The catalyst to Africa’s growth lies centrally on the ability to develop and maintain its infrastructure. From Cairo to Johannesburg, Lagos to Nairobi, the key to improved competitiveness in business environment and quality of life is infrastructural development. Without it, Africa will not be in a position to become a key global player in the coming decades. Infrastructure stands in as the plug that completes the equation on what the continent needs and must do to remain globally relevant. This panel will highlight the relationship between infrastructural development, economic growth and the prosperity of the African continent. Furthermore, the panelists will highlight the opportunities available for future investments, legal and regulatory constraints involved in these investments as well as challenges facing infrastructural development in Africa.

Omololu Adubifa, Country Executive, GE

Mr. Lolu Adubifa is currently the Country Executive for GE Energy in Nigeria. In this role he is responsible for the strategic growth of the various energy businesses in Nigeria. This encompasses power generation, energy services and T&D businesses.

Lolu has over a decade’s experience in the Energy industry in North America, and West Africa. He has held roles in management consulting with Arthur D. Little in Boston, where he was involved in studies on renewable energies, financial evaluations, as well as valuation methodologies for electric and gas utilities.

Upon his return to Nigeria, he joined Accenture as a senior management staff, where he was involved in the Energy and Strategy practice consulting for various clients including the National Petroleum Company (NNPC).

Mr. Adubifa holds a B.Sc in Electrical Engineering from the Univ. Of Nevada, and an MBA (Finance and Strategic Mgmt) from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Tshepo Mahloele, CEO, Harith Fund Managers

Mr. Mahloele is the Chief Executive Officer of Harith Fund Managers which manages the Pan African Infrastructural Development Fund (PAIDF). PAIDF was created to raise funds for infrastructure on the African continent He has over 14 years of transactional experience in project finance, private equity, investment banking and corporate finance. He also has extensive experience in infrastructure finance, having been involved in the financing of the ground-breaking Maputo Toll Road. He also headed the Corporate Finance and Isibaya Fund division of Public Investment Trust Corporation (PIC). The PIC is the largest investment manager in South Africa with assets under management of over $90billion. He was awarded the ABSIP Corporate Financier award for 2003/2004 as well as 2004/2005.

Mr. Mahloele holds a B. Proc degree from University of Rhodes and has completed various program and certificates in Finance and Venture Capital. He is currently a Board Member of Telkom Ltd and Capitec Bank.

Cyrille Arnould, Senior Investment Officer, European Investment Bank

Arnould graduated from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques, Université Robert Schuman. He also received a Masters in Law from Université Robert Schuman and holds an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. In 2009, he became head of the European Investment Bank’s, Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund (EIB).

Prior to joining EIB, Mr. Arnould was Senior Officer in the European Investment Bank’s African Caribbean and Pacific department where he specialized in financial sector operations. As part of his global exposure he also worked in Russia for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), as the Investment Manager for Smolensk Regional Venture Fund and then as EBRD's Principal Banker. His other professional experience includes Business Planning Manager for Eurodisney's. Mr. Arnould is currently chairman of the board of Advans SA SICAR and member of the boards of MicroCred SA as well as Banque Régionale des Marchés (Dakar, Senegal).

Kola Karim, CEO and Founder, Shoreline International

Kola Karim is the Group Managing Director/CEO Shoreline Energy International Ltd (a leading energy and infrastructure company focused on Africa). His current portfolio consists of business in the construction, commodity trading, agro-allied products, oil and gas, engineering and power sectors. In addition, he is also the current Chairman of Costain West Africa Plc and Nigerian Ropes Plc, and serves as director in seven (7) subsidiary companies including Schlumberger Testing & Production Services Nigeria Limited, Alumaco Plc.

Mr. Karim is a Young Global Leader 2008 Award winner and also a pioneer and member of the Global Agenda Council on Emerging Multinationals.

He has attended many courses both locally and international including management and leadership courses at the prestigious Harvard Business School and John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Mr. Karim is a member of the Institute of Directors, Nigeria (IoD), Lagos Polo Club, Ikoyi Club 1938 and Lagos Motor Boat Club.

Babatunde Onitiri, Country Head, International Finance Corporation

Mr. Onitiri is currently the IFC Country Manager for Angola and Mozambique, with overall responsibility for IFC’s investment and technical assistance activities in Mozambique and Angola.

Prior to joining the IFC in 2004, Mr. Onitiri was an Assistant Director at Emerging Markets Partnership (EMP), where he was involved in over $150 million private equity investments in major infrastructural sectors in Africa. Before then he was a Manager in the Project Finance group at InterGen, a global power generation company, based initially in Miami.

Mr. Onitiri was also an Assistant Vice President in the Project Finance Group of Sanwa Bank New York, where he structured project finance transactions in the energy and infrastructure industries.

Mr. Onitiri holds an MBA from the Wharton School, an MA in Management and International Studies from the Lauder Institute of the University of Pennsylvania, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University, and a B.A. in Engineering Science and Economics from Oxford University.

Jonathan Hoffman, Co-Founder and Director of InfraCo Management Services Ltd (IMS)

Jonathan Hoffman is a Co-Founder and Director of InfraCo Management Services Ltd (IMS).  IMS provides risk capital and takes an active development role in infrastructure projects in sub-Saharan Africa (see www.infraco.com). Jonathan is responsible for identifying and executing business in certain countries of Sub-Saharan Africa (currently focused on Tanzania and Senegal). He had previously been involved in numerous projects in Southeast Asia.

Prior to InfraCo, Jonathan worked in investment banking at Bear Stearns focusing on leveraged finance and M&A, and also at Ackman-Ziff in real estate finance. His introduction to infrastructure development was at ABB Equity Ventures where he led efforts to develop and invest in water projects.

Jonathan is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and received his MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. He resides in New York City where he is active in local charities and is a Trustee of the Theodore Roosevelt Association.