141016 - PFI Brochure Final
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The document discusses a program called Preparing for Finance and Investment (PFI) that aims to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in West Africa attract investment. PFI provides SMEs with tools, knowledge and advice to improve their organizations and make them more appealing to investors. This includes diagnostics, scorecards, business resources and workshops. High scoring SMEs will gain access to investors through networking events. The program is run by GFA Consulting and Urban Inclusion, who have experience advising thousands of African SMEs and facilitating billions in deals. PFI aims to close the gap between investors and SMEs in Africa.
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141016 - PFI Brochure Final
- 2. Context Raising capital is probably the biggest obstacle many entrepreneurs face when growing their business. With Africa widely regarded as the next investment frontier, many entrepreneurs like you may be wondering why it is so difficult to raise capital in a market which appears to have so many impact investment funds, venture capital funds, private equity firms, business development services and loan funds from international development agencies and banks. Why then is it so hard for SMEs in Africa to attract the right kind of finance to grow? Over the last five years, GFA and Urban Inclusion have been listening to the needs of the SME sector. We have combined this knowledge with extensive understanding of Equity and Debt Finance requirements and have developed a programme that will unlock your company’s potential and appeal to investors. Preparing for Finance and Investment (PFI) has been designed to target the missing middle: SMEs that are too big for micro-finance loans and grants, but too small for traditional private equity funds which suite large billion dollar infrastructure projects. There is a clear gap between the needs of the investor and the reality of the African business that needs to be closed. PFI has been designed to bring SMEs closer to investors.
- 3. GFA Consulting Ltd specializes in: Supporting African SMEs’ fundraising efforts providing them with the tools to increase their chances of financing their growth The analysis and optimization of the way African SMEs finance their growth: equity fundraising, bank debt, mezzanine debt, etc. Assisting management in the context of strategic transactions, whether mergers & acquisitions, sales and divestitures, joint-venture or business development agreements European Regional Development Fund Department for International Development UK Trade and Investment in Nigeria and UK GFA has experience across a range of industry sectors. Fast Food Carole Ramella, GFA’s CEO, has been involved in transactions covering more than 15 countries in 4 continents and aggregating nearly 30 billion US dollars in deal value. Urban Inclusion is an independent consultancy established in the UK in 2002 and expanded to Urban Inclusion – West Africa in Ghana in 2012. The company has in-depth project development and management experience and a track record of managing and delivering some of the most innovative business development programmes in the UK, Europe and West Africa that builds capacity and grows Micro Enterprises and SMEs. Urban Inclusion specializes in: Cross sector business development services ranging from business leadership and management, 1-2-1 business advice, business plan development, operational management, market research, innovations in marketing, and ISO 9001 Quality Assurance Coaching and mentoring for high growth SMEs and is currently working with the China Europe International Business School’s (CEIBS) Women’s Entrepreneurship and Leadership Programme for Africa (WELA) Access to Finance, supporting businesses in Ghana and Nigeria to access seed capital funds from local and international venture capital funds, private equity funds, banks, and Angel Investors from the Diaspora Em Ekong, Director of Urban Inclusion has worked with over 5,000 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises over the last 20 years and has developed, managed and delivered business support programmes for SMEs funded by: Who we are GFA Consulting Ltd is an independent corporate finance boutique based in Ghana and is dedicated to high growth African SMEs and African entrepreneurs who want to leverage on their entrepreneurial experience. Soros Economic Development Fund – Business Bomba (Sierra Leone) Transportation & Logistics Fruit and Vegetables Financial Services
- 4. Programme Overview Preparing for Finance and Investment (PFI) is a unique programme that provides ambitious SMEs in West Africa with the essential tools, knowledge and strategic planning advice that will support the development of investor ready businesses. The features of the programme include: Practicality: the program has been designed in such a way that it addresses participants’ issues and challenges and provides tailor-made solutions Participatory: all our interventions are built to allow participants to question themselves and their approach to business in order to support them to find their own solutions Sustainability: the overall objective of the programme is to have a sustainable impact on participants’ mindset so that we can bring SMEs closer to investors PFI is an innovative programme that is specifically targeted at African SMEs that: Are formally registered Have a minimum of 3 years trading history Have a current minimum turnover of $200,000 Require minimum funding of $200,000 The programme will provide SMEs with the tools to improve their organization and, therefore, increase their chances of successfully raising funds. PFI launches in November 2014 in Ghana, followed by Nigeria and Ivory Coast in Febru- ary and March, respectively. The programme is offered at a highly subsidized rate making it affordable for any serious SME seeking financial support. PFI has the following features: A 3 day in-house operational and financial diagnostic to review the SMEs’ internal organization and strategy and assess ways of improving the SMEs’ business case in view of the needs of the investor; A specially designed scorecard that will be used to provideSMEswithauniqueassessmentthathighlights core capabilities and areas that need to be developed in order to be investor ready, and to measure progress against objectives. High scoring projects will gain privileged access to SMEConnect Africa, a platform being developed for fund managers, business angels and banks to select projects of interest Clients will have access to business resources and information including business plan templates, a cash management toolkit, a range of fact-sheets for organizationaldevelopment,andspecialistworkshops such as Pitching and Presenting your Business or How to Write Effective Reports to help companies on this journey.
