The 2018 Structured Trade Finance Seminar and Workshops, organized by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in Casablanca, Morocco, from 7 to 9 November, ended with a one-day specialised workshop on agency and syndicated loans.
Declaring the workshop open, Amr Kamel, the Afreximbank Executive Vice President in charge of Business Development and Corporate Banking, said that the Bank had been actively promoting syndicated lending in Africa as a result of the growing need to leverage capital into the continent and the increasing importance of syndicated lending.
He said that Afreximbank was working actively with local, regional and international banks and development finance institutions in providing syndicated loan solutions to the continent’s borrowers.
The Bank was also playing a key role in strengthening the financial sectors in many African countries with supportive interventions directed at both central banks and local banks, he added.
Patrick Aduaye-Odiete, Head, Agency and Security Trustee Unit, Afreximbank’s speaking at the workshop
In a presentation titled Agency and Security Trustee: Roles and Responsibilities in a Syndicated Transaction, Patrick Aduaye-Odiete, Head of Afreximbank’s Agency and Security Trustee Unit, said that because of the large amounts involved in syndicated deals, there was the possibility of losses, reputational and credit risk arising from roles not being carried out effectively and as documented in relevant finance documents.
According to Mr. Aduaye-Odiete, the service offering is critical in ensuring that deals are well managed and that agreed terms and conditions are adhered to.
Constantin Von Moltke, Head of Syndications, Afreximbank, chaired a panel on Syndicated Lending in Africa: Perspectives of Pan-African Regional Players, in addition to leading a practical case study session.
Other speakers at the workshop included Clare Dawson, CEO of the Loan Market Association; Simon Williams, Partner at Clifford Chance, London; Andrew Taylor, Partner at Hogan Lovell’s, London; Olivier Fille-Lambie, Partner at Hogan Lovell’s, Paris; Samta Lalan, Head of Distribution, Nedbank, London; Adewunmi Solanke, Regional Head, Loan Syndication, West Africa, at Stanbic IBTC; Neema Siwingwa, Head of Syndications, Trade Development Bank; and Alastair Mcleod, Partner at JLT, London.
Constantin Von Moltke, Head of Syndications, Afreximbank, chairing a panel