Sponsors and partners

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This is Africa, a publication from the Financial Times Ltd, examines African business and politics in a global context makes sense of the relationships that Africa is building with the rest of the world. It aims to challenge international preconceptions about the continent and to identify the opportunities and the risks in this dynamic business environment. This is Africa equips senior decision makers with the knowledge to understand the evolution of African economies, find partners and investments that match their criteria for return, or development, and position their brands to take advantage of the rise of the African consumer.

www.thisisafricaonline.com

In association with

London Stock Exchange Group is Europe's leading diversified exchange business, incorporating Borsa Italiana and the London Stock Exchange. With over 400 member firms trading and more than 3,000 companies quoted across its markets, the Group operates the largest and most liquid equity marketplace in Europe.

The London Stock Exchange itself is the world's most international exchange with more than 600 overseas companies from over 70 countries. These figures include international companies quoted on AIM, the London Stock Exchange's growth market, and the world's most successful market for small and medium sized enterprises with over 1,100 companies.

Lead sponsor

Standard Bank, also trading as Stanbic Bank, is Africa’s biggest bank by assets and earnings. A mainstay of South Africa’s financial system for 150 years, they have expanded across Africa in the last two decades. They have a presence in 18 African countries and 13 countries outside Africa. Specialist product teams and global distribution capability back their capacity in strategically significant regions worldwide.

Their strategic intent is to build the leading African financial services organisation, focused on Personal & Business banking, Corporate & Investment banking.

Standard Bank connect selected emerging markets to Africa and to each other. They apply their sector expertise, particularly in natural resources, globally. In countries where they do not have a physical presence, they partner with dependable and capable domestic banks. This effectively extends their network, providing coverage in emerging and established economies.

Their African footprint and in-depth local market knowledge are keystones of their competitive advantage. Besides the long heritage in natural resources, they also have experience in all key sectors. But Standard Bank's most important differentiator is their people who are passionate about the corporate strategy, wherever in the world they are based.

Their in-country teams provide clients with relevant experience and deep insight into local commercial dynamics and regulatory implications. They build close relationships with clients and leverage the synergies of their specialist product and global distribution teams to deliver apt and innovative solutions.

They have a strong relationship with China’s largest bank, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), which bought 20% of Standard Bank in 2008. This relationship gives them access to the world’s fastest growing economy and enhances their ability to facilitate and finance trade flows between Africa and Asia.

www.standardbank.com

Exclusive legal sponsor

White & Case is peerless in Africa, advising clients on the African continent for over 30 years.

With 38 offices in 26 countries and over 2,200 lawyers globally, including 500 securities lawyers, White & Case is a truly global firm. Heralded as a leader in the emerging markets, White & Case has a long-term commitment to the African continent, having opened an office in Johannesburg in 1995.

They continue to advise on ground-breaking capital markets transactions bringing a wealth of experience, local knowledge and expertise which in turn enables them to provide commercial solutions to complex issues and to put together innovative structures for their clients.

White & Case is at the forefront of African capital markets having advised on many “firsts” in the region: they worked on the first corporate bond from Nigeria in 2006 and advised the first Nigerian bank on listing its equity on the London Stock Exchange in 2007. In 2010, they advised Life Healthcare on the largest IPO on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and in the same year advised on the first bond by an East African issuer. In 2009, White & Case acted for Afren on its move from AIM to the FTSE 250, another first. Despite the challenging global investment climate, in 2011 they advised Nigeria, Senegal and Namibia on their debut 144A securities offerings and continue to be active on a number of future deals for debut issuers in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2012.

Associate sponsor

Deloitte

Africa is going through an exciting period of growth. While Europe struggles to recover from recession, the African markets are experiencing GDP growth rates of up to 9 percent. Booming populations, rising living standards and improvements in education are supporting this growing continental economy.

While South Africa is in many ways a gateway to the rest of Africa, there are many opportunities in Nigeria, Kenya and other parts of the continent.

The Africa Services Group at Deloitte has been working out of the London office since 1979. They have a well established relationship with the African offices and have developed a culture of cross-border working which has delivered Deloitte UK and Africa seamlessly to their clients.

Over the years, there has been an enormous appetite by companies in Africa to grow their global footprints and for many that has meant moving their primary listings to London and raising capital in the London markets through AIM and the full board.

Deloitte offers integrated services that include Audit, Tax, Consulting and Corporate Finance. Their approach combines insight and innovation from multiple disciplines with business and industry knowledge to help their clients excel anywhere in the world.

Deloitte deliver outstanding impact on the reputation and success of their clients, in the UK and globally. In pursuing this they contribute to a sustainable and prosperous society

www.deloitte.com

Associate sponsor

BNY Mellon acts as depositary for more than 2,500 American and global depositary receipt programs, acting in partnership with leading companies from 68 countries. BNY Mellon is committed to helping securities issuers access the world’s rapidly evolving financial markets and delivers a comprehensive suite of depositary receipt services.

BNY Mellon is a global financial services company focused on helping clients manage and service their financial assets, operating in 36 countries and serving more than 100 markets. BNY Mellon is a leading provider of financial services for institutions, corporations and high-net-worth individuals, offering superior investment management and investment services through a worldwide client-focused team. It has $27.1 trillion in assets under custody and administration and $1.3 trillion in assets under management, services $11.5 trillion in outstanding debt, and processes global payments averaging $1.4 trillion per day. BNY Mellon is the corporate brand of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation. Follow them on Twitter@BNYMellon or visit the website below.

www.bnymellon.com

PR sponsor

Pelham Bell Pottinger is the corporate and financial communications arm of Bell Pottinger Private, one of the world's leading strategic communications consultancies with an international network. Led by 34 senior consultants, they provide their clients with a completely integrated portfolio of communications services – blending research and analysis with digital and television skills as well as media, political and investor relations.

A rising force in global financial communications, Pelham Bell Pottinger advises more than 150 financial communications clients including world class brands. Ranked number two in the Morningstar All-Market Advisers rankings guide and in the top ten Global Mergers and Acquisitions mergermarket league tables, in 2011, the Pelham Bell Pottinger team advised on some 56 transactions valued at US$25 billion.

Partner publication

The Banker is an invaluable source of cutting-edge market intelligence for finance professionals throughout the world. It leads the debate on all the issues surrounding the global banking industry, providing in-depth news and analysis, exclusive interviews with senior industry figures and definitive regional bank listings, including the internationally acclaimed Top 1000 World Banks.

www.thebanker.com

Partner publication

fDi Intelligence is a specialist division of the Financial Times, established to provide industry leading insight into globalisation with a portfolio of world-class products, services and business tools. fDi Intelligence enables both companies and economic development organisations to make informed decisions regarding their foreign direct investment strategies.

www.fdiintelligence.com