Finance forum discusses Shariah-compliant investment in Africa

The African Islamic Finance Forum 2015, giving potential investors an opportunity to explore development opportunities in Islamic finance in the Ivory Coast, was held last week at the Sofitel Abidjan Hotel Ivoire.

The two-day event featured discussions about key African markets.

The first day included a global overview of Shariah-compliant transactions and the industry as a whole, followed by a session on Africa’s blueprint for Islamic finance development. A panel discussed Africa’s value proposition, opportunistic venture and the healthy pipeline of infrastructure and project finance in the country, and the final segment elaborated on initiatives in developing Ivory Coast as a Shariah-compliant investment destination.

The second day presented a panel discussion on the application of Shariah-compliant tools to small and medium enterprise (SME) financing and micro-finance, followed by a presentation by INOKS Capital on investment opportunities in African SMEs. The later session featured another roundtable on human capital, with a specific focus on what the industry really needs in relation to developing a new generation of Islamic bankers. The last dialogue concentrated on prospects, opportunities and challenges of trade finance in Africa.