Infrastructure awards highlight development

Specialist investment communications firm Africa Investor (AI) held a gala ceremony in Sandton this week, honouring over 200 attendees who have contributed to infrastructure development in Africa. Three of the companies honoured at the event were involved in bringing Seacom's $650 million, 15 000km fibre-optic cable to fruition. The undersea cable will link southern and east Africa with India and Europe which, investors hope, will bring down the cost of broadband and boost socio-economic development on the continent.

The awards were part of AI's Infrastructure Project Summit and brought project sponsors from across Africa to pitch to investors. According to Danso, the event had the support of the African Union (AU), whose representatives will take delegates' recommendations on infrastructure development to heads of state at the AU summit in 2009. Among the other projects recognised at the event were the $300 million toll road upgrade in Lagos by Lekki Concession Company, a Nigerian concessionaire; and TAV Tunisie SA's building of two airports in Tunisia, at a cost of $940 million. "The awards demonstrate the extent of which infrastructure development in Africa is making a positive impact on growth across the continent, while at the same time delivering competitive returns for investors," said Dr Ken Kwaku, director of African Investment Advisory.

Triple Threat

Herakles Telecom was named Sponsor of the Year for its role in bringing the Seacom fibre-optic undersea cable to fruition. The New York-based development group was the sponsor that provided the venture capital and organised the development of the project. AI also singled out Nedbank for the ICT Deal of the Year award. Nedbank Capital, the investment banking arm of Nedbank Limited, was the debt arranger and lead debt provider to Seacom. Bell Dewar, formerly Bell Dewar & Hall, received the Africa Investor's Legal Advisor of the Year award. The firm provides legal services to Seacom. Speaking on the success of Seacom's partners at the awards, Danso said: “They had very passionate, dedicated people and sponsorship from around the continent. They are not only delivering a good product but also mobilising interest and capital from outside Africa, for infrastructure in Africa.” He also said Africa was benefiting from a flight to quality, with investors fleeing high-risk environments for ones perceived to be safer.

ITWEB

Africa's biggest and most ambitious infrastructure deals last night won high level recognition and praise at the first ever Africa investor (Ai) Infrastructure Awards. The eagerly anticipated winners were announced to over 200 attendees involved in Africa's infrastructure development at a gala ceremony at the Sandton Sun hotel.

The Ai Infrastructure Awards were created to highlight and profile exceptional business practices and economic achievements across the infrastructure spectrum in Africa and the crop of winners reveals the growing strength of African capacity to handle ever more extensive and impressive transactions.

The prestigious Transport Deal of the Year was taken by Nigerian concessionaire the Lekki Concession Company for its US $300 million toll road upgrade in Lagos. TAV Tunisie SA, which is building two new airports in Tunisia at a cost of $940m, took the Developer of the Year category, while Sponsor of the Year was awarded to Herakles Telecom for its role in bringing the 15,000km SEACOM fibreoptic undersea cable project to close.

The big winners of the night were South African banks, which swept four of the 15 Awards across the financial spectrum. Key investment banks Nedbank Capital and Standard Bank swept an award each - Nedbank received the ICT Deal of the Year Award for its role in the SEACOM deal while Standard Bank took the Bank Arranger of the Year for its track record arranging infrastructure finance for projects across Africa. Independent investment bank Fieldstone Africa walked away with Adviser of the Year while boutique fund manager Futuregrowth Asset Management went home with the Infrastructure Fund of the Year Award. Finally, the SADC Banking Association was delighted to be awarded the PPP Champion of the Year award for its tireless work to build capacity for PPP transactions.

Foreign investors were also recognised for pushing forward deals in Africa. The Power Deal of the Year Award was won by India's Tata Africa for its investment in Zambia's Zesco and oil giant Chevron took the Oil & Gas Deal of the Year for its role in the Angola LNG Project.

The public sector was not neglected either, for its work in areas of infrastructure yet to be mastered by private investors and developers. The African Development Bank won the Water Deal of the Year Award for the Niger Rural Water Sanitation project and the World Bank's private sector lending arm the International Finance Corporation took home the Social Infrastructure Deal of the Year Award for it's for its work on the Lesotho Hospital PPP project. In addition, South Africa's PPP Unit in the National Treasury won the Infrastructure Regulation Initiative of the Year Award for its work to stimulate greater take-up of PPP deals in the country.

Dr Ken Kwaku, Director of African Investment Advisory commented: "These first Ai Infrastructure Awards have been an unprecedented success and demonstrate the extent of which infrastructure development in Africa is making a positive impact on growth across the continent, whilst at the same time delivering competitive returns for investors."

