Author: imadahmed

Aman ki Asha, Family, Lahore, Pakistan, Pakistani Initiatives, Published Features, Published Work, Women's rightsLeave a comment

A cross-border friendship puts women in the driving seat

imadahmed

An Indo-Pak friendship born in the United States underlines the shared value of women’s empowerment Aman ki Asha | Dec 2, 2015 Imaduddin Ahmed Sightings of women driving pink rickshaws around Lahore have seized global media attention about the initiative to enfranchise women, those seeking to supplement their livelihood as well as those seeking safe passage. I first heard about the Pink Rickshaw being voiced as a concept some time back at the work desk of my ever-active khala (mother’s sister), Zar Aslam, when I was on a visit from Rwanda to see family in Lahore. That’s when I learnt … Continue reading A cross-border friendship puts women in the driving seat

Finance for PPPs & entrepreneurs, Financial Times, International Finance, Kinyarwanda, Published Features, Published Op Eds, Published Work, RwandaLeave a comment

PPP success in Rwanda shows potential for greater self-reliance

imadahmed

Financial Times Beyond BRICS | 2 April, 2015 New Times | 4 April, 2015 allAfrica | 4 April, 2015 World Bank EIN News Desk | 6 April, 2015 Twenty-one years after its genocide, Rwanda ranks 46th in the world for ease of doing business according to the World Bank, four spots below its former coloniser Belgium. This is flattering. The rush with which international lenders financed its energy utility’s first solar public private partnership (PPP) demonstrates that this ranking is not empty academic musing. Yet, in the same manner in which Rwandans drew on their own internal reserves of strength … Continue reading PPP success in Rwanda shows potential for greater self-reliance

African Businesses, Finance for PPPs & entrepreneursLeave a comment

African (frontier market) risks associated with PPP infrastructure

imadahmed

and how they can be mitigated. Compiled by a PPP transactions advisor to Rwanda (me). Barriers to private investment in African infrastructure: Country political risk –          Eg. medium or high likelihood of terrorist attacks, war, corruption, riots, strikes Risk of expropriation Payment risk Insolvency for state off-takers such as state utilities Inflation/currency depreciation Currency convertibility Risk mitigants and Rwanda’s experience: Country political risk – Solution: State to improve security internally by having a strong law enforcement agency and also by pursuing sustainable and fair domestic and foreign policy – Rwanda surveyed as the African country where citizens feel most safe according … Continue reading African (frontier market) risks associated with PPP infrastructure

Finance for PPPs & entrepreneurs, International Finance, Kinyarwanda, Published Op Eds, Published Work, Rwanda, The East African1 Comment

Is your local public-private partnership going to be a happy one?

imadahmed

By Imaduddin Ahmed and Shilesh Muralidhara The East African | January 11, 2014 Partnerships can be wonderful. They can also be disastrous. So, too, is this the case with partnerships entered into by governments and businesses for the delivery of public goods, which can either lose countries millions of dollars per project or initiate virtuous economic growth cycles. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are mechanisms in which governments transfer upfront costs and risks for infrastructure projects meeting public needs to private sector developers. Power plants, water treatment facilities, roads, stadia, airports, hospitals — all of these can be given birth under PPPs, … Continue reading Is your local public-private partnership going to be a happy one?

Africa, African Businesses, Finance for PPPs & entrepreneurs1 Comment

Stories private equity is looking for in Africa

imadahmed

Businesses: –    The business model is scalable –    There is a compelling case that there is large latent/unmet demand for the product/service –    Competition is underperforming/non-existing and barriers to entry are high –    Competition for financing a given firm is low (don’t want to enter a bidding war) –    Strong personal relationships with management –    Strong balance sheets for financial institutions (diligence their Accounts Receivable and recovery rates) –    Strong Debt Service Coverage Ratios for mature businesses Economies: –    Rapid growth in the urban middle class – rapid demand growth from the latent baseline –    Large domestic market –    Rule … Continue reading Stories private equity is looking for in Africa

Africa1 Comment

African cleavages

imadahmed

New to Sub-Saharan Africa but bitten by the private equity bug that says invest to capture its growth? Visualising SSA as one monolithic entity and having difficulty in breaking it into digestable parts? Here are a few cleavages to consider to get you going. Distinguish consumer markets with a lot of growth potential (economic growth rate, population size, political stability) from those that don’t Distinguish promising PPP partners for large infrastructure projects (political stability, foreign reserves, track-record for relations with infrastructure investors, BITs) Political stability: Read political histories of particular countries by reading books Follow Al Jazeera, Jeune Afrique/The Africa … Continue reading African cleavages