484-595-0100
Securitas Partner Matthew Stewart Named to EXIM Bank 2019 Africa Advisory Committee

Securitas Partner Matthew Stewart Named to EXIM Bank 2019 Africa Advisory Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM Bank) yesterday announced the appointment of Securitas Partner Matthew Stewart to its 2019 Sub-Saharan Advisory Committee.  Stewart joins 10 other appointees on the committee, which is tasked with advising the EXIM Board of Directors “on the development and implementation of policies and programs designed to promote EXIM engagement in Sub-Saharan Africa.”  The committee was appointed by the EXIM Board of Directors at the conclusion of yesterday’s EXIM board meeting.

“My fellow EXIM board members and I congratulate the new members of the EXIM Sub-Saharan Africa Advisory Committee.  These advisory committee members bring important perspectives and expertise as we focus on increasing U.S. exports to the region.”

EXIM President and Chair Kimberley A. Reed  

The EXIM Bank is an independent federal agency that promotes and supports U.S. exports by providing competitive and necessary export credit to overseas purchasers of U.S. goods and services.  As EXIM works to boost U.S. trade and investment in Sub-Saharan Africa, Stewart brings valuable experience and expertise to the advisory committee.  A Securitas partner since 2011 Stewart has lead Securitas’ trade support expansion in Africa and the Middle East, with experience in the areas of debt financing, political risk insurance, as well as logistics, negotiation, and regulatory analysis for exporters and buyers.

Prior to joining Securitas, Matt worked over 15 years in commercial banking and has extensive experience in executing due diligence and underwriting credit for middle market clients. Stewart is a graduate of Baylor University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a double major in Accounting and Economics. He received the Omicron Delta Epsilon honor for Economics in 1996.

 

See also:
EXIM announces Members of the 2019 Africa Advisory Committee

https://www.exim.gov/news/exim-announces-members-2019-sub-saharan-africa-advisory-committee

 

About Securitas Global Risk Solutions

Since 2004, Securitas Global Risk Solutions (“Securitas”) has helped clients across the United States develop solutions to mitigate credit risk to achieve their financial goals.  As a specialty insurance broker focused on developing trade credit and political risk insurance programs, Securitas is focused on finding coverage for difficult credits to protect businesses from unexpected credit losses.  See our Website at https://www.securitasglobal.com/. for more information, or contact us at:

900 West Valley Road

Suite 701

Wayne, PA 19087

Telephone: 484-595-0100

Fax: 484-582-0111

info@securitasglobal.com

Pamela M. Bates Joins Securitas

Pamela M. Bates Joins Securitas

PB

Securitas Global Risk Solutions is delighted to announce that Pamela Bates has joined our team to provide customized solutions to mitigate credit and investment risk in global markets.  Pamela will be based in Virginia, where, in addition to risk mitigation, she will provide strategic and policy advice to assist our clients in navigating international business opportunities.  Working for the U.S. Department of State for over two decades as a foreign service officer, Pamela managed U.S. diplomatic efforts on energy, information technology and government procurement issues.   In addition, she earned an MBA from the Wharton School.  Pamela brings the skills, knowledge and network to support our clients’ international expansion goals.

International markets provide outstanding opportunities for U.S. exporters to diversify their customer base.  Securitas provides risk mitigation strategies to help reduce the uncertainty associated with approaching new markets.  Pamela will concentrate on solutions ranging from mitigating private sector credit risk, sovereign contract frustration risk, financing international trade, protecting equity investments against political risk, along with government relations strategies, to bring products to global markets.

Having previously lived and worked in France, Germany, Switzerland, and Brazil, Pamela has an extensive network of contacts around the world. She speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and French, along with English.  While a State Department employee, she taught classes on diplomatic tradecraft, including how to evaluate sources of risk.  In addition to her MBA, Pamela earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Environmental Studies from Bowdoin College in Maine and a Master’s degree in International Affairs from the Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies.

Thank you for welcoming Pamela to Securitas team.

MBA students from the McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University, complete their third South African project with Securitas Global Risk Solutions

A project team consisting of five MBA students from the McDonough School of Business completed a project in correlation with Securitas, which examined the feasibility of developing an aquaculture feed production plant in South Africa.

The project team had a period of twelve weeks, culminating with a week in Johannesburg, South Africa, to deliver its presentation.

The objective was to determine whether investment in a fish feed plant could deliver a nominal rate of return of 18% or higher and, if so, which partners Securitas should work with to pursue the venture.  Oceanwise Ltd. (Oceanwise), a South African aquaculture producer of Dusky Kob fish, was identified as one potential partner, and an American animal feed manufacturer, was another.

Two different investment options were identified: A smaller bolt-on retrofit production line and a new greenfield plant, were analyzed to gauge their potential profitability.

To evaluate this business opportunity, market forecasts for the aquaculture industries in numerous Sub-Saharan African countries were developed to gauge the size of the region’s potential customer demand. Nigeria and Ghana were revealed to be much larger markets than South Africa, though the prospect of serving these markets via export poses considerable challenges.

 

Goldman Sachs Equity Research “Africa’s Turn”

Now Is the Time to Invest in Africa, New Report Says

By MacKenzie C. Babb | Staff Writer | 30 May 2012

Assistant Secretary Carson says Africa “represents the next global economic frontier” and is encouraging U.S. businesses to invest in the continent’s future.

Washington — The time to do business in Africa is now, according to a new report from global business consulting company Goldman Sachs.

“Africa is something investors have to think about, for long-term growth (either participating in it or missing it), for its economic implications for the world, and for the need for Africa to succeed in order to enable it to supply the world with scarce resources,” says the company’s March report on Africa.

The report says the continent “has a major role to play in resolving the world’s commodity, food and labor constraints in the near, medium and long term.”

Although the continent is getting positioned to offer increased agricultural, mineral and commodities exports, Goldman Sachs said Africa’s potential “is about much more than resources as it evolves and climbs the consumption, urbanization and perhaps industrialization curves” mounted by other developing nations.

“Clearly there are many risks, from climate to corruption, from competence to capital, but recently it seems that more is going right than ever before,” the report says.

With the continent expected to have the world’s largest workforce by the middle of the 21st century, and with one in 10 Africans expected to be in the global middle class by 2030, Africa is looking more than ever like the next frontier for investment.

But barriers still exist. Unstable governments, high trade tariffs and inadequate education remain problems in several African countries that stand to work against the continent’s economic growth.

But the main impediment to growth is poor infrastructure.

“Moving goods around Africa takes longer and costs more than in most places in the world,” the report says. “On top of this, Africa scores very badly in terms of number of power outages and poorly on transport infrastructure per capita.”

Goldman Sachs said correcting this problem will require that the funding mix shift away from governments and toward more private sector involvement, including foreign capital. “Removing this brake on growth is essential” for African growth, the report adds.

Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson recently led a U.S. trade mission to Mozambique, Tanzania, Ghana and Nigeria to look at potential investment projects with the aim of enhancing the countries’ ability to generate electric power — a key infrastructure need for Africa. The mission, which was co-sponsored by the Corporate Council on Africa, made a brief stop in Kenya as well.

The United States will host the 11th U.S.–Sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum, also known as the AGOA Forum, June 14–15 with the theme of “Enhancing Africa’s Infrastructure for Trade.” That forum will be followed by a U.S.-Africa Business Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, June 21–22, that will echo the AGOA Forum’s themes of infrastructure development, particularly in the areas of energy, transportation, water and sanitation.

 

A copy of the Goldman Sachs report:

http://www.fusioninvestmentsltd.com/downloads/gs_research_africas_turn.pdf