Nomhle Canca, CEO of dinner sponsor Blue IQ commented: "We are proud to participate in the awarding of our fellow counterparts, who are facilitating the building of the African economy and showcasing our talent to the world. This is certainly not new to us - as Africans we have been building empires in our own backyards for centuries, as well as voting in black Presidents, and we will continue to take on great projects that will make the African continent globally competitive."

Blue IQ is the infrastructure investment arm of the Gauteng Provincial Government in South Africa. It invests in key economic sectors such as high value added manufacturing, business tourism, Information Technology (ICT) and logistics.

ENDS

For more information please contact Ayo Osunsanya on +44 207 189 8315 or aosunsanya@africa-investor.com or Alison Lock on alock@africa-investor.com or +27 11 783 2431.

Africa investor (Ai) is a specialist investment communications firm advising governments, international organisations and businesses on communication strategies for capital market and foreign direct investments in Africa. Africa investor publishes Africa investor, the leading international newsstand magazine for Africa's Infrastructure decision makers; maintains the Ai 40 Investors' Index, hosts the prestigious annual Africa investor Awards, the index Series Awards, and the annual Ai Projects Summit for infrastructure investors and developers. For more information visit www.africa-investor.com

The Ai Infrastructure Awards were held alongside the highly successful Ai Infrastructure Projects Summit, an exclusive platform for project sponsors, developers and investors to profile projects and discuss opportunities. The Summit's Platinum Sponsor was Standard Bank; Gold Sponsors were Nedbank Capital, Africa Infrastructure Investment Managers Pty (AIIM) and the Rivers State Government (Nigeria); the working lunch was sponsored by the African Development Bank; the session sponsor was the Pan African Infrastructure Development Fund (PAIDF) and the cocktail sponsor was Oceanic Bank International. The event's strategic sponsor was the European Union's Biz Climate Facility.

Winners, First Runners Up and Second Runners Up

Developer of the Year
TAV Tunisie SA Winner
Nampower 1st Runner up
Wind East Africa 2nd Runner up

ICT/Telecoms Deal of the Year
Nedbank Capital Winner
MTN 1st Runner up
Safaricom 2nd Runner up

Infrastructure Fund of the Year
Futuregrowth Asset Management (Pty) Ltd Winner
Pan African Infrastructure Development Fund (PAIDF) 1st Runner up
Africa Infrastructure Investment Fund (AIIF) 2nd Runner up

Infrastructure Regulation Initiative of the Year
PPP Unit National Treasury SA Winner
African Forum for Utility Regulators (AFUR) 1st Runner up
Lagos State Government 2nd Runner up

Power Deal of the Year
Tata Africa Holdings/Zesco Ltd Winner
Nampower 1st Runner up
The Tanjong Public Ltd 2nd Runner up

Water Deal of the Year
African Development Bank (AfDB) Winner
Almiyah Attilemcania SpA 1st Runner up
National Water and Sewage Corporation (NWSC) 2nd Runner up

Social Infrastructure Deal of the Year
International Finance Corporation (IFC) Winner
The Millenium Challenge Corporation 1st Runner up
The African Development Fund 2nd Runner up

PPP Champion of the Year
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Banking Association Winner
Oceanic Bank Plc 1st Runner up
Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF) 2nd Runner up

Transport Deal of the Year
Lekki Concession Company Ltd Winner
Standard Bank 1st Runner up
Akwa Ibom International Airport 2nd Runner up

Oil & Gas Deal of the Year
Chevron Winner
Eni 1st Runner up
Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited 2nd Runner up

Legal Adviser of the Year
Bell Dewar & Hall Winner
Chadbourne & Parke 1st Runner up
Norton Rose 2nd Runner up

Adviser of the year
Fieldstone Winner
International Finance Corporation (IFC) 1st Runner up
Emerging Capital Partners (ECP) 2nd Runner up

Bank Arranger of the Year
Standard Bank Winner
Nedbank Capital 1st Runner up
Standard Bank 2nd Runner up

Construction Company of the Year
Salini COSTRUTTORI S.p.A. Winner
WBHO Construction [Pty] Limited 1st Runner up
The Arab Contractors (AC) 2nd Runner up

Sponsor of the Year
Heracles Telekom Winner
TAV Airports Holding 1st Runner up
IPSA Group Plc 2nd Runner up

Africa investor (Ai), a leading international investment research and communication group, today announced the shortlist for the Ai Infrastructure Investment Awards.

The Awards reward and recognise the performance of Investors, stakeholders, developers, contractors, and regulators in Africa's fast-growing infrastructure sectors. The Ai Awards ceremony will take place at a gala dinner on the 10th of November 2008 at the Sandton Sun, Johannesburg, South Africa.

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