Exciting Speaker Line-Up Announced For Standard Bank’s Second Inter-Africa Trade And Business Conference

15 September 2016 – Johannesburg: An exciting line up of policy makers and business leaders from West Africa and China are scheduled to address delegates attending the Standard Bank West Africa Trans-regional Conference in Accra, Ghana next month.

This is the second inter-Africa trade and business conference to be hosted by Standard Bank in 2016.

Keynote speakers include Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Ghana’s Minister of Trade and Industry and one of Africa’s pre-eminent public servants and an authority on mass communication; Dr. Wenbin Wang, CEO of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) Africa and Non-executive Director of Standard Bank Group; and Mr. Olusegun Awolowo, CEO of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council.

Mr. Vish Ashiagbor, Senior Partner and Head of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Ghana will present a synopsis on the regulatory, business and economic environment in the West Africa region.

Mr. Hervé Boyer, Chief Executive of Stanbic Bank Côte d'Ivoire, will lead a discussion on the economy of Côte d'Ivoire, market opportunities and challenges faced by commercial businesses. The chief executives of Standard Bank’s operations in Nigeria, Ghana and Angola will lead similar discussions on their respective markets.

Delegates will also hear from Nigerian jurist and academic Dr. Olajumoke Omoniyi Oduwole, Senior Special Assistant on Trade and Investment to the President of Nigeria, as well as Ghanaian business entrepreneur Mr. Michael Adubofour, MD and founder of Mike Adu Company Ltd.

Standard Bank (also trading as Stanbic Bank) says the strong line-up of speakers underscores the significance of West Africa as an investment destination, and the need for business and government leaders across the continent to network and explore opportunities and partnerships for growth.

Scheduled to take place on October 3 �� 5, the West Africa conference is aimed at Standard Bank commercial banking clients from across sub-Saharan Africa who are interested in expanding their operations or partnering with businesses in the West Africa region across a range of sectors such as retail, infrastructure, agriculture, construction, manufacturing and information technology. It will draw delegates from Ghana, Nigeria, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, China, South Africa as well as clients from southern and eastern Africa.

Dr. Manessah Alagbaoso, Head of Commercial Banking at Standard Bank Rest of Africa, says despite a slump in commodities, West Africa offers multiple avenues for investment and is home to three of the ten fastest growing economies in Africa, according to the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook 2016. “Africa is alive with many possibilities if we look beyond the short-term challenges, and West Africa is definitely a region of focus. We are seeing good growth figures coming out of countries like Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal,” says Dr. Alagbaoso.

“Our experience at Standard Bank shows there is a great deal of opportunity in many sectors and markets across the continent if businesses are encouraged to look beyond the short-term. Positive changes such as government policies to promote commercial businesses, regular and democratic elections, improved literacy rates and education, and the most youthful population in the world have highlighted to us that with the right kind of support, advice and innovation, the growth position promises to be significantly enhanced in the years ahead,” he says.

The West African conference builds on the success of the inaugural summit held in Kenya in April 2016, where Standard Bank hosted clients from Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi, South Africa and Kenya, and participants were given an overview of East African economies and explored business opportunities and partnerships in the region.

Dr. Alagbaoso says Standard Bank plans to ride on the momentum garnered from the East Africa dialogue to create more opportunities for businesses on the continent to meet, network and eventually establish sustainable relationships.

“When we say Africa is our home and that we drive her growth, it is our responsibility to extend ourselves beyond just banking: we must add value by providing exposure, information and our expertise to our clients to foster an environment that facilitates their growth and success,” he says.

Full speaker line up:
Dr. Ekow Spio Gabrah, Minister for Trade and Industry, Ghana

Mr. Vish Ashiagbor, Senior Partner and Head at PwC, Ghana

Dr. Olajumoke Omoniyi Oduwole, Senior Special Assistant on Industry Trade & Investment to the President of Nigeria

Dr. Wenbin Wang, CEO ICBC Africa and Non-executive Director of Standard Bank Group

Mrs. Mawuena Trebarh – CEO, Ghana Investment Promotion Centre

Mr. Segun Awolowo – CEO, Nigerian Export Promotion Council

Mr. Michael Adubofour, MD and Founder of Mike Adu Company Limited

Mr. Tunji Adeyinka, Managing Director/CEO, Connect Marketing Services

Mr. Andani Alhassan, CE Stanbic Bank Ghana
Mr. Yinka Sanni, CE Stanbic IBTC Nigeria
Mr. Antonio Coutinho, CE Standard Bank Angola
Mr. Hervé Boyer, CE Stanbic Bank Côte d’ Ivoire

Mr. Zweli Manyathi, CEO Personal and Business Banking, Standard Bank Africa

Mr. Luis Teles, Regional Head, Corporate and Investment Banking West Africa

Mr. Nana Benneh, Head, Personal and Business Banking Ghana

Mr. Babatunde Macaulay, Head, Personal and Business Banking Nigeria

About Standard Bank Group
Standard Bank Group is the largest African bank by assets with a unique footprint across 20 African countries. Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, we are listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

Standard Bank has a 153-year history in South Africa and started building a franchise outside southern Africa in the early 1990s.

Our strategic position, which enables us to connect Africa to other select emerging markets as well as pools of capital in developed markets, and our balanced portfolio of businesses provide significant opportunities for growth.

The group has nearly 49 000 employees and over 1 200 branches, which enable it to deliver a complete range of services across personal and business banking, corporate and investment banking and wealth management. Standard Bank's Corporate & Investment Banking division offers its clients banking, trading, investment, risk management and advisory services to connect selected emerging markets to Africa and to each other. It has strong offerings in mining and metals; oil, gas and renewables; power and infrastructure; agribusiness; telecommunications and media; and financial institutions.

Standard Bank South Africa is the largest operating entity of Standard Bank Group, Africa’s largest bank by assets. Standard Bank Group reported total assets of R1, 98 trillion (about USD128 billion) at 31 December 2015, while its market capitalisation was R184 billion (about USD11, 8 billion).

The group’s largest shareholder is Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the world’s largest bank, with a 20, 1% shareholding. In addition, Standard Bank Group and ICBC share a strategic partnership that facilitates trade and deal flow between Africa, China and select emerging markets.

For further information go to http://www.standardbank.co.za/cib