Closing the first week of the Masterclass!

The first week of Masterclass has come to an end for our 2024 fellows! It has been a great start for our participants, who engaged in stimulating discussions on the planning and preparation stages of infrastructure projects in Africa. This was an opportunity to explore innovative and sustainable solutions based on the PPP model 

An immense thank to the professionals who supported us this week: 

• Salim Bensmail, Senior Investment Director, Executive Director – Meridiam 

• Maude Vallée, Division Manager & Head of Operations – African Legal Support Facility 

• Assiba Djemaoun, Coordinator, Structured Finance Division – AFD 

• Carole Devidal, Chargée de cooperation internationale – Expertise France 

• Nicolas Painvin, Global Head, International Public Finance – Fitch Ratings 

• Darlain Edeme, Africa Energy Analyst – IEA 

• Rita Madeira, Sub-Saharan Africa Program Officer – IEA 

• François Boulanger, Associate – NODALIS 

• Balthazar Schlumberger, CEO – SIMPL (Sustainable Impact Measurement Platform) 

• Saad Hammoumi, International Affairs Director, Public Finance Consultants – Finance Consult 

• Roger Ribeiro, Procurement and Contract Manager director – EGIS 

• Ginette Borduas, Head of ESG and Sustainability – Meridiam 

• Julie de Brux, Associate – Citizing 

• Ousmane Diawara, Director of Infrastructure Advisory – EY 

• Magueye Gueye, Counsel, Projects Finance Infrastructure team – Gide 

• Célia Alao, Senior Associate, Projects Finance Infrastructure team – Gide 

• Safaa Bargouchi, Lawyer – African Legal Support Facility 

The fellows had the opportunity to explore the following topics during the week: 

Phase of the project: Plan

• Macro-economic infrastructure landscape 

• Institutional & governance framework 

• Assessing political risks 

• ESG goals in Infrastructure 

• AFD role 

Phase of the project: Preparation Sessions

• Environmental Social Impact Assessment 

• Cost benefit analysis 

• Getting the economic model right 

• Defining the most appropriate contractual model 

• Risk allocation & mitigation mechanisms 

• Contingent liabilities