Agenda

Plenary

24th March 2020

07:45
Registration and networking
08:50
Chairman's Opening Remarks
Session ends: 09:00
09:00
Upcoming project pipelines, the government’s role in developing projects and how projects will be tendered
  • Project pipeline: What assets governments are looking to upgrade and develop in 2020
  • Regulations and new initiatives to support the efficient delivery of power, water and infrastructure to the local economy
  • Success stories and upcoming challenges: Taking stock and leveraging of what has been achieved
  • Financing structures, concessions, bidding process: How to attract private sector investment into public projects
Session ends: 09:20
09:20
PPPs, project finance and privatisations: How will they be financed?
  • Efficient risk allocation between private and public – what is the formula for success?
  • Streamlining processes – what do procurers need to do to successfully execute PPP frameworks?
  • Spotlight on the wave of Saudi PPPs and privatisations: How is the modernisation vision turning into reality? How much capital is needed to finance this?
  • Who is ready to provide funding for project financings and privatisations?
  • Low rates, maturing mini-perms but still no deal flow: Is the mini-perm followed by a project bond model fit for purpose?
Speakers
Session ends: 10:05
10:05
How to fit ECA-backed loans into concession funding
  • Changing approaches of ECAs: How much flexibility is there when working with ECAs to back a deal?
  • New products: What does the suite of product offerings of ECAs look like?
  • Which products can be used for project finance and which can be used for corporate lending?
  • What concessionaires need to be aware of when looking to bring ECAs into the group of project lenders
Speakers
Session ends: 10:45
10:45
Networking break
Session ends: 11:15
11:15
How to structure financings for MEGA projects
  • Analysing market liquidity: How are local and regional banks managing their assets and liabilities? How much capacity is there to support mega projects?
  • How are off-takers and sponsors planning to finance upcoming PPPs and privatizations?
  • Which banks and investors are ready to finance projects?
  • How are local and regional banks managing their assets and liabilities? What is the appetite to support mega projects and large capex programmes?
  • LCY vs. USD, bank vs. capital markets: How are GREs and off-takers diversifying their funding sources? What markets are they looking to target for capital?
  • Is multi-source financing and incorporating a capital markets strategy essential to successfully financing large CAPEX programmes and mega-projects?
  • International bank capacity to lend large amounts for long duration: Why appetite is finite and diminishing
Speakers
Session ends: 12:00
12:00
How to successfully structure deals for sponsors to develop projects in Africa
  • Demand and supply: How big is the pipeline of projects across Africa? How much financing is required? What is the appetite of investors for African projects?
  • What size and scale does a project need to have to attract project financing? Where are the best opportunities found?
  • Adapting African project finance for international project developers? Or transferring MENA project finance structures to develop African projects?
  • Can GCC developers get comfortable with local PF structures in Africa?
  • Political risk – does it continue to be the biggest source of perceived risk to project financing in Africa? How do sponsors and developers get comfortable with it?
  • What are the different risk appetites and policy pressures of ECAs, DFIs and commercial lenders? How can PRI cover mitigate these risks?
Speakers
Session ends: 00:30
12:30
Private debt and structured credit: How to structure loan deals with bond-esque features to attract institutional investors
  • Yield, size, maturity: What does a MENA private credit deal look like?
  • How can project developers structure loans to attract institutional investors?
  • Investment grade vs. sub-investment grade: Where are private credit investors’ sweet spots?
  • What is deterring sponsors and investors from the public project bond market?
  • Private credit: How can issuers tap into the private debt markets?
Speakers
Session ends: 13:15
13:15
Networking Lunch
Session ends: 14:45
14:45
The Structured Capital Markets journey: Transitioning from loan financing to incorporating capital markets into the funding portfolio
  • How are private developers adjusting their funding sources and strategies in response to changing macroeconomic conditions and market dynamics?
  • Going from loan-dominated portfolios to incorporating capital markets: What preparation and reorganisation of finance functions is required? What does the process of being rated involve?
  • Establishing a relationship banking group for the journey – what is their long-term purpose? What skill-sets and capabilities should companies be looking for in their relationship banks?
  • What extra work do CFOs and Treasurers need to do in order to incorporate capital markets into their funding options? What benefits in terms of liquidity, price and tenor do they get?
Speakers
Session ends: 15:30
15:30
How to attract international commercial lenders and investors to Egypt’s project finance market
  • Egypt’s project pipeline: Are DFIs and IFIs tapped out? What needs to be done to attract commercial lenders to the market?
  • A question of currency: Are investors and lenders comfortable with lending to Egyptian projects in USD? How do commercial banks overcome the dilemma of long-term funding requirements of projects vs cost of FX?
  • PPPs and risk allocation – how can developers, contractors and other project stakeholders distribute risk equally
  • Case studies: How international developers successfully finance, develop and deliver projects in Egypt
Speakers
Session ends: 16:15
16:15
Replicating the successes of power and water PPPs to other sectors in the region
  • Efficient risk allocation between private and public investors: What have been the critical success factors for projects to successfully launch PPP programmes in the Middle East?
  • Are PPPs successfully attracting international and private sector investors into projects?
  • Beyond power and water: Which sectors are next for PPP?
  • What are the challenges for international investors assessing projects away from the power and water sector?
  • How can the success of the PPP model in the power and water sector be translated to other sectors such as transport, hospitals and schools to meet international standard risk allocation?
Speakers
Session ends: 17:00
17:00
Chairman’s closing remarks and close of conference