Standard Bank Group, the biggest bank in Africa by asset, and Meridiam, an independent investment Benefit Corporation and an asset manager, hosted a joint event to unlock investment opportunities in alternate energy infrastructure on the continent.
Meridiam has been building its investment credentials on the continent since 2015 and has partnered with Standard Bank for over the past 4 years focussing on alternate energy infrastructure projects. Last year, the company bought BTE Renewables assets in Kenya, a company which reportedly operates and develop 250 MW of onshore wind and solar projects in the country.
“Given our unrivalled footprint across the continent, we are regularly looking to work with partners that share our vision for building this continent that we call home, and this kind of event is important to mark the excellent work that has gone before and the joint work we intend to continue,” says Zen Dlamini, Head of Public Sector and Infrastructure at Standard Bank.
Under the theme “Unlocking public infrastructure investment in South Africa,” the two entities hosted a mix of corporate executives, government, and media stakeholders for an event that both offered reflections on the investment done and the work that still needs to be done.
“We are singularly focused on funding projects that advance the growth and development of African countries and with Standard Bank we have a partner that is in sync with our vision,” says Thierry Déau, the founder and Chief Executive of Meridiam.
Last month President Ramaphosa signed the Electricity Regulation Amendment Act which sets out far-reaching reforms of South Africa’s electricity sector, including the establishment of a competitive electricity market. The Act will enable additional private sector involvement in the local energy market.
“The SA government is on a reform journey that requires cross-societal support, partnerships such as these are encouraging offshoots that contribute to the growth needed to get to our destination,” says Rudi Dicks, Head of the Project Management Office in the Presidency who attended the event.
The two companies committed to continue to leverage opportunities in the energy sector across the continent.
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Zuko Tisani founded Legazy Technology Conferencing that helps technology start-ups exhibit their talents on a global scale through platforms such as Web Summit. This enables them to reach their peers and sell their technology ideas to the right people at an affordable rate. Legazy is now a subsidiary of the By Design Communications Group. It was acquired after Tisani managed to secure a USD1 million letter of intent from one of Africa\’s largest TMT (technology, media, telecom) companies for the hosting of a new Web summit conference in South Africa in 2018. He is also part of the world\’s top 350 handpicked entrepreneurs in the world under 25, according to the Kairos Global Society.