes in development financing and explore the best ways to approach public, private, and blended finance sources.
Speakers:
– Suresh Samuel, Investment Director for Lendable, and former Managing Director for Africa at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC)
– Linda Habgood, CEO of Delphos International, and former Investment Officer at OPIC
– Adam Gouveia, CFO of AZA, and former Associate at Wells Fargo
– Boason Omofaye, Senior Consultant at New Markets Media & Intelligence (Moderator)
Notes:
How has COVID affected your business? [04:05]
Are private sector lenders risk-averse because of the coronavirus? [08:34]
What do companies need to do to be aware of to be successful in raising funds at this particular point in time? [12:45]
How are companies positioning themselves to lenders to attract more investment? [14:20]
Are public sector funding and partnership opportunities decreasing as governments across the world have other spending priorities? [17:38]
Have sources of financing opened up? [20:43]
Have there been instances of formal defunding? [22:00]
How long will this current mood last? [27:20]
Is it possible to raise funds remotely? [29:29]
Is there a risk bias against African women founders raising funds for their business? [32:39]
Is it possible to get funding in the absence of any financial and operational history? [43:28}
Is it possible to access funding as a group? [45:36]
Are there funding opportunities for consultants and SMEs? [47:10]
Is this a good time to start a new business in the micro-finance space? [49:28]
With the opening up of the digital space, what business opportunities are available for companies like AZA? [50:41]
Are there any sector-specific opportunities that can be explored on the continent? [54:56]
What are the lending and funding opportunities in the blockchain and cryptocurrency space? [57:44]
What funding opportunities will the AfCFTA agreement bring to the continent? [1:00:00]
Will government-backed funding and stimuli by central banks have an impact on where people do business? [1:04:02]