- 5. Privileged access to a large network of investors and lenders with whom partners have built strong relationships over the years. 6-month business mentoring and support services to implement an agreed action plan that will build the capacity of the management team; help prioritize corrective actions identified through the scoring process, and support to develop business plans and investment proposals, all of which will bring the client closer to the investor. PFI is a rolling programme and will have quarterly intakes from 2015. Places are limited in all three target countries so we recommend that you contact us as soon as you can. See contact details at the back of the brochure. Why you need to come on the programme Expected benefits for participating SMEs include: Tangible and measurable improvements to your company’s organization - Leading to greater efficiency and in turn profitability. Value for money – Minimum 50% cheaper than any currently available offers on the market coming from any major consulting brands. No solution imposed on you – We partner with you to identify and implement actions that are best suited to you and your organization, taking into account your objectives and your constraints. Project credibility – We will make sure that you end up with a realistic and executable investment proposition. Access to a large network of banks and investors – Projects meeting our minimum criteria will automatically be circulated to our network of banks and investors active on the Africa continent. Pre-financed transactional support – Highest scoring and sizeable projects will automatically be supported by us until the closing of the transaction.
- 6. Em Ekong’s Profile 20 years experience working as an SME advisor and business mentor Experience in the development and delivery of enterprise, employment and skills programmes in both the UK and West Africa to support women, young people and ethnic minority communities. Expertise in a large number of business support services: business coaching and mentoring; business planning; raising finance; business growth strategies; project evaluation,researchandconsultation;marketingstrategies;socialenterprisedevelopment; community capacity building and project management. Founder and Director of Urban Inclusion and The African and Caribbean Business Experience. BA (Hons) Economics and Finance, Strathclyde Business School; MSc. Development Economics, Manchester Business School. Michelle McKenzie’s Profile Over 20 years experience in education, academic, vocational and business, including lecturing, curriculum development, teacher training and management of educational and vocational mentoring programmes, peer mentoring and coaching of educational professionals. Extensive experience in community development and community based projects specializing in working with women. 20YearsExperienceinmentoringandcoaching,includingsettingupvolunteermentoring programmes and work based training. Extensive experience working in publishing and the creative industries developing writers and performance artists including mentoring, brand development, marketing and publishing. Founder and Director of Urban Affinity, a not-for-profit organisation which facilitates collaborationbetweenperformingandvisualartistsintheBlackDiaspora;andDirectorof Urban Inclusion. Graduate of University of Manchester, B.A. Hons. and Ph.D (partial); Teaching qualifications (Cambridge University) and Post Graduate PGCE (IfL/UEL). The Team Carole Ramella’s Profile 15 years experience in financial analysis, fundraising advisory, company valuation and mergers and acquisitions in France (Paribas, Arthur Andersen, Gras Savoye and Duff & Phelps). Experience with both SMEs and large multinational groups on transactions aggregating nearly 30 billion US Dollars in value and covering more than 15 countries on 4 continents. Expertise in a large number of sectors: information systems, publishing, financial services, transportation, logistics, pharmaceutical industry, hospitality, etc. Founder and Managing Director of GFA Consulting Ltd, a corporate finance boutique based in Ghana, specializing in fundraising advisory for SMEs operating in West and Central Africa. INSEAD MBA (Fontainebleau, France) and graduate of Reims Management School in France (major in Finance), Proficient in French, English and Italian
- 7. Carole Ramella – GFA Consulting Ltd Plot 54 (Phase I) 17 Palm Boulevard, Trasacco, Adjiringanor DTD CT 177, Cantonments Accra , Ghana Tel: +233 549 962 792 +233 501 394 220 Mail: cramella@gfa-consulting.com cramella23@gmail.com Em Ekong – Urban Inclusion Ltd No. C934/3, Off 5th Crescent, Asylum Down, PMB 375 AN, Accra, Ghana Tel: +233 509 333 000 +233 236 198 662 Mail: em.ekong@urbaninclusion.co.uk ekong.em@gmail.com