2019 WORLD BANK/IMF SPRING MEETING

April 2019: The Center for Global Health and Development, Sarona, Gilead and AfricInvest co-hosted a high-level roundtable on the margins of the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, dedicated to creating an action plan to catalyze private sector investment into African markets. This discussion features representatives from governments, development agencies, multi-lateral organizations, heads of investment firms and investment banks and select NGOs who came together to discuss a new way forward to create strategic partnerships with the private sector to catalyze sustainable financing of global development initiatives.

Featured Speakers

Gerhard Pries
Founder, Managing Partner and CEO, Sarona Asset Management

QUESTION 1: Sarona was one of the first impact investors. Opening remarks including why Sarona decided to invest into emerging and frontier markets.

QUESTION 2: From the private investor side, what is needed to begin to move the discussion from theory into action?

QUESTION 1: As one of the oldest impact investment firms in Africa, what is the investment landscape in Africa, and what needs to happen to increase investment?

QUESTION 2: What is your view on how to guide the attendees towards a practical and action agenda moving forward?

QUESTION 1: Gilead has catalyzed capital into healthcare in emerging markets. How do we unlock the necessary human capital to create access to healthcare?

QUESTION 2: What do you see as concrete next steps to catalyze private investment into emerging markets?

QUESTION: Historically, how have development agencies catalyzed investment with private sector capital and moving forward, where do we go from here?

QUESTION: Moving to the private sector, Credit Suisse has invested in education and other sectors. How do we get practical, that is, how can we engage the private sector in endeavors such as the education offering at USAID?

QUESTION 1: Practicality requires solutions. As USAID has prioritized engagement of the private sector, what steps need be taken to increase private sector engagement and investments to develop partnerships from a financial and social impact perspective?

QUESTION 2: There is quite a bit of private equity interest in what USAID is doing in education especially providing educational opportunities to the lower ends of the socio-economic pyramid, what insight can you offer regarding encouraging investment?"

Moatz Yeken
Sr. Advisor to the Minister of Investment & Int'l Cooperation, Arab Republic of Egypt;

QUESTION: Egypt has seen significant private investment in the past several years. What are the obstacles for private sector investment in Egypt and how can governments and foundations assist in mobilizing additional private sector capital.

Tim Evans
Senior Director of Health, Nutrition and Population, World Bank

QUESTION: What are some of the different interventions that are happening at the World Bank and in collaboration with USAID?

Erik Bethel
United States Representative to the World Bank

QUESTION: Private investors are now working more closely with finance ministers and other government officials to create blended financing mechanisms. What needs to happen to complete these investments and thereby unlock the capital necessary to create sustainability?

Ann Wyman
Director-Client Relations,
AfricInvest

QUESTION: "How do we take private sector practical solutions and actually work with the development agencies?"

Etienne Grall
Director Strategy & Operations,
FinDev Canada

QUESTION: We have 4 paths from the UK, three levels from the Dutch, what are Canada's views on how we go forward in the catalytic role that DFIS can play?"

Karl Hoffman
President and CEO, PS

QUESTION: Private equity investment into emerging markets has always presented a challenge. From an NGO perspective, what are your thoughts on how to engage private investors into global health, education and other sectors?

Sari Miller
CEO, Sarjay, Inc.

QUESTION: Moving to a more practical approach, you are an excellent example of a private investor making a prudent investments into emerging markets. What motivated you to make these investments, what did you look at in determining whether to invest or not to invest?

Ikuo Takizawa
Deputy Director General,
Human Development Department, JICA

QUESTION: JICA works in the area of moving private sector capital into Africa, what are JICA's priorities and mechanisms to catalyze more private capital into African markets?

Pradeep Kakkattil
Director, Program
Partnerships and Fundraising, UNAIDS

QUESTION: Turing to the role of how private sector investment can catalyze innovations in healthcare and other sectors, what steps has UNAIDS taken to catalyze investment and what steps need be taken moving forward?

Omer Besbes
Associate Professor of Business Decision Risk and Operations, Columbia University

QUESTION: JICA works in the area of moving private sector capital into Africa, what are JICA's priorities and mechanisms to catalyze more private capital into African markets?

Jason Grove
Divisional Vice-President,
International Government Affairs, Abbott

QUESTION: Abbot has developed new innovations in diagnostics and access, and you have been working with some companies/institutions and agencies around this table. Please describe some of the projects that are underway and what can and should be done moving forward to catalyze private investment into Africa and other emerging markets.

Charles Bleehen
Consultant on Development Policy and Finance
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

QUESTION: Please provide the perspective from the philanthropic side on blended financing mechanisms and how they may catalyze investment into emerging and frontier markets.