Organisers of the 7th Annual African Venture Capital Association conference (AVCA) were upbeat about the upcoming conference saying it addresses the most crucial issues of luring investors into Africa.
Venture Partners Botswana and Botswana IFSC are the organizers of the event which will see 3000 international and local delegates looking for investment opportunities gathering in Gaborone next month.
“The self- explanatory theme, Africa the new frontier; building on growth, will be the central focus of the three-day conference where up to 300 international delegates and local attendees will be afforded the chance to get a full understanding of the establishment of the private equity asset class in Botswana.
“Potential investors will also gain insight into investment opportunities that exist in Botswana through public private partnerships. These include tourism, financial services, resources and telecommunications sectors which have been identified as target areas for economic diversification,” the organizers said.
Further, the conference will also be a platform for the introduction of Botswana institutional funds to the ‘best of breed’ practitioners in Africa who can tap into Botswana’s liquidity. Participants are expected to be exposed to the fast growing private equity and venture capital industry which is internationally renowned to be more flexible compared to banking sector.
“The biggest advantage for all present, will be the chance to network and create beneficial business relationships across the financial services divide,” the statement said.
It will run from Monday the 17th to Tuesday the 18th of March 2008.
The conference will be the first event in the history of the country where monied institutions gather at those numbers.
During the participants’ short stay in Botswana, the tourism and transport industries are expected to have a windfall of over P 1 million.
A wide range of areas, such as infrastructure, energy and Utilities , banking and insurance services , real estate, among others, will be covered.
The conference will be held at the Gaborone International Conference Centre (GICC), and official accommodation for the conference will be provided by Walmont Ambassador, Mondior Summit and Metcourt Inn.