Africa Compliance Hub – Introduction
The Africa Compliance Hub (ACH) is a private intelligence hub that provides a platform for the secure and anonymised exchange of risk management information from around the world. As a starting point the hub will focus mainly on AML and counter terrorist financing (CFT), sanctions and embargoes, anti-bribery, and corruption (ABC) and environmental, social and governance (ESG) solutions. The ACH will enable the members to better measure, understand, manage, and mitigate the risk and compliance expectations of African companies and countries. The platform will help these members better measure, understand, manage, and mitigate the risk and compliance expectations of ‘western’ companies and investors.
Join us at our launch event on 12th February at 12:00 pm (GMT) as we share some insights into the benefits of becoming a member.
The ACH is particularly relevant since the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement, comprising 54 countries except Eritea, came into effect on the 1st of January 2021. But the question at the top of every investors mind is how risk-free it is to do business in Africa, even with the AfCFTA in effect. According to the head of the trade bloc’s secretariat: “Most African countries are not ready to implement the terms of the African Continental Free Trade Area when the new zone comes into effect on January 1”. With the 33 countries that have ratified the agreement there is still a lack of trust by investors as a lot of businesses in Africa simply lack best practise, procedures and infrastructure to facilitate tariff-free trade. Also with Brexit finally signed off, the UK will definitely be looking to Africa’s emerging markets for new trade deals as it has recently signed deals with about 46 African countries.
Indeed, these are some of the issues which the ACH is designed to address.
Partners
Speakers
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Ayo AdepojuGroup Chief Financial Officer at Ecobank Transnational IncorporatedAyo Adepoju is a First Class graduate, a chartered accountant with several prize awards and a class professional with a top-notch quality working experience both in Africa and Western Europe.
He currently acts as the Group Chief Financial Officer of an African banking group. -
Dr. Francis MangeniHead Trade Promotions and Programs at AfCFTA SecretariatDr Francis Mangeni has held various Professional Positions in his career spanning over 20 years. He is an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda and has taught Law at Makerere University and Law Development Centre on the Bar Course, as well as the Faculty of Technology at Makerere University, the Management Training Institute and the Police Training School in Uganda and taught Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science in the United Kingdom.
He previously held professional positions as: Legal Advisor to the Government of the Republic of Malawi on the Multilateral Trade System and Regional Integration; Advisor on Intellectual Property at the UN South Centre based in Geneva to the Geneva-based African Embassies covering WTO and WIPO; Senior Economist and Diplomat at the African Union Embassy to the UN the WTO and the Common Fund for Commodities based in Geneva and Holland; Africa Regional Trade Policy Advisor based at the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa Ethiopia; Member of the Uganda Inter-Institutional Ministerial Committee and Director of Trade, Customs and Monetary Affairs of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa since 2009.
His work has assisted reforms of the International Economic Order for instance in the area of access to life-saving medicine and flexibilities for building sound technological bases, national and regional economic policy and regulatory reforms, deepening of economic integration in Africa, and it has built better negotiation capacity for Africa in the Multilateral Trade System and with development partners.
Francis Mangeni has various charities which support public health and education, and orphans and monastic orders. Dr Mangeni holds a Doctorate in International Economic Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science. -
Hon. Minister Seedy KeitaMinister for Trade, Industry, Regional Integration, and Employment - The GambiaMr Keita holds double Masters degrees in Business Administration and Financial Management from Edinburgh Business School, Herriot-Watt University. He recently obtained a Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Strategy from Said Business School, University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
Mr Keita, until his appointment as Minister was Director Finance Department at the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector in Jeddah from 2011 to date. He first joined the Corporation in 1999 as a Young Professional Core Team Member, and rose through the ranks. In The Gambia, Mr Keita worked at the Accountant General’s Department and The Gambia Civil Aviation Authority, where he held various positions to the level of Chief Accountant before he left for a World Bank funded Health Project in 1998.
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Jean Paul NdjembaFounder & CEO of Matha CapitalJean Paul Ndjemba is Founder & CEO of Matha Capital. Until June 2017, he was Executive Director and Country Head of Global Banking for Standard Chartered Bank Cote d’Ivoire, overseeing Corporate, Investment and Institutional Banking, Treasury and Transaction Banking. Before relocating to Cote d’Ivoire, he held the position of Executive Director and Country Head of Corporate and Institutional Clients at Standard Chartered Bank Mauritius Limited from 2011 to 2014. Prior to that Jean Paul was Head of Global Corporate for Standard Chartered Bank Vietnam Limited, in addition to his Governance role as Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank Hanoi Branch. Jean Paul was also the Chief Representative of Standard Chartered Bank in Vietnam’s Asia Commercial Bank, an affiliate company of Standard Chartered Bank between 2007 and 2009. In Singapore, he held the roles of Group Product Manager in Transaction Banking, overseeing Clearing and Continuous Linked Settlement in 56 countries and Senior Manager in Asia Governance and Strategic initiatives while at Standard Chartered Bank Singapore. He has a solid experience in many areas of Banking including Corporate and Investment Banking, Financial Markets, Transaction Banking and Governance. Jean Paul brings with him a wealth of diverse experience with 16 years in Banking across Asia and Africa. In addition, he held senior positions in Banking in Cameroon, Singapore, Vietnam and Mauritius. Jean Paul graduated from The George Washington University with degrees in Finance and Economics.