Following the release of ICC’s 10th Annual Survey on Trade Finance, which included responses from over 250 global banks, this month’s issue of AGF provides insight into findings regarding trends in trade finance growth in Africa. Read on to learn more about current and future trends in the trade finance sector and how the trade finance gap, digitalisation and regulation are affecting growth (pp. 14-15).

In Africa, investors spend significant time and resources in originating quality deals. Add into the mix the comparably small size of African transactions in relation to the global M&A market, and investors find themselves constantly chasing deal flow. According to Will Hunnam & Lanre Oloniniyi, Co-founders of Orbitt, the players involved in African deal origination can reduce the friction points and shorten the overall deal cycle by embracing digitisation (p.22).

On the private equity front, Olubunmi Abayomi-Olukunle, Lead Transaction Counsel at Balogun Harold, looks into Nigeria’s private equity industry. Read on to find more about legal and regulatory developments in the country (pp. 16-17).

In this month’s edition, we also catch up with Enitan Obasanjo-Adeleye, Head of Research, AVCA to discuss infrastructure investments in Africa and whether there is the best template for infrastructure investing. We also learn about the role PPPs can play in contributing to Africa's development / solving the continent's infrastructure deficit (p.13).