UAE-based business intelligence and investment firm Investera has launched operations in Kenya that will see it guide foreign investors seeking to invest locally and link local firms to foreign opportunities.
The entry is through a partnership deal with their local counterparts, Investera Plus Africa. The firm will provide market research, due diligence, investment advisory and financial intelligence services to investors, businesses, and entrepreneurs.
Raising start-up capital and access to markets are some of the biggest challenges for budding Kenyan entrepreneurs, with banks requiring collateral that most of them do not have, a past study showed.
“If you want to set up a mining operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or to invest in a technology start-up in Kenya, or in the hospitality sector in Malawi, or even in oil and gas in Chad or Nigeria, the platform will give you access to verified and credible contacts, industry insights, and market intelligence in those countries, helping you navigate the business processes to help you execute your growth strategy,” said Investora director Mahmoud Suleiman in a statement.
Investera Plus Africa said it picked Kenya, East Africa’s biggest economy, as the prime location to set up its operations because of the country’s strategic importance as a key regional business gateway.
“By setting up Investera Plus Africa, we are plugging into a very fertile business infrastructure, and providing the missing link to transform the continent’s investment climate,” said Tito Mutai, executive director of Investera Plus Africa.
The portal will seek to offer a one-stop network for companies, high-net-worth individuals, philanthropists, young and established entrepreneurs, industrialists and regulators covering all the 55 countries on the continent
“Our experience has shown that sometimes people have ideas without the money. On the other hand, people have may have the money, ideas, and competent skills but without trusted contacts on a target location to turn the idea into reality,” said Mr Suleiman.
Source: Business Daily Newspaper.